Three years have passed since Blackpink’s Rosé released her solo debut R.
Videos by American Songwriter
The solo project featured two laid-back electro-pop singles, “On the Ground” and “Gone.” On October 18, the K-pop singer returned with a pop-punk banger called “Apt.,” featuring Bruno Mars.
It precedes Rosé’s first full-length solo album, Rosie, which arrives on December 6 via Atlantic Records.
A Korean Drinking Game
“Apt.” gets its title from a Korean drinking game. Rosé told Vogue, “I remember going home [from the studio] kind of freaked out. Is this OK, that I’ve written a song about a drinking game?”
The chorus hook has a nursery rhyme vibe Gwen Stefani might be proud of—think The Neptunes’ produced “Hollaback Girl.” Rosé sings “apartment” using the Korean pronunciation apateu before searching for romance in the opening verse.
Kissy face, kissy face sent to your phone
But I’m trying to kiss your lips for real (uh-huh, uh-huh)
Red hearts, red hearts, that’s what I’m on, yeah
Come give me something I can feel (oh, oh, oh)
Rosé and Mars co-produced the single with Cirkut, Omer Fedi, and Rogét Chahayed. Its bouncing rhythm sounds like a play on Outkast’s 2003 hit “Hey Ya!”
Don’t you want me like I want you, baby?
Don’t you need me like I need you now?
Sleep tomorrow, but tonight, go crazy
All you gotta do is just meet me at the…
Apateu, apateu, apateu, apateu
Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars enters during the second verse, answering the call. With a smooth delivery, Mars offers to turn this apateu or 아파트 into a club. What isn’t lost in translation? Both Mars and Rosé want to “drink, dance, smoke, freak, party all night.”
It’s been 14 years since Mars broke out with his solo hit “Just the Way You Are.” Since then, the singer, born Peter Hernandez, remains a staple in modern pop music. His collaborative hits include Lady Gaga’s “Die with a Smile” and Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk.” He’s also one half of the soul duo Silk Sonic with Anderson .Paak.
We’re Going to Be Friends
Starring in a retro pink and black music video, the duo appears like a bubblegum pop version of The White Stripes. The clip is playful and cheery, with each artist taking turns bashing drums.
They sing, dance, and sink shots while Mars shoots Rosé with a cartoon bow and arrow.
Meanwhile, “Apt.” merges multiple cultures and generations into a global earworm. Blackpink became the world’s biggest girl group with grand hooks and reconciling traditional and futurist styles. Now, the group’s four members have gone solo and Rosé smartly connects her K-pop with Mars’ timeless funk and soul mastery.
Shake It Like a Polaroid Picture
Finally, the track builds to Rosé chanting Hold on, hold on, I’m on my way. Its message is “Sleep tomorrow, but tonight go crazy.” Teasing the song to her social media followers, Rosé posted a Polaroid of her and Mars.
They laugh in the photograph as Rosé jokes it’s also the night she taught Bruno Mars a Korean drinking game. Now, the rest of the world knows it too.
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Photo by Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
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