The Blackpink singer brings authentic experiences into her debut album
By NATALIE SALTER—arts@theaggie.org
“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the ex,” singer-songwriter Rosé said midway through “Toxic Till The End,” the third single off her debut album “Rosie.” This playfully earnest declaration between chorus and verse befits the song itself — a post-breakup anthem reflecting upon the rollercoaster of emotions experienced within a fraught relationship, yet it is just as easily taken as a brief summary of the thematic thread which Rosé weaves through the album’s 12-track run. A front-to-back listen of “Rosie” paints a picture of a tempestuous relationship intertwined with the singer’s personal insecurities and the unpredictability of fame, all to create a deeply honest and infectious debut album.
Though “Rosie” is her solo debut, New Zealand-born Korean singer Rosé has been no stranger to the spotlight. Since 2016, Rosé has comprised one-fourth of the massively popular K-pop quartet Blackpink. The image that she and fellow members Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa have built for themselves as a group is one that radiates self-confidence and a coolly unbothered attitude toward haters and exes alike.
In her October 2024 announcement for “Rosie” on Instagram, Rosé made clear that in her new solo venture, she intends to peel back the facade of toughness and reveal the vulnerability beneath.
“I have poured my blood and tears into this album,” Rosé said. “I cannot wait for you to listen to this little journal of mine.”
True to her words, the album — which released on Dec. 6, 2024 — is bursting with the sort of raw emotions and wholehearted expressions of inner fears that would not be out of place scrawled across the pages of a diary.
The opening track, “Number One Girl,” which was released as a single in November, 2024, delivers most on this promise.
“Tell me that you need me, tell me that I’m loved,” the lyrics read, her voice filled with emotion as the music gradually swells. “Tell me that I’m worth it, and that I’m enough / I need it and I don’t know why.”
Gone is the effortless detachment she exuded as a member of Blackpink, replaced with an undisguised exposure of her desperate need to be wanted and loved.
Interestingly, “Number One Girl” is somewhat singular on “Rosie.” More often than not, Rosé occupies herself with an unnamed ex rather than herself. Though the first half of the album is more diverse in its offerings, lyrically and sonically, the latter end of it is filled with lamentful odes to an interred love that melt together into an ocean of embittered metaphors and sorrowful piano melodies.
Listeners who came to the album from its wildly successful debut single, “APT” — which features singer Bruno Mars and earned worldwide recognition enough to give Rosé’s album an extra boost in the public eye — might find themselves more pleased with the first stretch of the album than the second. “APT” remains a highlight of the album, with its earworm of a guitar riff and playful lyricism. It’s delightfully fun even months later.
The album’s preoccupation with Rosé’s ex rather than herself does not mean that its breakup-driven songs are weak, however. On “Toxic Till The End,” Rosé reflects upon the aforementioned relationship and its rottenness to the very core. After all, her ex enjoyed playing literal and emotional chess with her and stealing her Tiffany rings — how could she not see the red flags?
“I’ll never forgive you for one thing, my dear / You wasting my prettiest years,” the lyrics read during the bridge, both a despairing recognition of lost time and a coy jab at the unrelenting beauty standards which celebrities like herself are constantly subject to.
Cleverly, she introduces an additional layer of emotional complexity to the track by acknowledging her own part in the relationship’s toxicity, using “we” as often as “you” to make clear that she was an accomplice in their worst moments.
Even if a handful of songs on “Rosie” are a little shakier than others, the highs are high enough to keep the album afloat. “Drinks or Coffee” uses an R&B-inspired instrumental as backdrop to Rosé’s more mischievous side; “Gameboy” is addictively catchy and utilizes simple wordplay to great success.
For all her melancholy, Rosé is effortlessly confident when she chooses to be; In spite of her promises that she would be open with her insecurities on “Rosie” in order to be as authentic as possible, she triumphs the most when she is entirely unafraid to be herself. Whether that self is sending bold drunk texts or giving flirtatious glances from the wallflower benches, she’s what makes the album so great — and one can only hope we’ll see more in Rosé’s future.
Written by: Natalie Salter—arts@theaggie.org
