Blackpink’s La Lisa made more history at the MTV Video Music Awards, which are held all over the world. This was her third win in this tough category; her song “Born Again” won Best K-pop at the 2025 VMAs. At this point, Lisa and BTS tied for the most wins, which made her one of the most important K-pop solo acts. Some things went wrong with this win, though. A lot of people talked about the award online, and many asked if Born Again should even be called K-pop.
What a big win for Lisa at the 2025 VMAs
The event took place on September 7, 2025, at the UBS Arena in New York. It quickly became one of the most talked-about nights in music history. The show belonged to Blackpink’s La Lisa, who stole the show as both a solo artist and a part of the group. During the show, her pre-recorded acceptance speech was played. In it, she thanks all of her fans from the bottom of her heart.
At the VMAs, she won Best K-pop for the third time. Only BTS has followed suit. The award put Lisa, a Thai singer who became famous around the world through K-pop, at the top of a field that is still growing all over the world. Fans were proud of what she had done and pointed out that she keeps breaking down barriers for women and non-Korean stars in the genre. The Hindustan Times said that La Lisa’s win was another important event in her career. Hindustan Times (original coverage): Hindustan Times
Why fans are angry and upset
As more and more people spoke out against it online, the cheers slowly died down. A lot of viewers said Born Again isn’t real K-pop. Doja Cat from the US and Raye from the UK are in the song, which is all in English. Many people thought this made the song sound more like Western music than K-pop, which made them wonder where it fit in the genre. A lot of people were mean on social media, especially on X (formerly Twitter).
Some fans thought that the VMAs put the song in the wrong category to cash in on Lisa’s fame around the world. Others believed Born Again should have been in the Best Pop or Best Collaboration category instead of Best K-pop. For some, the nomination and win were even “disrespectful” to Korean-language acts. According to Sportskeeda, some fans were so angry that other K-pop acts were not considered that they called the choice unfair and false.
What is K-pop these days?
It’s been asked again: what is K-pop? K-pop is a type of music from the entertainment business in South Korea. The words are in Korean, the production and choreography are good, and it has a clear sense of national identity. But as K-pop stars become more well-known around the world, they often work with artists from other countries and try out tongues.
Lisa should get this award because her work with YG Entertainment and Blackpink has made her an important part of the K-pop scene. But some people who don’t like K-pop say that it’s not real unless it has some Korean history or language in it. There are more and more Korean pop songs that sound like other pop songs. This fight shows that K-pop is becoming popular all over the world. People are also angry about the VMA category for Best K-pop, which doesn’t let artists compete in bigger categories like Best Pop or Video of the Year. Wikipedia shows that since it was first given out in 2019, people have fought over this kind of award.
What Lisa thought and how it changed her work
Do La Even though Lisa from Blackpink wasn’t there in person, her words of thanks and humility made it clear how thankful she was. People who back her are called “BLINKs,” and she thanked them for always being there for her. She also said that they were the reason she kept being successful. Even though she wasn’t there, her win quickly became a big deal all over the world.
Lisa is now one of the K-pop artists with the most awards, which makes her even more famous. There is no need for a hero to speak the same language in order to become famous all over the world. People are asking what K-pop really means, but the fact that she has fans from all over the world shows how far it can reach. When Lisa gets this award, it makes her a bigger star around the world, not just as a part of Blackpink.
What people say on social media
How people responded on social media showed how split opinions were. Some fans thought Lisa’s success was good for K-pop artists all over the world. Certain individuals were enraged and stated that calling Born Again K-pop was offensive to the genre’s cultural roots. One post that spread said, “It’s ridiculous that ‘Born Again,’ a song by a Thai woman with American and British women singing in English, is up for a K-pop award.”
Having this argument shows that there is a bigger issue with using music to show national identity.
How to Understand K-pop and the Whole World
This fight is about more than just Lisa’s fame. It’s clear that music still needs a lot of work to reach everyone. K-pop should use artists from the West and combine styles. BTS and Blackpink have teamed up with artists like Halsey and Coldplay, and thanks to those collaborations, even more people around the world have fallen in love with K-pop. Still, it’s not always clear what the ‘rules’ of K-pop really are.
Some people believe that K-pop’s ability to mix styles shows how strong and flexible it is. For some, the genre might lose the culture edge that made it stand out. Giving Born Again the Best K-pop award at the VMAs might have made things worse by accident. There are more and more K-pop award shows happening around the world. Fans and the music business may need to rethink how they recognise and respect the genre.
Thoughts for now
La Lisa by Blackpink got Best K-pop at the 2025 VMAs, it is both good and bad as well. Around the world, she is a big K-pop star. It’s inspiring to see how she has reshaped the game as a solo artist. At the same time, it shows just how hard it is to define what K-pop really is, especially now that culture, language, and music are mixing together more than ever. Winning this award cements Lisa’s place as one of the most influential figures in today’s K-pop scene. Fans should remember that music that gets a lot of attention around the world should still stay true to its roots and be original. For sure, Blackpink’s La Lisa is still influencing the future of K-pop, whether it’s for the better or for the worse. It’s unclear whether this changes the types of awards given or just keeps the talk going.
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