First of all, I want to make it clear that I’m speaking strictly about commercial performance, not about the musical quality of Alter Ego, the album’s critical reception, or personal tastes.
One thing I’ve noticed whenever discussions about the solo careers of the BLACKPINK members arise, especially here on Reddit, is that Alter Ego is frequently presented as the album that failed commercially. Lisa is also often placed well below Jennie and Rosé when discussing the commercial success of their solo careers. I remember receiving downvotes for saying that, although Jennie and Rosé achieved the greatest commercial success among the members, with songs like like JENNIE, APT., and Dracula, I don’t think Lisa is that far behind them when we analyze the overall commercial performance of their career. I’m not saying that the three had exactly the same results, because that wouldn’t be true, what I question is how the difference between them is often presented, as if Lisa’s career had been a commercial failure.
Alterego debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, entering directly into the top 10 of one of the main album charts in the most competitive music market in the world. In addition, it reached the number one spot on the Billboard Top Album Sales and Top Current Album Sales charts. On iTunes, it reached number one on the global album chart and topped the charts in several countries. The album also achieved relevant positions in different international markets, mainly European and South American. Then, we have Spotify, where several songs from the album have accumulated hundreds of millions of plays. Rockstar, Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me), New Woman, and Born Again achieved impressive streaming numbers, all of these songs accumulating over 400 million streams on Spotify (the album by a K-pop soloist and tied with the album as the K-pop female act albums with the most songs to reach this milestone), demonstrating that the album’s performance did not depend exclusively on a single song.
If the argument is that Alter Ego had less commercial impact than Rosie or Ruby in certain indicators, we can analyze the numbers and discuss these differences. What I don’t understand is how this comparison often ends up turning an album with impressive commercial results into an example of failure. Furthermore, I consider it important to separate commercial performance from critical reception. An album can receive mixed reviews and still be commercially successful. Similarly, an album can be highly praised by critics without achieving great commercial results. My argument is not that Lisa surpassed Jennie or Rosé in commercial terms. It’s just that her performance often seems to be described in a much more negative way than the results achieved justify.
And I want to make one last thing clear: this post is not to compare the members with each other, nor to discuss who is the best or which of the three had the most successful solo career. If I mention the other members, it’s precisely in the context of these comparisons that I see the narrative repeatedly emerging that Lisa’s career was a commercial failure. I want to understand where this assessment comes from and whether it is really supported by the numbers. The goal of this post is to discuss Alter Ego and Lisa’s solo career. I would especially like to hear the perspectives of those who consider the album a commercial flop. Why do they consider it a flop? And, looking at Lisa’s next era, what do you think she could do to improve her business results?
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