BLACKPINK’s Rose drops collaborative single with Bruno Mars

ADDS photo, details in first 3 paras)

SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) — Rose of girl group BLACKPINK released a single, titled “APT.,” in collaboration with pop star Bruno Mars on Friday.

“APT.” blends punk rock vibes with a 90′s R&B influence. In the music video, the two artists are seen cheerfully playing a Korean drinking game called “Apateu,” which begins with the chant, “Apateu apateu, apateu apateu.” Apateu is a shortened form of the word “apartment” in Korean.

The inspiration for the song came one night when Rose saw staff members having fun while learning and playing the game together, according to her agency, The Black Label. She said the song fully came together once Bruno Mars joined the project.

The song is the first release ahead of her debut full-length album, “rosie,” on Dec. 6. Rose participated in the songwriting for all 12 tracks on the album, sharing personal and heartfelt stories, the agency said.

Rose made her debut as the main vocalist of BLACKPINK in 2016 and launched her solo career in 2021 with the single “R.”

“On The Ground,” the album’s lead track, achieved significant success, topping the Billboard Global 200 chart. It also reached No. 70 on the Hot 100, setting a record for the highest-charting song by a female K-pop solo artist.

Since then, Rose has not released any additional solo albums. However, in June, she signed a contract with The Black Label for her solo activities after renewing her contract with YG Entertainment for BLACKPINK activities.

Last month, she signed a deal with the American record label Atlantic Records for her solo career in the global music scene.