The K-pop industry, at large, has always aimed to train its stars for perfection, and ROSÉ has spent the last eight years as part of BLACKPINK with great success in that atmosphere. Alongside JISOO, LISA, and JENNIE, the quartet has broken records, gone on world tours, and headlined Coachella. But having spent almost a decade within such a tightly wound system, they all became free agents last year for the first time since their debut to pursue solo careers. ROSÉ is establishing a fresh start for herself that provides more space than ever before for authenticity in her new album, rosie. Titled after a nickname used by friends and family, she is pushing back the curtains and giving the world a closer glimpse into who she is.
ROSÉ expresses an impressive earnestness throughout all 12 tracks that is immediately captivating. “number one girl” is a confessional ode to the relatable longing to be wanted and loved. Born from a night of doom-scrolling and reading comments online, she went on to sing, “Isn’t it lonely? / I’d do anything to make you want me.” In an interview with Paper Magazine, she said she wanted to write something “so disgustingly vulnerable and honest that people learn that I am a person that goes through these emotions, and I hated that about myself.”
The Official Music Video for "number one girl" by ROSÉ
Not only is she detaching herself sonically from BLACKPINK’s confident, high energy with this project, she is also revealing her humanity. “3am” is rousing and infectious, and many can empathize with seeing a red flag only to pretend they didn’t. Even more can connect to the simple embrace of “two years,” and the difficulty of letting someone go despite the passage of time. The introspective burst of energy found in “toxic till the end” is reminiscent of early Avril Lavigne and showcases that ROSÉ, too, is susceptible to messiness, heartbreak, and feeling lost.
The Official Music Video for "toxic till the end" by ROSÉ
“drinks or coffee” is a flirtatious shift from the solitude of sadness to the thrill of a party. It fuses the organic with the electronic, and sets up the punchy and fun single, “APT.” Inspired by her favorite Korean drinking game, Apartment (아파트, a-pa-teu), she simultaneously invites and challenges someone to prove they can live up to what she desires. “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,” she cheers. Bruno Mars contributes to the pop-punk delight with his signature vivacity, riding in the passenger seat as ROSÉ drives the song right to the top spot on the charts.
The Official Music Video for "APT." by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars
For all the ways she is moving forward as an artist, she remembers her roots. “gameboy” is the closest parallel on the record to the direction K-pop has been taking and merges electric and acoustic elements. This is the part of the album where she really flaunts the strengths of her voice. With clean-cut vocal runs and a prominent bass line, ROSÉ explores the lingering pain that was previously established in the third track. Then she goes from soaring to intentionally straining in order to further convey her emotions in “stay a little longer.” It’s never been more clear that she possesses a versatile range, additionally evident through the lighter and intricate placement in “not the same.” It’s here where her voice sounds at home.
The last quarter of the project is a soft landing of acceptance. “So if we don’t see it through / I’m a better me because of you,” she softly notes with a piano behind her in “call it the end”; “I guess that love does what it wants / And that’s just too bad for us,” she concludes in “too bad for us.” After hearing so much of her personal pain and angst, her heartbreak feels collective, and at the final stage of grief, she gets out of bed and feels the sun on her face in “dance all night.” With hope, she looks ahead and says, “You can dry your eyes, we’ll laugh away the sorrow.”
Fans of BLACKPINK might miss the upbeat tones they’re used to, but this album is the kind of release they should celebrate from one of their beloved members. It has effectively peeled back the glittery layers of ROSÉ to introduce the flawed but genuine person called Rosie. Intimate from beginning to end, as though she ripped pages out of her journal and laid them out for all to read, this is a well-crafted work of catharsis that anyone will be able to find solace in.
