Blackpink’s Lisa Added as Headliner for Global Citizen Festival, in Her First Major U.S. Solo Appearance
The solo career of Blackpink’s Lisa, who has long been widely pegged for success outside the group, will get a bigger look in the U.S. when she plays a set in September at the Global Citizen Festival, becoming the fifth official headliner at that annual philanthropic concert event in Central Park.
Festival organizers are touting it as Lisa’s first solo performance at a music festival. But that’s only one of the qualifications by which it counts as a rarity, to date. She’s only made a handful of solo appearances, period, so far, the most recent of which was a three-song set in Paris in January. No touring plans have yet been announced, so her presence on the bill guarantees a big global streaming tune-in for the performance.
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The announcement Tuesday morning about Lisa fills in the mystery that was left after a fifth headlining TBA slot was left publicly unfilled when Global Citizen announced the initial four headliners — Post Malone, Doja Cat, Jelly Roll and Rauw Alejandro.
Hosted by Hugh Jackman, the concert takes place Sept. 28. Tickets are free, albeit earned by “taking action” to further Global Citizen’s goals — which include “defeating poverty, defending the planet and demanding equity” for marginalized communities — on either the org’s app or at globalcitizenfestival.com.
“We are thrilled to join forces with Lisa for what will be her first ever solo performance at a music festival,” said Katie Hill, who serves as Global Citizen’s SVP and head of music, entertainment and artist relations, in a statement. “Lisa is not only an incredible performer, but also a powerful advocate, leveraging her voice and platform to drive action on some of the most urgent challenges our world is facing. We look forward to welcoming Lisa, and of course Lilies and Blinks, to Central Park in September.” Hill further implored fans to “join us by taking action on the Global Citizen app, and together we can make a huge impact to end extreme poverty.”
Lisa, the Thai rapper, singer and dancer who has emerged as a favorite among many of the South Korean girl group’s fans, has been having a good week with the successful international rollout of “Rockstar,” the first single released under the partnership between RCA Records and her management company, Lloud Co.
Billboard announced Monday that “Rockstar” debuted at the top of its Global Excl. U.S. chart. She became the third Blackpink member to have a No. 1 hit on that chart. On Billboard’s Global 200, which measures success in the U.S. alongside all other world territories, “Rockstar” bowed at No. 4.
In the seven days following the song’s June 28 release, Billboard says, “Rockstar” racked up 94.2 million streams in the territories that contribute to the Global Excl. U.S. chart.
Global Citizen has not yet unveiled full streaming details for music fans who want to tune in in September, but the org previously listed iHeartMedia as the concert’s exclusive U.S. audio partner. Live Nation is the production partner, with Done and Dusted and Diversified Production Services serving as the event’s producers.
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