Rosie (Rosé album)
Rosie is the debut solo studio album by New Zealand and South Korean singer Rosé. Released on 6 December 2024 by The Black Label and Atlantic Records, the album marks Rosé's first solo release after departing from YG Entertainment and Interscope Records in 2023. Rosé wrote and co-produced Rosie with a range of collaborators, including Bruno Mars, Carter Lang, and Omer Fedi. It was conceived as a 12-track pop album exploring pop-punk and alternative pop styles, whilst blending elements of 1990s R&B, synthpop, and ballads. The subject matter explores fame and heartbreak in Rosé's early twenties.
Rosie received generally favourable reviews from critics, with most critics praising the album for its perceived emotional depth, strong songwriting, and versatile pop sound. Upon release, it debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling over 100,000 units in its first week, and earned a Guinness World Record as the highest-ranked album by a K-pop female soloist on the chart. It also entered the top ten in countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. The album has since been certified double platinum by the Korea Music Content Association for selling 500,000 copies as well as platinum by Recorded Music NZ and gold by Music Canada and SNEP.
Three singles supported the album. "APT.", a collaboration between Rosé and Mars, was released as the album's lead single to commercial success. It reached number one on the Billboard Global 200 and topped the charts in various territories, including South Korea, Australia, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand, while entering the top three in the United States and the United Kingdom. It was followed by the singles "Number One Girl" and "Toxic Till the End", the latter of which peaked at number four in South Korea and at number six on the Billboard Global Excl. US.
Background
In December 2023, YG Entertainment revealed that although Rosé, alongside the other members of Blackpink, renewed their contracts for group activities, they did not sign with the agency for their individual activities. On 17 June 2024, Blackpink's main producer Teddy disclosed that The Black Label, an associate company of YG Entertainment, was in discussions with Rosé for an exclusive contract; the following day, it was confirmed that she had signed a management contract with the label. On 26 September, Rosé revealed that she had also signed a solo deal with Atlantic Records and that new music was upcoming in the next few months.Themes and lyrics
Comprising 12 tracks, Rosie has been described to represent "a burst of honesty" from the singer, showcasing Rosé as a co-writer of the entire record. Explaining the album title, Rosé revealed that she had chosen Rosie, a nickname derived from her first name, Roseanne, which she allows "friends and family to call ", to express her desire for listeners to feel closer to her. Rosé revealed that prior to confirming Rosie as the album's title, she had used Number One Girl as a working album title. She further shared that Rosie was conceived as a personal "little journal" after she found herself in a recording session in Los Angeles following the conclusion of Blackpink's Born Pink World Tour.A reflection of her personal experiences of a failed relationship, Rosie has been primarily characterised to be a "breakup album" that explores Rosé's feelings of heartache, loss, anger, and desire. Additionally, the album provides insight into her navigation of life as a "20-something woman" under heavy public scrutiny, showcasing a perspective into the complexities of youthful emotion. In an interview with Paper, Rosé revealed that Rosie is thematically about her "terrible 20s" and her hopes of making people understand her as a person, stating: "I'm ready to be a bit more vulnerable and open and honest in order for people to not misunderstand, and take me for what I am."
Production and music
Rosé started creating the album shortly after the conclusion of Blackpink's Born Pink World Tour in September 2023. She booked several songwriting sessions in Los Angeles, which resulted in the production of potential tracks that could be used for an album. Encouraged by positive feedback from her friends, Rosie was then developed across several weeks and months-long trips to the city, leading to a year of writing songs and meeting new producers while still feeling "confused and lost".Musically, Rosie has been described as a collection of polished pop tracks that explore pop-punk and alternative pop styles, blending various elements such as stuttering 90s-style R&B to shiny synthpop and raw ballads. Given its showcase of Rosé's vocal artistry, the album has also been likened to be a take on Lilith Fair-era pop, in the way that it commits to "galvanic feeling" over filigree. The record begins with "the stripped-back" piano ballad "Number One Girl," setting a "contemplative tone" that introduces Rosé's raw and "emotional" vocal performance. This reflective mood shifts in the second track, "3am," which blends acoustic elements with subtle 808s and trap beats, exploring lyrical themes of love and imperfection. "Two Years" introduces '80s-inspired synths, marking a "bittersweet synth-pop song" with layered vocal effects. "Toxic Till the End" follows with an intense "whirlpool of guitars and synths," capturing an "emotional frankness" through its power-pop and synth-pop production. "Drinks or Coffee" lightens the mood with "snappy beats" and the "sparkly elegance of progressive turn-of-the-millennium R&B" while exploring the complexities of relationships.
This is followed by "APT.", a pop-punk and pop rock track that features indie rock and electropop elements. It opens with a rap verse, transitions to a "melodious" pre-chorus, and builds to an energetic chorus influenced by the Apartment game chant. Inspired by a popular South Korean drinking game called Apartment, the track uses the game's rhythmic chant of "apateu" to create a playful and addictive chorus.
"Gameboy" employs an acoustic guitar loop reminiscent of "early 00s pop&B", as well as a catchy rhythmic production and "playful wordplay". It is followed by "Stay a Little Longer," a song co-written by Australian songwriter Sarah Aarons which incorporates a classic soulful rock production that highlights Rosé's vocals. "Not the Same", infused with slight touches of Americana, brings raw energy, with light guitar-plucking production contrasted by the singer's vocal delivery. "Call It the End" combines emotional lyrics, "lush" piano production, and a heartfelt vocal performance. "Too Bad for Us" uses a "stripped-down" arrangement to emphasise intimate storytelling, while "Dance All Night" closes the album with a "chilled-out vibe," meditating on moving forward despite heartache.
Promotion and release
On 11 February 2024, in celebration of her 27th birthday, Rosé teased the release of her new solo music, previewing a snippet of her upcoming song "Vampirehollie" on her then newly opened Instagram broadcast channel. On 27 September, after announcing her signed deal with Atlantic Records, she introduced a new Instagram account, naming it after the unreleased track. Shortly thereafter, on 1 October, Rosé announced that her first studio album would be named Rosie. The announcement was accompanied by a post of the album cover, which depicts a close up of the singer lying down with blonde curls. The album tracklist was revealed on 25 November 2024. Rosie was released on 6 December 2024; it was made available in more than 15 physical variants across CD and vinyl formats, each containing collectibles with some being randomised. Limited vinyl editions of Rosie containing the exclusive bonus track "Vampirehollie" were also released, as well as limited digital editions containing "Vampirehollie" and the live performance version of "Number One Girl" from KBS's The Seasons.Throughout the months leading up to and after Rosie release, Rosé promoted her album in the United States by guesting in various interviews, online talk shows, and podcasts, including appearances in Vogue ''Now Serving and Life in Looks, BuzzFeed's Puppy Interview, Vanity Fair Lie Detector Test, Hot Ones, and Therapuss with Jake Shane. Additionally, she conducted radio interviews with Sirius XM, iHeartRadio, Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, and On Air with Ryan Seacrest alongside its adjunct program American Top 40, which she guest-hosted. She also discussed the album's conception alongside her experiences as a solo artist in interviews with The New York Times and Apple Music 1's The Zane Lowe Show, as well as on a magazine feature in Paper. Internationally, she was featured in magazine cover stories with i-D, which was released under a limited edition print zine, GQ Korea, The Cut, Vanity Fair Italia, W China, and Dazed. Following the album's release, Rosé appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Kelly Clarkson Show.
In November, Rosé personally hosted album listening parties for her fans in Seoul and Tokyo. Official listening parties around the globe were also later organised and held on 4 December. In early December, Rosé guested on Japanese news broadcasts such as TV Asahi's Udo Times and Nippon TV's News Zero. Continuing promotions in South Korea, she appeared on JTBC's Newsroom, You Quiz on the Block, Vogue Korea What's in My Bag, and Daesung's web show Zip Daesung. She also made an appearance on the Australian radio show Jase & Lauren during the day of the album's release. Shortly after, Rosé commenced promotions in the United Kingdom, providing interviews with BBC Radio 1, Hits Radio, LADbible's Snack Wars, and Capital Breakfast Very British Day Out.
On 6 December, Melon presented a celebration of Rosé's first full-length record through its new album spotlight service, Melon Spotlight, which offered a comment event to win signed CDs, as well as a variety of exclusive content including interview videos, images, magazines, and handwritten notes. On 9 December, TikTok launched the #rosie campaign to celebrate the album release, offering in-app experiences, a limited-time profile frame mission, and exclusive videos.
South Korean photo studio chain Photoism then released a special Rosie artist frame, with the design made available in all its locations, excluding pop-ups, from 21 January to 31 March 2025. In August, Rosé collaborated with Puma to release a Rosie''-themed sports apparel collection, which features a range of 10 pieces inspired by her personal wardrobe staples, including a sporty mesh top, a black miniskirt, and two new Speedcat Premium and Speedcat Ballet sneaker variants.