With just one song, ROSÉ (from BlackPink) has established herself as one of the top K-pop artists of her generation. Her collaboration with global pop icon Bruno Mars on “APT.” has earned her unprecedented achievements in both the Korean music industry and worldwide. Additionally, the song is being credited with changing the algorithms of social media platforms domestically.
On various online communities in South Korea, one post remarked, “Both Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are flooded with content related to ROSÉ every time you scroll. Right now, ROSÉ has completely dominated the algorithms in Korea. She is ruling as the top solo female artist.”
ROSÉ and the Global Phenomenon of “APT.”
ROSÉ, a member of the band BlackPink, has surprised the global music scene with her hit “APT.” This song not only marks an impressive return for the singer born in 1997 but also solidifies her position in the K-pop and international music scenes. Notably, “APT.” is the product of an unexpected collaboration with Bruno Mars, one of today’s leading pop artists. The success of this hit not only reshapes perceptions of ROSÉ’s individual talent but also highlights a significant breakthrough among the members of BlackPink.
Impressive Success on International Charts
From its release, “APT.” quickly climbed to the top of various international charts. The song reached number one on Apple Music in 26 countries and territories, while also securing the second spot on the Apple Music Worldwide chart—an impressive feat for a K-pop solo female artist. In the U.S., “APT.” maintained the number one position on Spotify for five consecutive days and achieved fourth place on the UK singles chart, a notoriously tough market for Asian artists. Furthermore, in Japan and Germany, the song made a strong impact by entering the top ranks on major streaming platforms.
Setting Spotify Records
According to statistics from Spotify, the track has surpassed 84 million streams, including over 6.85 million streams within its first day of release. All Kpop reports that with this achievement, ROSÉ’s solo debut has broken the record set by LISA (from BlackPink) with the song “New Woman” in August of this year. At that time, Lisa was the first K-pop solo female artist to exceed 6 million streams in the first 24 hours.
“APT.” Sets Records on TikTok
Moreover, on TikTok, “APT.” has amassed over 2.3 billion views in its first week, breaking the previous debut record held by “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus. The music video quickly surpassed 140 million views on YouTube within seven days, becoming the fastest music video to reach this milestone in 2024. This success is reflected not only in the view counts and high rankings but also in its ability to maintain a leading position on charts like Melon, Genie, and Bugs in South Korea, achieving a “Real Time All-Kill” certification for 155 consecutive hours.
Disrupting Algorithms on Social Media Platforms
The collaboration of ROSÉ and Bruno Mars with “APT.” is believed to be disrupting algorithms in South Korea. The song cleverly intertwines Korean culture into its melody and lyrics. The title “APT.” not only refers to “apartment” but also evokes a popular drinking game in Korea.
The lyrics retain the Korean pronunciation of “apateu” and “geonbae” (to toast), creating a sense of familiarity and closeness with the domestic audience. Despite being an English song, “APT.” still garners significant interest from the local public by celebrating Korean cultural identity, a feature rarely seen in previous K-pop products. Without the need for grand promotional campaigns, audience videos showing them enjoying the music and performing the drinking game movements have rapidly gone viral on short video platforms.
Trend Participation from Fans
Keywords surrounding “APT.”, ROSÉ, and the drinking game have quickly become a trend. On Vietnamese social media platforms, many fans have actively participated in the challenge of dancing to the beat of “APT.” The dance moves are inspired by the choreography ROSÉ performs in the song. Additionally, ROSÉ has posted a video tutorial on TikTok, which has attracted over 22 million views as of October 28.
A plethora of videos using the background music of “APT.” have recently gone viral on TikTok, showcasing ROSÉ’s strong appeal as a solo artist. The collaboration with Bruno Mars has turned “APT.” into a fresh and engaging pop-punk track, celebrating ROSÉ’s heartfelt vocals and performance skills. Esteemed music magazines like NME have given the song a perfect score of 5/5. The catchy melody combined with the chemistry between ROSÉ and Bruno Mars has created a hit that captivates both audiences and critics alike.
