[Exclusive] BLACKPINK's Lisa Eyes Grammy Glory After VMA Win? 56.4% of 'PRESS PLAY' Credits Have Grammy Ties

BLACKPINK member Lisa won a major category at the MTV Video Music Awards last month. Now she appears to be aiming for the Grammys. More than half of the people credited on her new EP have connections to the awards. That points to a bigger goal: competing as a solo artist on equal footing with other pop stars rather than being defined by the label of the member of a K-POP group.

Lisa's solo EP "PRESS PLAY" was released at midnight KST on Oct. 23. It is her first release since she won the Best Pop award at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) on Sept. 27. The EP features six tracks: "SaWaDiKa," which was released early last month, along with "V12," "Cobra," "Tarantino," "Cut U Off" and "Sweat."

K-POPIT reviewed the full Spotify credits for every track on the EP. It counted 31 songwriters and producers and eight engineers.

Nine of those producers and three of the engineers have won Grammys. Including nominees, at least 22 of the 39 credited individuals (56.4%) have been nominated for or won a Grammy. TenAsia did not count producers whom the agency described as Grammy nominees if their names do not appear in the Grammys' official records of winners and nominees.

The engineering lineup highlights the attention given to the EP's sound. Each of the three Grammy-winning engineers was responsible for a distinct role for the entire album: vocal production, mixing or mastering.

Mixing engineer Manny Marroquin has won 14 Grammys. Mastering engineer Randy Merrill, who has worked with Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan and Lady Gaga, has won nine. Vocal production went to Kuk Harrell, a five-time Grammy winner who worked on Rihanna hits such as "Work" and "Umbrella."

Industry insiders believe Lisa brought in this many Grammy-connected creators to make a run at the Grammys' main categories within two to three years. In the music business, it is an open secret that an album with more Grammy winners and nominees behind it can add industry credibility. A better shot at being taken seriously, and higher chances for a win.

Despite the high-profile lineup, Lisa is the lead producer on every track. Album credits usually list names in order of contribution to the writing, with the biggest contributors first. Her name comes first on the credits for every song.

The album also aligns with the Grammys' emphasis on artistic identity and originality. "PRESS PLAY" draws on Lisa's own story. With it, she makes clear that she wants to step outside the role of a K-POP group member and move forward as a global pop artist from Thailand.

She talked about how the album came together during an appearance on NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" last month.

"It tells the story from my roots (Thailand) to where I am now, and I worked Thai cultural elements into the music," she said.

She also explained the title. Although the songs have different moods, together they play out like a single movie. That concept inspired the title "PRESS PLAY."

You can hear that on the opening track. "SaWaDiKa," released as a pre-release single on Sept. 2, is named after a Thai greeting. The lyrics mention Bangkok, the Thai currency baht and the tuk-tuk, a common mode of transportation to get around in Thailand. The music video puts her identity front and center with Muay Thai, traditional Thai clothing and Bangkok's Old Town.

After BTS announced a boycott, many K-POP artists have not submitted work for the 69th Grammy Awards in 2027. It remains unclear whether Lisa's work was submitted. Regardless, none of her solo releases without featured artists falls within the eligibility period for the ceremony, so a Grammy win on her own at that ceremony was never possible.

"PRESS PLAY" is expected to be eligible for the 70th Grammy Awards in 2028. As a result, that puts real weight on how the EP performs internationally. Its credits suggests Lisa is not just releasing new music. She is positioning herself to be recognized as a pop artist on her own terms.