Rosé Talks About Her New Song and Korean Traditions

Rosé: Thrilled to Showcase Korean Culture

BLACKPINK’s Rosé has taken the world by storm with her addictive new track, “APT. ” Now, the story behind the hit song is coming to light.

In a recent interview with Paper Magazine, Rosé shared her excitement about the growing interest in Korean culture. “It’s personally rewarding to introduce Korean culture to the world,” she said on Monday. 

Released on October 18, “APT.” is a collaboration between Rosé and Bruno Mars. The song features an infectious chorus inspired by a popular Korean drinking game called “APT.”

Following its release, “APT.” Quickly rose to global popularity, sparking a trend of social media videos explaining the Korean drinking game. A clip of Rosé playing the game to her own song went viral on TikTok, racking up over 30 million views.

Despite initial doubts about “APT.” as a duet, Bruno Mars himself was a key supporter of the track.

Rosé revealed that Bruno Mars was especially intrigued by the song’s inspiration: “When he asked about the meaning of ‘APT,’ I told him it was based on a Korean drinking game, and he said ‘That’s cool.'”

She also shared that Mars selected “APT” from several duet options she had suggested.

“I was the only one around who believed that Bruno Mars would sing ‘APT.'” Rosé recalled. “Everyone else said, ‘He won’t sing that song, don’t send it to him.’ But I was determined it had to be this one.”

“APT.” continues to shatter records for Rosé. The song has made history as the first track by a Korean female solo artist to top both the U.S. Spotify chart and the Global Spotify Top Songs chart. Just a week after its release, it reached a major milestone of 100 million Spotify streams.

In another historic achievement, “APT.” debuted at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the highest debut ever for a K-pop female artist and the first K-pop female solo act to enter the top 10.

Fans can look forward to Rosé’s debut full-length album Rosie, which will include “APT.,” and is set for release on December 6. Rosé describes the album as reflecting the struggles and complexities of navigating your twenties, offering a different vibe from “APT.”

“I wanted to capture the challenges of being in your twenties,” Rosé explained. “I hope people realize I’m not so different from any other 23-year-old girl, just like any other girlfriend.”