Earlier this week, BLACKPINK’s Rosé and Bruno Mars lit up Instagram with some intriguing exchanges. “This was me hanging on for dear life after Rosé introduced me to this Korean drinking game and got me saucy,” the R&B star captioned a black-and-white photo of the pair. “Soon after, she tried to kiss me, and I was like ‘woah Rosie! what part of the game is this?’” “What’s wrong with uuuu,” the Korean-Australian singer replied, adding one more question to the list the post gave fans.
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Shortly after, it was announced that the pair had collaborated on a new single ‘APT.’ and its release makes everything clear. “Kissy face, kissy face, sent to your phone / But I’m tryna kiss your lips for real,” Rosé declares as the first verse hits, exuding the flirty, feisty energy Mars hinted at in his Instagram post.
The BLACKPINK star has long proved she knows how to craft a killer song. ‘On The Ground’ and ‘Gone’, the solo tracks she released via YG Entertainment in 2021, made her knack for pop perfection clear. But on ‘APT.’, the first taste of her new solo chapter with Atlantic Records, she takes a gigantic leap forward and makes a bold statement of intent.
“I’ve poured my blood and tears into this album,” Rosé told fans earlier this month when she announced the upcoming release of her debut solo record, ‘Rosie’. There are no signs of struggle here, though. Instead, this track is a luminous banger that fizzes with playful energy, from its stomping pop-rock beat to its addictive chanted chorus, lifted straight from ‘Apartment’, the drinking game she taught Mars.
There’s no denying who is in complete control on this song. “Red hearts, red hearts, that’s what I’m on / Yeah, come give me something I can feel,” she commands early on. It’s not just an alluring invitation but also a challenge – if you think you can live up to everything she’s desiring and imagining in her head, then it’s time to prove it and show her what you’ve got. Later, on the bridge, she delivers a half-spoken, half-belted warning: “Hey, so now you know the game / Are you ready? ‘Cause I’m coming to get you, get you, get you / Hold on, hold on, I’m on my way.”
Mars’ contribution, meanwhile, is far from throwaway (and gives us the brilliantly cheeky line: “건배 건배 girl, what’s up”), but he’s never in danger of overshadowing his collaborator. Rosé is strapped into the driving seat and, with or without him, would be leaving everyone else in the dust.
Truthfully, Rosé has never sounded as good as she does here. There’s a power and confidence in her voice that far surpasses her past performances, and the vintage pop-rock riffs and attitude – which echo with elements of Toni Basil, Blondie and Joan Jett – feel sublimely suited to her as an artist. Addictive, flirty and a whole lot of fun, ‘APT.’ is the perfect introduction to Rosé’s new chapter.
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