Up until late 2024, ROSÉ was best known for her work as a member of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK. Late last year, she expanded her already enormous fanbase and made a name for herself as a promising solo artist. Then, her debut album was released.
With 12 tracks , the album “rosie” was not particularly risky or insightful, but it still had quite a few catchy melodies and genuinely touching moments of emotion. Audiences surely enjoyed the record and rightfully so.
The opening track, “number one girl” was released Nov. 22 after the lead single “APT.” and prior to the rest of the album. It explored ROSÉ’s personal identity and yearning for validation. This was particularly relevant considering her background as a beloved K-pop idol and this album being her very first full-length project without the rest of BLACKPINK. It presumably set the tone for what came in the rest of the album – a vulnerable body of work that revealed ROSÉ’s identity as an individual artist.
While the second track “3am” was not particularly noteworthy, it was followed by the stunning “two years.” The song about longing for a lost relationship evoked genuine emotion, elevated by ROSÉ’s impressive vocals. “two years” was arguably the best song on the entire album.
Track four, “toxic till the end,” was actually the third single from “rosie” and for good reason. Another breakup song, its chorus was wonderfully catchy. It proved that ROSÉ is capable of standing alone as a pop star – even without her attachment to BLACKPINK or a Bruno Mars feature in her solo work. Unfortunately, track five, “drinks or coffee,” was rather forgettable.
Marking the halfway point for the album was its lead single “APT.” with Bruno Mars, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and currently sits at No. 6. Within the rest of the album, “APT.” uniquely stood out as the most energetic song. The rest of the tracks were undeniably slower and sadder.
Following “APT.” was “gameboy,” which took on more of a trap sound. The song, which was about a past relationship that ROSÉ views negatively, was repetitive and definitely not a standout. However, due to its trap-like production, it made sense as a transition between the upbeat pop song “APT.” and track eight, “stay a little longer,” a full-on ballad. Another highlight of the album, “stay a little longer” gave ROSÉ’s vocal abilities the chance to soar over a minimal piano instrumental. The song sounded genuine and vulnerable as she asked a lover to stay; it was one of the best tracks on “rosie.”
Track nine, “not the same,” was similarly impressive in terms of vocals, but it offered little else. Another slower song, track ten, “call it the end,” was a solid ballad. The album’s penultimate song, “too bad for us,” was reflective on the struggles of love. The best part came near the end when the tempo picked up and the production got more intense; it was both creative and catchy.
ROSÉ rounded out her LP with “dance all night.” While its melodies were not the most impressive on the album, the thematic content made up for it. It was, somewhat disappointingly, the first song on the album that did not primarily focus on love or romantic relationships. Instead, “dance all night” focused on having a positive outlook on the future so ROSÉ can, aptly, “dance all night.”
It should be noted that out of all 12 tracks, only “APT.” had lyrics in the Korean language. ROSÉ rose to fame as a member of a Korean group; she is ethnically Korean and is still identified by audiences as a K-pop idol. By choosing to sing primarily in English in “rosie,” she reached out more toward Western audiences and may even be rejecting the idea that she is tied to K-pop exclusively.
Additionally regarding her origins in K-pop, for an artist in a group known mainly for its high-energy pop hits , “rosie” surprisingly lacked those sorts of upbeat songs. The album was dominated by slower and less upbeat tracks. This, however, is not a bad thing – it allowed ROSÉ to show off her vocal range and connect with listeners via emotions and relatability.
Thematically, almost all of the songs on “rosie” had to do with heartbreak or romance in some form. The record could have benefited from exploring some different topics in the lyrics.
In other ways, though, the lyrics managed to stand out. One of the most unique aspects of the album was its rhymes, which were clever and unusual rather than taking one-syllable words or simple vowels. For example, the track “number one girl” rhymed “relevant” with “evidence.” In “two years,” the words “invisible” and “physical” and “miserable” and “chemical” are rhymed. The song “call it the end” rhymed “oceans” and “moments” and “oasis” and “faces” in alternating lines. These made for lyrics that were altogether much more interesting and commendable.
Overall, “rosie” had some great tracks such as “two years” and some unmemorable ones such as “gameboy.” There was not, however, a single song that stood out as bad. Rather, they ranged from excellent to somewhat mediocre. The album was a solid effort that manages to present ROSÉ as an artist capable of succeeding solo, especially as a vocalist. Overall rating: 3/5.
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Featured Image Courtesy of ROSÉ under exclusive license to Atlantic Recording Corporation for the World excluding Korea
