BLACKPINK star Lisa felt like she was “bringing the team down” when she “couldn’t sing” during a difficult time.
The dancer and rapper – who is part of the K-pop girl group alongside Jisoo, Jennie and Rosé – revealed she suffered a “rough” year in between 2017 track ‘As If It’s Your Last’ and 2018 hit ‘Ddu-du Ddu-du’, although she didn’t explain why.
She told Rolling Stone magazine: ““I couldn’t sing. When I went to the studio to record, nothing came out.
“I cried. I felt like I was bringing the team down.”
She overcame her struggle with the help of the band’s collaborator and producer Teddy Park.
She added: “Teddy [would push me hard [in the studio]: ‘You can’t? No. Try harder. Go back in there’. Because of Teddy, I overcame that time.”
Meanwhile, the musician pointed to Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalia as a huge inspiration, and Lisa noted how she has more lessons to learn.
She said: “She has her own Spanish culture, that’s inside her person, that influences her music.
“I’m curious to know how much I can expand what I do. Music-wise, dance-wise, I feel like I still have to learn more.”
The group as a whole also opened up about the pressure of being a K-pop trainee act, and while agency YG Entertainment did provide mental health classes and therapy at the time, they didn’t find them particularly helpful and instead focused on their relationships as a band.
Jisoo explained: “We had the same problems, so it was better to talk to each other.”
Last month, YG Entertainment were forced to deny rumours that BLACKPINK were planning a comeback in June, with plenty of speculation surrounding their release schedule.
The label said: “BLACKPINK’s comeback schedule has not been decided yet.
“As for the comeback in June, many people are only speculating that way, but it has not been officially announced.
“However, it is true that we are preparing for a comeback. When a detailed schedule comes out next time, I will tell you the official date.”