Could BLACKPINK’s Rosé be Korea’s next global breakout star?

After focusing on her role as lead vocalist of BLACKPINK for eight years, Rosé appears ready to conquer the global music scene as a soloist. 

Not that the 27-year-old artist hasn’t released solo music before, but she’s now more in charge of her career after signing a solo contract with The Black Label and Atlantic Records. Her first release under her new label, “APT,” has been nothing short of an overnight success. And if the same metrics could translate to her upcoming album, could Rosé be South Korea’s next global breakout star?

Deconstructing’s “APT’s” success

If you told me today that “APT” was released without any prior notice and teasers, I wouldn’t believe it considering the massive streaming success it achieved in a short time. But apart from a cryptic and borderline flirty exchange on social media, Rosé and her collaborator, Bruno Mars, did nothing to presell the track before it released on Oct. 18. 

“APT” debuted on YouTube and other streaming platforms without a promise of success. However, its upbeat and quite familiar catchy sound, along with its highly addictive chorus that repeats the word “apateu” — Korean for apartment — instantly captured the attention of listeners. It also helped that the song came with a unique, youthful, and playful music video, where Rosé and Bruno just go crazy while jamming on a black-and-pink-themed set.  

Since its release, the collab has been breaking records left and right, not just for the BLACKPINK member but also for the seasoned artist, who has been making music since 2004. On YouTube alone, the music video has beaten so many records, including the fastest K-pop MV to hit 200 million views. “APT” achieved this feat in 11 days and 22 hours, trumping her BLACKPINK bandmate Lisa’s record for “Lalisa” of 13 days. 

Rosé’s new song, inspired by Korea’s drinking culture, also broke the record for the biggest streaming week in YouTube Music Korea history after accumulating 21.1 million streams, beating BTS’s record of 20.7 million streams for “Butter.”

But “APT” is not just doing magic for Rosé. Bruno reached new heights in streaming numbers due to the obsession-worthy song. He is now the artist with the most monthly listeners in Spotify’s history, with his updated data showing 120.9 million monthly listeners. He has even won a trophy from the Korean weekly music show “M Countdown” — a rare feat for Western artists. 

What’s next for Rosé?

“APT” is just a prelude to Rosé’s first full-length album “Rosie,” which is scheduled to drop on Dec. 6. When she first announced the record, she confirmed that there will be 12 tracks — all of which she wrote or co-wrote and co-produced. 

Meanwhile, won’t have to wait that long for another surprise from Rosé. On Wednesday, she dropped hints online that something was coming on Nov. 1 by asking the question: “Will you be my number one?”

It’s still unknown if this will be a new song from her album. So until then, we’re stuck with singing, “apateu, apateu… apateu, apateu… apateu, apateu… uh, uh-hu, uh-hu!”