BLACKPINK’s Lisa released her new album “Alter Ego,” and while fans love it, initial sales numbers showed a drop compared to her previous solo work, “LALISA.” The difference comes from a change in how the album is sold.
Sales Numbers and Fan Reactions
Lisa’s “Alter Ego” sold around 30,400 copies in its first 24 hours, according to Hanteo Chart. This is much lower than the 330,129 copies “LALISA” sold on its first day in 2021. The news led to online discussions, with many wondering why the numbers were so different.
Distribution Strategy: A Key Factor
The main reason for the difference in sales numbers is how “Alter Ego” is sold. Lisa started her own label, LLOUD, and partnered with RCA Records. This means her album is being distributed differently than most K-pop albums.
Most K-pop albums are sold through Korean stores that report sales to Hanteo and Gaon charts. “Alter Ego” is sold primarily through the LLOUD X RCA Records website. This means many international fans bought the album directly from the website, and those sales may not have been counted by Hanteo.
Usually, international fans buy K-pop albums from specific Korean stores to help with chart rankings. Lisa’s new approach gives fans worldwide a more direct way to buy her album, but it also means fewer sales are shown on Korean charts.
So, did her sales drop by 90%? Technically, yes, if you look solely at Hanteo’s first-day numbers (330,129 for LALISA vs. 30,400 for Alter Ego). But this doesn’t tell the full story. The lower Hanteo figure reflects a change in how the album was distributed, not necessarily a collapse in demand or popularity. Total physical sales data, including international purchases through LLOUD’s platform, isn’t fully available yet as of March 2, 2025, but Lisa’s continued global traction suggests Alter Ego is far from a flop. Fans have pointed out this discrepancy, arguing that her sales are likely much higher when accounting for all channels, though exact figures remain unclear without comprehensive reports from LLOUD or RCA. In short, the “90% drop” claim is misleading without context. Lisa’s Alter Ego comeback highlights her evolution as an independent artist with a new approach to reaching her audience, and the numbers only partially capture her success. As more data emerges, the real impact of this release will become clearer, but for now, it’s safe to say her star power remains strong.
Fans have shown support for Lisa’s new approach. They say that first-day Hanteo sales do not show the album’s real success. Lisa has a large international fan base, and her influence goes beyond Korean album sales.
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