The image was shared on Instagram.
New Delhi: BLACKPINK members Jennie and Lisa made waves at Coachella 2025, but this time, not as a quartet. Instead of appearing as a group, the K-pop stars graced the music festival as solo performers.
This year’s Coachella featured heavy-hitting headliners like Lady Gaga, Travis Scott, Green Day and Post Malone. And as is often the case with high-profile performances, conversations around lip-syncing quickly began to circulate – especially when it came to Lisa.
Despite nailing her live vocals during soundcheck, Lisa found herself at the centre of online chatter, with some questioning the authenticity of her performance. The controversy took a sharper turn when a video of Lady Gaga began circulating on social media, which many fans believed was throwing shade at Lisa and Jennie.
In the video, she can be heard saying, “I never lip sync, I never have lip synced, and I never will. And as long as you’re paying money to buy a ticket to see my show, I’m not gonna waste your time watching a b*tch lip sync her way through an HBO special.”
The mention of an “HBO special” immediately had fans connecting the dots. Both BLACKPINK stars have recently been involved in HBO shows – Jennie in The Idol and Lisa in The White Lotus.
Lisa, in particular, played the role of Mook, a healthcare consultant, in the latest season of Mike White’s critically acclaimed series.
Her acting debut was well-received, but her Coachella performance drew mixed reactions due to alleged lip-syncing during a segment nicknamed “Elastigirl.”
With Gaga’s video doing the rounds online, many interpreted it as a subtle dig at the Thai superstar or perhaps both BLACKPINK members in the spotlight. However, upon closer inspection, the viral clip turned out to be misleading.
Although the quote is something Gaga said, it has absolutely no connection to Coachella 2025 or any of the BLACKPINK members.
In reality, the clip is from way back in 2011, during a performance on her Monster Ball world tour. A video resurfaced on X (formerly Twitter) showing Gaga saying those exact words on stage. According to Koreaboo, she was referencing her own stance on lip-syncing in the context of an HBO recording of her concert at the time – not throwing shade at anyone else.
To further debunk the drama, it’s worth remembering that BLACKPINK hadn’t even debuted in 2011 – they officially hit the scene in 2016 with Square One, featuring tracks like Boombayah and Whistle.
Plus, far from being rivals, Gaga and BLACKPINK actually teamed up in 2020 for their hit Sour Candy, which appeared on Gaga’s Chromatica album.
In 2024, all four BLACKPINK members – Jennie, Lisa, Rose and Jisoo – exited YG Entertainment to launch their own solo labels, though they retained a joint contract to continue performing as BLACKPINK. A group comeback is officially on the cards for June 2025.
Their last full project, Born Pink, dropped in 2022, and according to 10Asia, preparations for the new album are already underway. “The BLACKPINK members have begun adjusting their schedules for recording and filming in preparation for the new album. The album will be released by June at the latest,” an industry insider said.
