The collaborative track "Apartment” (APT) by BLACKPINK’s Rosé and global pop star Bruno Mars, released on October 18th at 1:00 PM, climbed to the top of Melon, Korea’s leading music platform, by noon the following day. Not only did it reach #1 in South Korea, but it also topped the Spotify Global Top 50 and charted first in several countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. Furthermore, the music video on YouTube surpassed 100 million views by October 23rd, receiving an enthusiastic response from global fans. The track also reached #4 on the UK Singles Chart and #8 on the US Billboard Hot 100, marking a significant achievement for a K-pop female artist. The previous record was BLACKPINK's collaboration with Selena Gomez on “Ice Cream,” which reached #13 in 2020.

The popularity of “APT” is impacting not only the entertainment industry but also the economy. YG PLUS, a subsidiary of YG Entertainment that distributes music, saw a dramatic rise in stock price, hitting the daily limit on October 21st and continuing to trade at a 13% increase the following day. YG Entertainment’s stock also continued its upward trend.

"APT" is a pre-release track from Rosé's first full-length solo album, Rosie which is scheduled for release on December 6th. The song takes inspiration from the “Apartment Game,” a popular Korean drinking game among young people. The song opens with the line “Random game that Chaeyoung loves,” setting the stage for a playful game vibe as a male and female voice chant “Apartment, Apartment,” capturing the lively energy of the game.

The game itself is simple. The starter calls out a number, and the participants stack their hands on top of each other like building an apartment. Players then remove their hands one by one, calling out numbers until they reach the predetermined "floor" number. The person who reaches the chosen number must drink as a penalty. This "Apartment Game" became a hot topic in September when a video was released showing Rosé teaching the game to models at a Saint Laurent after-party. The video even captured them actually playing the game.

In a recent appearance on a New York radio show, Rosé shared that she proposed the collaboration with Bruno Mars, who is also signed to Atlantic Records. She sent him three song demos, including "APT," and explained that the title referred to a Korean drinking game when he asked. He quickly agreed to work on the track. “I never imagined collaborating with Bruno Mars," Rosé said. "But working on this track was incredibly exciting, and the whole process was very enjoyable."

The addictive melody of “APT,” which combines early 2000s pop-rock reminiscent of the Avril Lavigne era with Bruno Mars’s sweet and lyrical style, has led it to be dubbed a “banned song for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT)” due to its catchy nature. A “CSAT-banned song” is one with lyrics or melodies so catchy that they become hard to forget, distracting students from focusing on the test. Other such songs include SHINee's “Ring Ding Dong,” Red Velvet's “Dumb Dumb,” the children’s song “Baby Shark,” aespa’s “Supernova,” and BIBI’s “Bam Yang Gang.” Experts explain that this phenomenon, known as an “earworm,” is a psychological effect rather than an auditory one.

We hope that Rosé’s “APT” continues to create a positive cultural impact on the global music scene and beyond.