It was only three days ago that BLACKPINK made history as the second-ever girl band to win Best Group at the MTV Video Music Awards, 28 years after TLC won the same award in 1995. But despite their recent gold rush and sell-out world tour, some corners of South Korean media began reporting yesterday that group member Lisa had rejected an offer of 50 billion won to renew her contract with YG Entertainment, a sum in excess of £30 million.

At the moment it’s unclear why Lisa – full name Lalisa Manobal – reportedly rejected the contract renewal, but online speculation in the K-pop community has pointed out that the musician may have received substantial offers from other agencies, casting her future with YG Entertainment in doubt. Before now, it was already common knowledge that all of BLACKPINK’s contracts were due for renewal in August 2023, and as of now the status of all four is unclear.

Today, YG Entertainment released a statement to media outlet TV Report in response to the rumours, stating that “we are discussing renewing our contract with Lisa” and that “the rumour has not been officially confirmed”. Despite the statement, shares in YG have fallen almost 9 per cent since the reports began surfacing, suggesting that the company could take an even bigger financial hit if a breakup is on the cards.

This current speculation follows earlier reports in July that Lisa’s future with the band was unsure, and this resulted in scheduling difficulties for her. YG also had to come out and make a statement then too, saying that these conflicts were “due to the tour schedule as well as her individually scheduled activities. It has nothing to do with the contract renewal”.

BLACKPINK is currently at the tail end of an 11-month world tour, one that’s spanned four continents, 21 countries and 34 cities across the globe. The Born Pink World Tour is due to come to an end on September 17 in Seoul, and has surpassed the Spice Girls’ 2019 comeback shows as the highest-grossing tour of all time by an all-female group.

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