The new single “Apt.” by Rosé and Bruno Mars is a pop-punk delight

It's been three long years since the world last heard of Rosé. In 2021, the Blackpink member launched her first solo project: Rwith the singles “On the Ground” and “Gone”. It was an instant hit and thrived not only on Rosé's K-pop fame, but also on the strength and versatility of her excellent vocals, here applied to indie rock and electro-pop sounds.

Now the singer is preparing to release her first full studio album. Rosieon December 6th – and to give her fans a taste of what's to come, she released her first single, “Apt.”, featuring pop icon Bruno Mars. Unlike their livelier debut singles, “Apt.” is a full-fledged pop song that will have fans singing along to the radio. (Think Gwen Stefani's “Hollaback Girl” with that infectious bridge – “BANANAS!” – but substitute the words “Apartment! Apartment!”)

But what does the title actually mean? Rosé explains exclusively fashion that the song was inspired by her favorite Korean drinking game, Apartment. “I remember I was kind of freaked out when I walked home (from the studio). “Is it okay that I wrote a song about a drinking game?” she says. She was confused and asked her team to delete the song from their phones – only to find that they were already obsessed with it. (To honor Rosé's Korean roots, both she and Mars stick to the Korean pronunciation of “apartment” throughout the song, apateuor 아파트.)

Rosé and Bruno Mars.

Photo: John V. Esparza/Courtesy of Atlantic Records