Rosè and Bruno Mars shocked the world when they announced their collaboration single, called "APT," a day before its release.

Fans speculated about a possible collaboration, as the duo posted a series of photos together on Instagram. Rosè captioned her post,

“the night i taught bruno how to play a korean drinking game.”

Bruno had replied with,

“So much fun! Remeber when you tried to kiss me? that was wierd. Other than that sick pic!”

Rosè quipped,

"I’m gonna kill u. take that back or I’m not releasing the song bruno."

This confirmed fans' speculations about a collaboration, bringing excitement and anticipation for the song. On a separate post, Bruno had captioned his with

“So this was me hanging on for dear life after ROSÉ introduced me to this Korean drinking game and got me saucy. Soon after, she tried to kiss me, and I was like “woah Rosie! what part of the game is this?” She was like, “I ain’t playin games wit you anymore lil boy! Big Rosie bout that BIDNESS!” Shaken, I replied “stop Rosie, I’m scared!” But other than that, super chill night."

Fans were pretty hyped after both artists confirmed the single, which leads to the question: was it worth it?

The answer is a most definite yes.

The song and its music video were released on October 18th, 2024. Immediately, one can see that the single's cover is black and pink, which is a nod to Rosè's involvement in the global K-pop girl group BLACKPINK. The music video itself is also black and pink.

Upon its release, "APT." topped many charts including the Billboard Global Charts and the U.K.'s Official Physical Singles chart. Additionally, the song and the game itself began to trend on social media platforms, with users mimicking the gestures Rosè and Bruno used in the music video.

The Artists

Even before a listen, the artists themselves are already big names in the music industry.

Bruno Mars is an American singer well known for his catchy songs and performance skills. One example of a well-known song is "When I Was Your Man," which has over 2.3 billion plays on Spotify. However, he was inactive in the music industry until he released his duet with Lady Gaga, which was "Die With A Smile," in August of 2024.

Photo Credit: Brothers Le, Wikimedia Commons

Rosè, meanwhile, has been with BLACKPINK, a global K-pop group phenomenon, as a main vocalist and lead dancer. Previously, she had released a debut album R in 2021, which consisted of two songs, "On The Ground" and "Gone."

Photo Credit: TV 10 from Wikimedia Commons

Naturally, a collaboration song between these two artists would be phenomenal. And it was.

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The Lyrics

The moment "APT." started playing, it was evident that it was going to stay stuck in everyone's minds. Rosè started the song by saying in Korean, “Chaeyoung's favorite random game, random game, game, start!” (Chaeyoung is Rosè's Korean name). After was the catchy “apateu*” chorus that was well-syncopated to the beat. The movements that go with this chorus are hands crossing each other, back and forth, and then transferring one hand over the other.

The lyrics after were sung by Rosè in a lighthearted yet dramatic way, with fun lyrics like “kissy face, kissy face, sent to your phone.” This quickly leads up to the chorus where she again sings “apateu.” Bruno gets his chance to sing in the next few lines, and tries his hand at Korean, singing “gunbae” twice, meaning cheers. The rest of the song goes by like a flash, with lyrics that allude back to the game “hey, so now you know the game” and “are you ready? ‘cause I’m coming to get you, get you." The song itself ends with the game's name: “apateu.”

Rosè initially said that she felt uncertain about releasing a song based on a drinking game. She was worried that it was not a serious song, but fans are certainly ecstatic about the song's release. As of November 7th, 2024, the song has nearly 260 million streams, and Rosè's monthly Spotify listeners have skyrocketed to 43.9 million people.

Photo Credit: Instagram, from Wikimedia Commons

The Music Video

Both Rosè and Bruno were not afraid to let their inner rockstars shine in this video. They debuted leather jackets with white tops underneath. Rosè added a little flair with her leather miniskirt, while Bruno tied a black and red plaid shirt around his waist.

They looked like they were having the time of their lives, chanting “apateu*” continuously, with back-and-forth head motions. Rosè mainly sang while Bruno played drums in the background. During Bruno's song break, they traded off and Rosè comically banged the drums in the background.

In between, they played the game together, and both Rosè and Bruno could be seen stacking their hands on top of each other and taking shots. At one point, Rosè even lands a big smack on Bruno's cheek! They look like they're having an amazing time, but how does one play?

How To Play The Game APT

You don't need alcohol to play this addicting game! From soft drinks to mini cupcakes, any food item can be used in replacement of alcohol.

The Steps of the Game

1. Chant “apateu” in unison
2. Everyone stacks their hands on top of each other
3. Someone calls out a number
4. The hands at the bottom of the stack withdraw to the top the number of times the person called the number
5. At the end of the number, the person with their hand on top has to take the food item and eat it
6. Repeat!

As Rosè puts it, it is a very good icebreaker game!

Overall, "APT." has been getting much love for its catchy lyrics and the game behind it. It has been revealed the sixth track off of Rosè's upcoming album, rosie, releasing on December 6th, 2024. With the release date coming up soon, people are excited to see what more Rosè has in store for her fans!

apateu means apartment in Korean