Why weren’t BLACKPINK’s Lisa’s songs used in The White Lotus season 3? Staff reveals surprising Mook connection

BLACKPINK's Lisa won hearts with her convincing portrayal of a sly and charming hotelier, Mook, in The White Lotus season 3. As the series was based around Thailand, its culture and contained Thai music of renowned artists, fans wondered why Lisa's songs were not used instead. As a Thai national and one of the biggest K-pop artists, the usage of her songs would have increased the show's popularity even more. However, the music supervisor of the series, Gabe Hilfer, was of a different opinion.

Gabe Hilfer told The Hollywood Reporter on April 6 that he focused on authenticity while deciding on The White Lotus season 3's music. "You’re immersed when you enter The White Lotus, and we want music to be a part of that too." Even though the show heavily featured the songs from Thai artists, he did not use any of Lisa's due to a specific reason. He stated, "I've worked on a lot of things that have musicians as actors, and I kind of feel like you’re crossing a boundary because they’re no longer their fictional character."

The music expert noted that listening to a public figure's music while watching them on screen, without being able to connect the music to their real persona, can be confusing. Regarding that, Gabe Hilfer stated, "It's just a little meta if you're hearing their music while you're seeing them on screen, but they're not playing themselves." He also revealed having a discussion about the same with the BLACKPINK member's label, and finally the decision of not including her songs in the series was made.

He further explained the reason, saying, “If she was playing Lisa on vacation at the White Lotus, maybe it would’ve been kind of a fun little wink, but as she is Mook in this and has a different role, I think it would’ve been a little too self-aware or meta." He mentioned reaching out to a lot of people who had contacts in Thailand to collaborate with them and pick appropriate songs for the show. He recalled "having a couple great resources in Bangkok, who were immensely helpful because basically their whole job is working on music licensing with Thai artists."

ALSO READ: Did BLACKPINK Lisa's character Mook die in The White Lotus season 3 finale? Find out