Information checked: September 25, 2026. This preview was prepared before the ceremony.
Featured image: LISA at Bulgari Studio, March 14, 2024. Archive image, not the 2026 VMAs. Credit: 티비텐 TV10 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0). Display versions may be resized or cropped.
LISA is scheduled to perform “SaWaDiKa” at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, September 27. The U.S. broadcast starts at 7:30 p.m. Eastern and 4:30 p.m. Pacific. In Seoul, that is 8:30 a.m. on Monday, September 28. The appearance is confirmed in CBS and MTV’s performer announcement, with the broadcast schedule reiterated in their September 24 update.
Her Best K-Pop nomination is for a different song from the one announced for the stage. “Dream” appears on that ballot; “SaWaDiKa” is the planned performance. One looks back at a previous release; the other introduces her next project.
What will LISA perform at the 2026 VMAs?
CBS and MTV name “SaWaDiKa” as LISA’s planned performance and describe the appearance as its television debut in the September 17 announcement. That does not mean the song itself is being released for the first time that night.
Sony Music’s September 4 release announcement confirms that “SaWaDiKa” was released with its official music video that day. The same notice gives October 23, 2026 as the planned release date for PRESS PLAY. The single release, the VMAs performance and the EP release are three separate events.
For the performance itself, the interesting question is what changes when the song moves onto an awards-show stage. A different introduction, a dance break or a new arrangement could give it a different feel. Those are things to watch for, not details that have been announced.
What time do the VMAs start in your country?
The official broadcast window is 7:30–9:30 p.m. Eastern on September 27. The table below converts the start time into seven cities, using the time-zone offsets in effect on that date.
| City | Local date | Start time |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | Sunday, September 27 | 4:30 p.m. PDT |
| New York | Sunday, September 27 | 7:30 p.m. EDT |
| London | Monday, September 28 | 12:30 a.m. BST |
| Bangkok | Monday, September 28 | 6:30 a.m. ICT |
| Singapore | Monday, September 28 | 7:30 a.m. SGT |
| Seoul | Monday, September 28 | 8:30 a.m. KST |
| Sydney | Monday, September 28 | 9:30 a.m. AEST |
These are the ceremony’s start times, not LISA’s stage time. The performer notice does not give her an individual time slot. Setting an alarm for the start of the show is a safer plan than relying on an unofficial running order.
How to watch LISA’s VMAs performance
Watching in the United States
According to Paramount+’s official viewing guide, the live broadcast is available on CBS and MTV. Live streaming on Paramount+ requires the Premium plan. The guide says on-demand viewing becomes available to subscribers on either Paramount+ plan the following day.
The plan distinction matters if you are subscribing specifically for the live show. Do not assume that an Essential subscription includes the same live access as Premium.
Watching outside the United States
CBS and MTV’s September 24 announcement says the show will be available globally the following day on Paramount+ and MTV. It does not provide a country-by-country distribution list or confirm a Korean live-streaming service.
The Seoul time above tells you when the U.S. broadcast begins, not which Korean app will carry it. Before paying for a service, check its local event listing and whether it offers the live show, a delayed broadcast or a replay. That is a more useful check than the presence of a Paramount+ or MTV logo alone.
Why “Dream” appears in the nominations instead of “SaWaDiKa”
In Paramount’s official Best K-Pop nominations, LISA’s entry is “Dream feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi.” BLACKPINK is listed separately with “Jump.” The same category also includes BTS, CORTIS, KATSEYE and LE SSERAFIM featuring j-hope.
The nomination and the performance therefore tell different parts of the story. “Dream” is the work on that awards ballot; “SaWaDiKa” is the song named for the stage. Neither listing should be used as a substitute for the other.
For a useful before-and-after comparison, watch the official “Dream” video, then “SaWaDiKa,” and save the live performance for last. Pay attention to how the camera frames the movement and how much space the arrangement leaves for the choreography. That gives you something more concrete to compare than whether a clip looks impressive on first viewing.
For more background listening, browse KoreaVibe’s K-pop listening guide.
Questions worth checking before showtime
Has LISA’s exact performance time been announced?
The official performer announcement reviewed for this article does not specify it. The published 7:30 p.m. Eastern start is for the ceremony, not her individual set.
Is this a confirmed BLACKPINK group performance?
The performance announcement names LISA and “SaWaDiKa,” not a BLACKPINK group set. BLACKPINK’s presence on the nominations list is a separate matter.
Can I watch the full performance free afterward?
A free, complete replay of LISA’s set was not confirmed in the sources checked for this preview. The Paramount+ guide describes subscription viewing. Check official MTV, VMAs and LISA channels after the broadcast rather than assuming a particular upload or release time.
For related reading, visit KoreaVibe’s Korean entertainment news guide.
For now, mark the ceremony’s start time, check your local viewing access and keep the performance separate from the awards ballot. The stage will provide the rest of the story.
Sources and verification
This preview draws on CBS/MTV’s September 17 performer announcement, the September 24 broadcast update, Paramount+’s September 21 viewing guide, Sony Music’s September 4 release announcement and Paramount’s August 20 nominations announcement. Information was checked on September 25, 2026. Time-zone conversions were calculated from the announced U.S. broadcast start.