The 2020 Netflix documentary Blackpink: Light Up the Sky introduces Rosé stealing time after-hours, strumming a guitar on the floor. “Sometimes I actually miss my trainee days because back then, we were surrounded by music all the time,” she says. “But these days, we’ve got a lot of work, so I actually have to make time for this.” The implication is that these nighttime jam sessions provided some personal relief at odds with the activities of Blackpink, the brash, world-touring, hip-hop-heavy girl group she belongs to. While her onstage persona, Rosé — real name Roseanne Park — has superhero swagger, her own musical tendencies flicker around private moments like this.
Rosé, 28, was born in Auckland and moved to Melbourne when she was 8. At 15, she went to Sydney for an open-call audition for YG — the Korean entertainment company that created BigBang and 2NE1 — and came in first out of 700 hopefuls after multiple audition rounds, including one in which she performed an acoustic-guitar cover of Jason Mraz’s “I Won’t Give Up.” She went to K-pop boot camp in Seoul for four years before Blackpink debuted in 2016, when she was 19. She learned to parent herself in a notoriously tough environment. “I’m a chameleon at this point,” she says of her adaptability to different cultural milieus.
In This Issue
Rosé Goes Solo
It’s been a relentlessly overcast week in Los Angeles when we meet at a hotel restaurant she favors. Rosé, who introduces herself to me as Rosie, appears in a flash of blonde hair and a long black coat. She’s quick with the order: a dozen oysters on the half-shell, tuna crudo, and a branzino. She has been feeling under the weather, and her voice has a pleasant husk to it. In late 2023, Blackpink went on hiatus, with each of its members pursuing solo projects, and the group is set to reunite this year. Rosé has made L.A. her home base for the past year, recording and eventually releasing her first solo album, rosie, with Atlantic Records. Its lead single, “APT.” — a fizzy, viral earworm written with Bruno Mars — made her one of the most successful female artists of K-pop origin. The single is unique on the record, which is largely filled with confessional anguish and torch songs. Writing was therapy, allowing her to process things like online haters and breakups, although her lyrics avoid offering any scent of specificity. There’s a desire to be seen but not too closely. “I’m trying to create art,” she says of her songwriting process. “This is not Hollywood.com. This is not the news.”
I saw the Blackpink world tour was announced. What were the important factors for you all when deciding whether to bring the group back together?
We just knew there was no reason for us to stop it, right? As much as we all needed some time to go out and explore and be our own people, we still have business left to do. We’ve got to do some more damage.
Did you all talk about it before you re-signed as a group for 2025?
We talked about it a lot. And as much as we had our own needs, sometimes it was hard to articulate them in case anybody misunderstood. It was a healthy process of talking honestly about what we need and want in our lives and making sure we’re all happy at the end of the day.
What things did you feel you needed this time around, as opposed to when you debuted?
We made sure our opinions are well built in. It’s not like our past shows weren’t like that, but what would be different is that now we allowed ourselves some time to be inspired. I’m looking forward to what other ideas the girls bring. We grew up together. We literally lived life together. There wasn’t much we didn’t know about each other. Now, we’ve gone out and explored so much. We’ve all started learning about how to take care of our own projects.
Are you going to make new music, then?
We will be coming out with new music soon.
Can you tell me about living in L.A. this past year?
I was traveling the whole world. Literally, I would spend a week in a city. It’d be like Paris, New York, London, Japan, Korea, L.A., London, L.A., New York. If you were to just meet me, would you think I’m a New York girl or an L.A. girl?
New York.
New York? Yes! I like that. I think that comes from me living and growing up in Seoul. I like L.A. because it reminds me of Melbourne. When I come here, I feel like I’m back at home — the weather and the feeling of the streets remind me of my childhood.
You’ve said a couple of times that you felt like Hannah Montana when you were growing up, in reference to the split you felt between going to Korean church on Sundays and living your everyday life. Was it a pretty white town?
Yeah, there were two Asians in my grade: me and one other girl. I’d live a very normal life at school and then every weekend, I’d go to a Korean church and be the good Korean girl. I grew up hanging out with Korean friends every weekend. That was helpful for me when I later moved to Korea because I didn’t feel too uncomfortable getting along with Korean Korean people. So to completely move to Korea and live a full-time life, it wasn’t the worst.
It wasn’t the worst?
It was not the worst. It wasn’t easy, to be honest. It was pretty hard. I thought it would be easier, if anything.
Did you ever feel culture shock when you were there?
I did. I thought I knew everything about Korean culture. It turns out there was a lot I didn’t know. And being young, I was scared for a minute, but I got over it. I did what one has to do to survive and learned the culture. I am very not Korean, but I’m also very Korean at the same time.
In what sense?
My whole adult life was there. I was never an adult in Australia. Only in the past year have I been living in the U.S. and traveling. Maybe moving to Korea trained me for coming out to the U.S. Last year was a tough year for me, but I also learned how to work as an adult and be responsible and be a boss in the U.S. And now I’m comfortable. At this point, send me off to Dubai and I’ll adapt fine.
What was tough about it?
I remember being in Korea and thinking, Oh my God, I’ve forgotten all my English. There was a point where I was like, I don’t know how to speak like a normal person. I didn’t know how to socialize in English because I was fully socializing in Korean. My questions were all messed up. I’d forgotten all my vocabulary.
Do you feel like your personality is different in Korean versus English?
Definitely. In Korean, I’m like a little girl. I’m like, “I don’t know what I’m doing. Can you help me, please?” When I ask for something, I preface it with “I’m sorry.” Maybe that’s the culture. And I have a lot of unnis [older female friends]. I was the youngest, and maybe I was taught to be like that. I’m a little more boyish in English. A little more, like, tul-tul [ÅÐÅÐ; “unaffected, somewhat puckish”]. I’m more friendly, maybe because I’m more comfortable. I joke more. I’m more nonchalant. In Korean, I’m very worried about what people would think about me — did they hate what I said? Was I rude?
It sounds like you’re not self-monitoring as much in English.
Yeah. I feel safe because I’m not going to say anything weird, necessarily. I’m still trying to figure out if the English-speaking Rosie is more comfortable or the Korean-speaking one. It’s a thin line. I would love to one day blend my English persona with my Korean persona so they can kind of meet in the middle. There’s a bit of a gap right now.
When you were writing for the album rosie, did you ever write in Korean?
Mostly English. Every time I would jump into it, it felt natural to write in English. So maybe that is my core, subconscious language.
During the writing process, do you calibrate how much you want to share about yourself in the lyrics?
Yeah, of course. There were a few times like that, but not as much as you would think. At the beginning, I was like, “Wait, am I allowed to say this in a song?” People would be like, “No, it’s good.” Then, as I started writing, I realized that what I’ve been through is just inspiration to build into a story. I think, What is this protagonist going through?
Do you feel the need to protect your private life?
I don’t think I would protect it if people would be mature about it. But there are some very immature people out there, so it can get a bit abusive. I have a strong mind. You can say I’m ugly, you can say I’m whatever — I will survive it. But once it’s hurting the people around me, I feel really weak and powerless. That’s when I crumble. I’m starting to cry as I say it. That’s why I fear putting my family on the internet.
The first song I wrote on rosie was “vampirehollie.” It was based on one of many nights where I felt like the internet was just kids trying to stress me out. And I could tell there was bad intention behind it. They would prey on anything they could imagine would mean something to me. And they got to me. I never felt like I let it get to me until that night. I felt like I had lost everything because I’d let them get to my heart.
Did writing the song help?
It did. There was one account’s name I had memorized — the lyrics say, “Angel hearts and a cute name / Hate that I can remember / Every evil thing you say.” I was like, These antis are so obsessed, but I was more obsessed, if anything. I got so addicted to it that I kept coming back. And that was a whole toxic relationship in itself.
What do you mean?
Being in the studio every day, trying to write the song that would get that off my chest, I literally didn’t have a life. I’d wake up, go to the studio, come home disappointed, and go back to it — continuously for the whole year. I’d talk about it, and there’d always be new things to write about. And then one time, I was like, I’m trying really hard to think about something to say. That’s when I knew, Wow, I must really not have much to say about this anymore. I gave it a funeral and shipped it away.
You say you had a funeral for one of your exes in the song “two years”: “Two years since you’ve been in my bed / Even had a funeral for you in my head.”
Yeah, but it was a failed funeral. I was still deep in it when I wrote “two years.”
Do you listen to music when you’re going through a breakup?
I try not to. I try to focus on all the stories in my head. And then I get inspired, usually from my producers and sometimes by whatever I’m obsessed with at the moment. There’s a song that’s not out yet. I wrote it around the time when I had Bruno Mars’s whole discography on repeat as I drove to the studio and back. And that song was inspired by his music.
I take it you and Bruno are close?
Yes. Very close.
Did your relationship with him begin as a work thing?
Basically. I told my label I was a big fan. And then, me with my celebrity privilege, they said, “Would you like to get in a meeting with Bruno Mars?” I was like, Wow, I should say “no” to this because I feel a little embarrassed. But I could not say “no.” When I met him, I felt like he read through me, and I was like, Oh my God, I feel scared.
How?
Because of his intuition. He’s so awake. Of course, if you’re going to be him, you’ve got to be. Let me think about how I should say this … Creative ideas only come to you at the right time and in the right moment, but sometimes with music, there are timelines. I’d always feel like, It’s my fault; I should have an idea by this time, or Maybe I’m just not good enough. Bruno showed me that, as a creative, you have to listen to your intuition and your timing, and you’re allowed to trust in it. I’ve become more confident in what feels right to me and in doing whatever it takes to have that come to life.
I saw that he had a credit on the song “number one girl.”
Yes. One day, I asked him what he thought about “number one girl.” I was wrapping it up. “I’m really struggling with this song,” I said. “Can you hear these two versions and let me know if you think the production direction is correct?” He hears it and he goes, “Rosie, why is this part like this? Why does it end like this? This song should be like …” He was on the phone, and he started singing, like, “No, it should be going from here to ‘da, da, da, da,’ ” and I was like, “Whoa. That’s perfect.” Then he’s like, “Go fix it like that,” and I’m like, “Bruno, I do not remember what you just said. That’s you.” So he said, “Okay, I’ll help you out in the studio.” He came to L.A. and helped me complete that song. I’m really grateful.
Are you making new music now?
Yes, I’ve made new music. I was in the studio last week. What better to do with my life than be in the studio? But I also did think, I should live a little. I need to go get my heart broken again. I need to go be stupid for a little bit and come back.
If you could go back to when you were 15, before you auditioned for Blackpink, what advice would you give yourself?
Stop questioning yourself. Stop wasting time. Do what you really think — and if that’s wrong, then change it.
Were you into K-pop growing up? What were you listening to as a kid?
A wide range of people. I listened to a lot of what my older sister would listen to on her iPod. John Mayer — it was around that era. Nas. I remember Mario. [Begins singing “How Do I Breathe.”] I’ve listened to that song like 10,000 times.
I love that. I was obsessed with “Let Me Love You.”
[Begins singing “Let Me Love You.”] That was the second one I was obsessed with!
That was one of my karaoke songs.
Wait, that would be fun to sing. Then my sister started listening to a lot of Korean music, and that’s how I was introduced to BigBang, 2NE1.
YG hive.
YG. And also, like, Simon Dominic, Dynamicduo — the coolest at the time. I remember really emotional stuff like Park Ji-yoon. She’s the first person who made me understand the importance of having that vulnerable, feminine, romantic tone.
When you auditioned for YG, you knew its whole roster.
Yes, I did. That felt like Hollywood, too, because I lived in Australia and Korea was so far away. The celebrity world there was so fascinating. I watched K-dramas back then. I fantasized about it. I had heard some other company was auditioning around, but as soon as my dad said “YG,” I was like, “Yes, please.” I’d been memorizing BigBang raps from top to bottom. If I’d go to karaoke, I’d rap. I’d sing 2NE1 songs. I know every single song.
What’s your 18, your go-to song?
“In the Club.” It’s always been “In the Club.”
Did you get to meet 2NE1?
Yeah, but we were nobodies. We were just like, “We are nothing. Hi, good-bye, queens.” We were such trainees.
What do you wish had been different during your training days?
Maybe if I got to see my family more.
Were they not allowed to come?
They were allowed to come, but my family lived so far away. They had a whole life in Australia. I felt left to be independent at such a young age. I couldn’t rely on my parents. I was a little child trying to be my own guardian. I probably grew some bad attachment styles. I’m pretty sure my inner child needs to be nurtured a bit more — to this day, probably. I should go to therapy.
Have you done therapy?
What does therapy do? I already know this about myself.
Well, when you mentioned how talking about the online stuff for the first time was good for you, I think that’s what therapy does.
Yeah, but my friends do it for me. They listen to me yap on for hours. My friends are my best therapists. I’d probably do the same with the therapists but pay them. I’d like to think I’m pretty self-aware. I think deeply about, I wonder why I’m feeling this emotion. And then I go through my past problems and I’m like, That’s probably why. I am my own therapist.
Sure. Not to be an evangelist for therapy, but I think it can help.
No, I agree.
There should be a mental-health component for trainees.
Oh yes, please. I think toward the end of my training, there was. But now if I were to do an academy, I’d give them a therapist. Once a week.
It must have been really hard to go to Korea at such a young age while your parents were in Australia.
I will not sugarcoat it: It was hard. That’s when I detached myself from being babied by my parents. I used to be babied by them so much. I’d go out and try to be fierce.
That makes sense because you learned to do that.
My parents miss that from me because I was the youngest child. I do rely on them still, but I need to rely on them emotionally a little more. I think it’d be cute. They would like it. They like it when I overshare with them. We live our lives trying to be so independent and strong, but I think everyone should learn how to be babied sometimes. My favorite meme is that baby that goes, “I just a baby!” I am a perfectionist, and usually when I cry, it’s because I don’t know what to do to figure something out. So I’ll tell myself, I just a baby! It’s been my thing. And everybody laughs, and it’s like, It’s true! Everyone’s just a baby. I remember that I can’t be perfect and that it’s okay. As soon as you accept that, you get more power over not knowing shit. Oh my gosh, I’m learning something today. Are we doing therapy right now?
We’re having a breakthrough. And you don’t have to pay me.
My payment is this article.
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