So, I’m getting ready to go to sleep a little after midnight on October 18th and I see I got an email from THEBLACKLABEL about the release for “APT”. Naturally I was excited, and I knew in the morning, it would be one of the first things I’d check out.
However, I wasn’t prepared for how much I would genuinely love “APT” on my first listen. It’s sooo catchy and completely different from what I thought we’d get from a Rosé solo. Well, like her first international focused solo outside YG Entertainment and less of a Korean audience focus like -R- (“On the Ground” and “Gone” single album). -R- very much was still Korean audience in mind despite the English lyrics.
So right off the bat, we’re already checking my mental list of things I wanted to see from Miss Rosé as an artist. As a BLINK since debut, Rosé has always stood out to me. It wasn’t difficult for me to pick a favorite member, although we could be here for hours if I was to talk about what I love about BLACKPINK as a group and as individuals and what they bring to not just Kpop, but the music, entertainment, and fashion industries. I love all the girls and I love seen them together.
But like many groups years into their careers, I enjoy seeing what else they’re interested in pursuing. And when it comes to Rosé, I wanted to see other music genres in her solo music. I think I speak for a lot of Number Ones, when I say we have this shared image of Rosé being in her indie girl with a guitar era outside the group. Something ala early Taylor Swift, “Teardrops On My Guitar”.
When a member of a group goes solo (there are the makings of a Jennie reference here), I either want one of two things:
1.) A sound similar to their group’s main sound, but that specific member expanding on it more. Example: Baekhyun of EXO and Nayeon of TWICE.
or
2.) Something so different from what their group’s main sound is, it makes sense for this member to tackle it in their solo music. Example: Yuta of NCT with his most recent solo debut Depth and the lead title “Off The Mask“. Which, I got thoughts on that whole situation. Chefs Kiss.
And in the instance where I’m not really a fan of the group, but a member goes solo, and I like it, this is great. I love when this happens. It’s like best case situation for a music lover and a label. Like Kim Wooseok and UP10TION for example.
That still works out great for the soloist (and label), because it gives them another opportunity to bring in new fans, and maybe some of them will check out the group’s next release or go back and check out their older stuff. Worse case, they have a new audience to make money from. Because you like the solo music. They have a repeat customer, cue air horn noises.
Anyway, both of these options work well for me as the fan and listener. The first route is a bit safer, but I think gives the artist room to give us their spin on things. There’s more creative input and, especially in the case of Yuta, he doesn’t have that main vocal or lead vocal role in his group. So it’s nice to hear his voice on an entire song. Even though it’s a different genre.
I think the best example of someone not known for their vocal skills or position within the group until their solo music is Taemin. You can’t convince me otherwise that ACE didn’t substantially change how SM chose to use him in SHINee moving forwards.
Back to Rosé and how she fits into this, I feel like she did a mix of both things I want in a solo. Her group is known for loud horns, dance tracks, and one-liners that get stuck in your head for days. But we never got a title track from BLACKPINK other than “Stay” in my opinion that showcased us something totally different from the “typical” BLACKPINK song.
In my fave BLACKPINK Songs article, I mentioned how much I love “Kiss and Makeup” and “Sour Candy”. Both Western collabs, both with other producers/writers in the room other than Teddy. And I loved it for the girls. That’s what I wanted to see. BLACKPINK and other big names in pop working together making banger tracks.
And it naturally had people who didn’t listen to or really know about Kpop outside BTS (Which is just how it is. I’m sorry. In 2024 when I say I like Kpop to people I just meet, they always say BTS. Unprompted. It’s so funny. They’re just synonymous with Kpop, they are the face of Kpop in the West. It’s just a fact you have to face as a Kpoppie. Whether you like them or not.) interested. And that’s the whole point of these Western collabs. Bringing attention to Western audiences outside the ones who already listen to Kpop and Korean/Asian music.
I have a love hate relationship with Teddy. I think he’s a genius, but it can feel like tunnel vision when there isn’t any diversity during the creative process. It’s okay to pass the pen to someone else. So when I was seeing talk about Bruno Mars being on this Rosé song, and me knowing how he’s already worked with Korean music agencies (I will bring up “Press Your Number” at any opportunity, and it starting out as a Bruno Mars song) I knew we were in good hands. This isn’t his first rodeo.
But I wasn’t ready for how good “APT” was going to be. In my head, I know Rosé is a Pop girlie. You’re not a member of one of the most successful girl groups of all time, and not be. But getting music that sounded more like Western music, like “Kiss and Makeup”? That seemed too good to be true.
I think where most of these Korean Western collabs go wrong (and I dread them so much) is that they try to make a Kpop song Western. Instead of taking the talent and putting them into a Western song. There’s nuance lost when you try to deconstruct a Kpop song and make it something it’s not. You can still have that Korean identity. As an American/Western Kpop fan, that’s what we like (pun intended).
Often I feel like that gets pulled back to appeal to the West. Instead of leaning into it to stand out from all the other songs on the radio, we get bombarded with. So much of Kpop now is so heavily Western (American mostly) influenced anyway. It’s like when you put something into Google Translate and translate, and then translate it back into the original language. It doesn’t look remotely like what you started with.
The meshing of Korean culture with “APT” being based on a Korean drinking game, but being sung in English with more American/Western sound, is so good. And there is a bit of acoustic guitar if you squint.
To put it simply. Just genius. I saw jokes about how big Bruno Mars is in Korea on Twitter months ago, and I remember when “Uptown Funk” released and seeing all these idols dancing to it. It was huge over there, and I didn’t need to step one foot into Korea to know that.
Everything about this released was crafted together so perfectly. A perfect storm timing wise. I know there’s discourse within some BLINKS about the output from the girls and trying to pit them against each other. But I’m thriving. I want to see success for all of them. This is what I thought we all wanted, the girls creating music, films, drama, whatever on their terms.
And as a Rosé biased gorl, I’m definitely eating well. I preordered the jewel case store version of rosie a few weeks ago when it was announced through her online store. And when I saw rosespics on Twitter say there was merch. I was on my treadmill, but I went ahead and placed my order during my workout.
I’ll do an unboxing of both. But I’m just so excited about this era. We’re getting a full length album. I’m seeing so much Rosé on my timeline again. “APT” is such an earworm, and I don’t have to Stockholm Syndrome myself into listening to it to support my girl. I love it here.
But I want to know what y’all think about “APT”. Do you like it? Are you also excited about what is else up Rosé’s sleeves for this album rollout? Let me know in the comments!
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Take care!
Ash💫
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