Ready your air guitars, folks! Lisa, the sensational star from the global K-pop phenomenon Blackpink, is once again taking center stage with a music video teaser that’s leaving fans in a frenzy. This time, she’s rocking and rolling under the neon glow of Bangkok’s legendary Chinatown in her eagerly anticipated solo track, ‘Rockstar’.
Amidst a whirlwind of captivating headlines swirling out of Bangkok in 2024, the ‘Bangkok Post’ has meticulously curated a list of the top five highlights of the year. Of course, no such list would be complete without the magnetic pull of Lisa’s stunning PR campaign.
Lisa Shines and So Does Bangkok!
Few narratives have electrified the global stage quite like the promotional extravaganza orchestrated by Lalisa “Lisa” Manobal, our very own K-pop royalty. On the evening of June 28, Lisa catapulted her music video ‘Rockstar’ into the digital stratosphere. Filmed in the kaleidoscopic Yaowarat, the heart and soul of Bangkok’s Chinatown, the release was a seismic event that caused fans worldwide to converge on the cobbled, food-laden streets where Lisa herself tread.
The global impact was nothing short of magical. The Rockstar teaser rocketed to over 4.9 million eyeballs on YouTube, claiming its place as the trending overlord at the time. Meanwhile, her sassy Instagram snaps and TikTok antics weren’t twiddling their thumbs either — raking in over 3.3 million likes and more than 4.5 million views, all in a day’s work for Lisa.
Back home in Thailand, the craze swept social media like a delightful fever. Influencers and celebs alike couldn’t resist recreating Lisa’s iconic Yaowarat shenanigans, turning the streets into an open stage and setting the scene for an epic viral moment.
Lisa hasn’t just been a dazzling beacon of pop culture; she’s been instrumental in showcasing Thailand’s “soft power” on a global scale. Remember her LALISA music video? That traditional Thai golden outfit was the stuff of legends, whipping up a global frenzy that had people clamoring for a slice of timeless Thai fashion.
Her culinary diplomacy is equally savory, having spotlighted the delightful “standing meatballs” of Buri Ram railway station back in late 2021. Her endorsement was a lifeline for vendors facing the pandemic crunch, igniting a surge of online orders that transformed daily revenues into a veritable feast.
In the midst of the Rockstar mania, Bangkok’s Governor Chadchart Sittipunt chimed in with gratitude, lauding Lisa for choosing Yaowarat as her backdrop. “Lisa has already done wonders for us,” he professed.
However, he signaled that the road ahead requires self-improvement. “We need to ensure our vendors offer a splendid experience. If thrill-seekers arrive for Lisa and depart unimpressed, we lose our replay value,” he urged, stressing the need for enhanced public amenities to keep those tourist dollars flowing.
The Curtain Falls on Lao Market
In other nostalgia-tinted news, the bustling “Lao Market,” a cherished segment of Klong Toey Market along Rama IV Road, bid its bittersweet goodbye after nearly two illustrious decades.
This vibrant hub once buzzed with 96 vendors, a beloved exemption zone brimming with life under a roof thoughtfully provided by the Khlong Toey District Office. But as time marched on, that extemporaneous charm began to fizzle, giving way to an obstructionist sprawl on the paths meant for pedestrians.
The saga of stalls-turned-stumbling blocks finally concluded on December 1, after the gripping tug-of-war between the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and stallholders reached its denouement. Visitors were led to the inner folds of Klong Toey Market, as bulldozers moved in on December 2-4. What now stands is a meticulously revamped landscape, with buried power lines and gleaming water pipes, a nod to pedestrian-friendly aspirations.
Skytrain Blues: BMA’s Debt Bombshell
The metropolitan metropolis was hit by another kind of tremor in July when the Supreme Administrative Court signaled for the BMA to settle hefty debts with Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC). The financial saga twined its way through extensions and maintenance services for the thriving Skytrain branches — a prickly legacy of leadership decisions that will echo into the new year and beyond.
Sorting the Trash in Bangkok
The city lights of Bangkok appear greener these days, thanks to an eco-incentive announced by the BMA. Households with a penchant for neat segregation of their trash now have a reason to cheer — a slashed garbage fee, engineered to trim the city’s ferocious appetite for waste.
City Hall’s amendment means your sorted trash is not only an environmental virtue but also a fiscal boon. The revamped fees, which drop to 20 baht for diligent sorters, take effect 180 days post-announcement. Only time will tell if this move can shift the current minuscule participation numbers.
Trok Pho Inferno: A Fiery Reminder
As the calendar pages turned, a fiery July brought the Trok Pho community, a venerable hamlet of timber, into somber focus. The blaze that raged through this historic enclave of Samphanthawong is a haunting reminder of the vulnerabilities lingering in the heart of tradition.
With an enduring community anchored by Bodhi trees (ton pho in Thai), the devastating inferno demanded Bangkok’s governance to recalibrate its approach to safety. Governor Sittipunt’s preventative tours, fire drills, and the city’s reinforced fire defenses are just flames in an ongoing quest to shield the intricate tapestry of old Bangkok.
Lisa shooting a video in Chinatown is such a huge marketing coup for Bangkok. It’s tourism gold!
True, but don’t you think it over-commercializes the cultural scene? Global pop culture can overshadow local traditions.
You have to change with the times. Besides, exposure can help preserve cultural sites if done correctly.
Yeah! Tourism brings money, but will all that money actually help the locals?
Lalisa’s influence is undeniable, but should we really rely on celebrities to define our cultural image?
But isn’t media attention a powerful tool for cultural diplomacy? Thailand could benefit from this.
Media attention is great, but not if it leads to cultural dilution, right?
The article didn’t mention the traffic impact on locals. I’ve heard it caused quite the congestion headache.
Temporary chaos for a permanent boost sounds like a fair trade-off, though, doesn’t it?
Unless you’re stuck in it every day, then it’s less fair!
I think Lisa’s initiative to revive those meatball stalls was incredibly thoughtful. Stars should do more of this!
It’s great, but should we depend on celebrities for economic support? What about government action?
Bangkok’s attempt to lower garbage fees for sorting waste is ambitious, but will people comply?
Incentives might help, but cultural change towards waste management is what truly matters.
Revamping Klong Toey Market—great idea, but did it hurt the little guys who relied on those stalls for income?
Honestly, displaced vendors might struggle to adapt quickly. It’s a hard transition for small businesses.
The fiery events in Trok Pho really highlight the need for improved city safety measures.
We hear talks of improvement every time there’s a disaster, yet it’s always too little, too late.
Lisa’s use of traditional Thai fashion in her videos is a brilliant merge of past and present.
Absolutely! It bridges history with modern aesthetics, but I wonder if it diminishes authenticity at times.
It’s a balance, but I believe it helps keep traditions alive in a globalized market.
The escalating debts with BTSC are unnerving. Bangkok needs serious fiscal discipline before things spiral.
Watching Lisa’s teaser was stunning, but does it glamorize Bangkok’s struggle with social inequalities?
Pop culture isn’t meant to solve those issues, but it shines a spotlight for better or worse.
Are Bangkok’s environmental initiatives up to par with the scale of problems they face?
The measures are a step in the right direction, but they lack comprehensive support from all sectors.
Lao Market closing is symbolic of bigger gentrification trends. Both good and bad, I guess?
The Rockstar teaser truly put Bangkok on the world map, yet locals feel the burden. Mixed blessings?
It’s all glitz and glamour from afar, but on the ground, it’s a complication affair.
Lisa’s global appeal might just overshadow her artistry with all this hype-focused promotion.