Song Review: Lisa (BLACKPINK) – SaWaDiKa

BLACKPINK members are very busy with their solo releases at the moment. Jennie just dropped a digital EP last week, Jisoo’s back later tonight and Lisa has returned with new single SaWaDiKa. This title is a stylized version of the Thai greeting “sawasdee ka”, but in Lisa’s hands it becomes another opportunity to regale us with boasts about how incredible (and rich!) she is. I don’t know why I bristle at this subject matter as much as I do. After all, boisterous bragging has been a hallmark of hip-hop for decades. It just feels particularly hollow and materialistic at the moment and when an artist’s image/concept is built on boasts and brags it comes across as weirdly uncomfortable. I’m all about the “show, don’t tell” of songwriting. If you must predicate your entire track on how amazing you are, that track better be absolutely brilliant. I should be able to hear how awesome and groundbreaking your music is and come to my own conclusion, not just be pummeled into submission by incessant chants. This is all to say, SaWaDiKa is as fun (or not fun) as any song of this nature has become. The production is solid, though hardly original or forward-thinking. The chorus is particularly lam...