Rosé and Bruno Mars’s New Single ‘Apt.’ Is a Pop-Punk Delight
It’s been three long years since the world last heard from Rosé. In 2021, the Blackpink member embarked on her first-ever solo project, R, featuring the singles “On the Ground” and “Gone.” An instant hit, it thrived not only on Rosé’s K-pop fame, but also the strength and versaility of her honied vocals, here applied to indie-rock and electro-pop sounds.
Now, the singer is gearing up to release her first full-length studio album, Rosie, on December 6—and to give her fans a taste of what’s to come, she’s dropped its first single, “Apt.,” featuring pop icon Bruno Mars. Unlike her vibier debut singles, “Apt.” is a full-fledged pop song that will have fans chanting along as it plays on the radio. (Just think Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl,” with that infectious bridge—“B-A-N-A-N-A-S!”—but swap in the words “Apartment! Apartment!”)
But what does its title actually mean? Rosé explains exclusively to Vogue that the song was inspired by her favorite Korean drinking game, Apartment. “I remember going home [from the studio] kind of freaked out. Is this OK, that I’ve written a song about a drinking game?” she says. Conflicted, she asked her team to delete the song from their phones—only to realize that they were already obsessed with it. (To honor Rosé’s Korean roots, throughout the song both she and Mars stick to the Korean pronunciation of apartment, apateu, or 아파트.)
Rosé and Bruno Mars.
Photo: John V. Esparza/ Courtesy of Atlantic RecordsFor days, Rosé and Mars (who co-produced the single alongside Cirkut, Omer Fedi, and Rogét Chahayed) have been cheekily promoting “Apt.” on social media, teasing the sparkling chemistry that comes through clearly in the music. “Sleep tomorrow, but tonight go crazy. All you gotta do is just meet me at the apartment,” they croon, Mars’s lyric tenor blending perfectly with Rosé’s electric soprano tone. Well, thanks to these two, fans won’t need a drink to join in on the fun.
