A teenage student in Thailand who helps her mother at a fried chicken stall has become an online sensation due to her striking resemblance to Lisa, the K-pop rapper and dancer from the girl band Blackpink.
Kuilthida, known as Yeehwa, is a 17-year-old secondary school student at Taphanhin School in Thailand’s Phichit province, about 300 kilometers north of Bangkok. During school breaks, she visits her mother, Benyapa (known as Gig), and helps with her fried chicken stall at a market in Samut Prakan, south of Bangkok.
People noticed Yeehwa’s remarkable resemblance to Blackpink star Lalisa “Lisa” Manobal, 27, who is also from Thailand. Photos of Yeehwa posted online quickly made her an internet sensation.
Lisa recently released a new single, “Rockstar,” with her new company LLOUD, on June 27. The music video quickly gained popularity, ranking number 3 on YouTube’s trending for music list and amassing 66 million views in just five days. Multiple versions of the song appeared in the top 20 on the American iTunes chart within hours of its release.
The new single has generated significant interest from fans about Lisa’s style and outfits, especially those featured in the music video shot in Bangkok’s Chinatown. As a result, officials in Bangkok have increased safety measures in Chinatown to accommodate the influx of tourists.
Despite building her career in South Korea, Lisa has always promoted Thai culture. She once said, “South Korea is our country and Thailand is my country.” Lisa’s success has inspired many young people in Thailand, including her lookalike, Yeehwa.
Although a bit embarrassed by her sudden fame, Yeehwa expressed interest in show business and said she would “willingly enter the entertainment industry if ever the chance arose.” She told the Bangkok Post, “I am happy and excited to resemble an admired singer like Lisa.”
Online observers were thrilled to see Yeehwa’s enthusiasm for the entertainment industry. One person commented, “She is like a secondary school version of Lisa,” while another said, “I would like to see her and Lisa performing on the same stage.”
