LISA is breaking her own records again. The BLACKPINK star’s new music video, “Tarantino”, racked up 41.9 million YouTube views in its first 24 hours, according to InMusic. By the weekend, it was one of the most-watched videos on the platform worldwide, with TrendReport listing it among the videos trending in 46 or more countries on October 25.

Here is what makes the debut so notable, and what the video is actually about.

The numbers behind the record

“Tarantino” was released on October 23 alongside LISA’s six-track EP, PRESS PLAY. According to InMusic, its 41.9 million first-day views make it:

  • **The second-biggest music video debut of 2026 on YouTube**, behind only LISA’s own “SaWaDiKa”.
  • **The third most-viewed first-day music video by a K-pop soloist**, behind LISA’s “LALISA” (73.6 million) and “SaWaDiKa” (73.3 million). In other words, she now holds all three top spots.
  • **Her third music video to top 40 million views in its first 24 hours**, the most of any solo artist. That breaks a tie with Taylor Swift, who has two.

Few artists can compete with themselves for records, but that is exactly where LISA is right now.

A spy thriller in three and a half minutes

As the title suggests, the video borrows heavily from the cinema of Quentin Tarantino. Directed by Grammy-winning filmmaker James Mackel, it casts LISA as a blonde, leather-clad action heroine in a stylish spy story.

It opens in a lavish hotel room, where she receives a mysterious red letter just before intruders burst in. A fight sequence follows, and the action moves through the hotel, including a dance number with chambermaids and bellboys, before a final confrontation in the kitchen. InMusic notes the grainy film texture and stylised violence, with visual nods to pulp storytelling and the action style of Kill Bill. The video ends without revealing what the red letter says, leaving fans to theorise.

Part of a bigger story

“Tarantino” is part of PRESS PLAY, LISA’s first solo project since her 2025 album Alter Ego. The EP also includes “SaWaDiKa”, released on September 4, whose Thai-inspired imagery helped set the project’s visual direction.

LISA has described the EP as a movie. In an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she explained that each track represents a different character, all adding up to a larger story about her journey from Thailand to global stardom. Seen that way, “Tarantino” is less a standalone single and more a chapter in a bigger narrative, which helps explain why fans are dissecting every frame.

Why music videos still matter

In an era of short-form clips and streaming playlists, it is easy to think music videos have lost their power. LISA’s numbers suggest otherwise. For artists with big, organised fan bases, a video premiere is still an event: fans gather at release time, share clips, rewatch to boost the count and turn the first 24 hours into a global milestone.

The cinematic approach helps too. A video with a plot, characters and an unresolved mystery gives viewers a reason to come back, compare theories and keep the conversation going well after day one.

What to watch for next

With PRESS PLAY framed as a connected story, fans will be watching for more visuals and any hint of what the red letter means. Whether the next chapter can match “Tarantino” is an open question, but LISA has shown that her biggest competition right now is herself.

The bottom line

“Tarantino” is a stylish, movie-like music video that also happens to be a record-breaker. With 41.9 million views on day one and a new solo-artist record for 40-million-plus debuts, LISA has once again proved that she is one of the most powerful forces on YouTube.

Image: Crowd People by Anthony Delanoix via StockSnap, CC0 1.0