rosie

As a member of global K-pop sensation BLACKPINK, Rosé has recently been branching out into a solo career that is very different from the music made by her girl group. I wasn't sure what to expect when I clicked play on Rosé’s first full-length solo album, since the singles she had released before the album had very contrasting energy. APT., her catchy duet with Bruno Mars has become mainstream and the go-to song everyone is unconsciously humming under their breath on the street, while number one girl has brought an unexpected amount of vulnerability while talking about seeking external validation. Having loved both songs in different ways, I was excited about what the rest had to bring. 

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The album as a whole ended up being very thematically unified, with most songs being intimate portrayals of a relationship and its aftermath. The lyrics show a very vulnerable and open side of Rosé that fans haven’t seen much of yet, and the album is aptly titled rosie, the nickname she reserves for family and close friends. Rosé explained that with the album title she wanted to convey a feeling of intimacy and let the listeners into the emotional complexity of her personal life. As a solo artist, she has an opportunity to carve out a more intimate connection and understanding with her fans and write openly about her own experiences, which she definitely took seriously. The album is raw and relatable to everyone who has experienced heartbreak and explores pop subgenres such as alternative pop, ballad, pop-punk, and others. 

1. number one girl 

Right from the start, number one girl plunges you into the emotional tone of the whole album, making you face your own uncomfortable desire for validation from people around you, especially in a romantic context. Rosé is opening up about her deepest insecurities and begging her partner to call her everything she wants herself to be but deep down, she doesn’t believe she really is. She admits to struggling with self-confidence and needing confirmation of her worth, beauty, and importance from her romantic partner to believe it. This song being the album opener was a brave choice, but it ultimately paid off really well. 

Tell me that you need me, tell me that I’m loved

Tell me that I’m worth it and that I’m enough

I need it and I don’t know why

This late at night

2. 3am 

The next track brings a fun beat and is relatable to many young women who have had feelings for someone really bad for them. Rosé sings about ignoring red flags and not believing they are as bad as they are, and basically having a total “I can fix him” attitude. Being in love had completely blinded her to her partner’s obvious flaws and she was ready to defy the whole world to prove they should be together. Most of us have been there at some point, right? This song slowly starts introducing the main story of the album, and the toxic relationship that inspired it. 

I just saw a red flag

Gonna pretend I didn’t see that 

‘Cause is it really, really that bad? 

I need you really, really that bad

3. two years

The recurring theme throughout the album is skipping back and forward in time between the relationship and the period after the breakup, and this song takes us two years in the future from the previous one. Even though it’s been a long time since her relationship ended, Rosé admits that she is still actively trying to kill the love she has for her ex, not being able to get over him and claiming he had ruined all future relationships for her.

Two years since you’ve been in my bed

Even had a funeral for you in my head

Yeah, I try, I try, I try, I try

But this love never dies 

4. toxic till the end

Reminiscing about her past relationship, in this song Rosé angrily sings about an on-again, off-again relationship that kept coming back into her life as she went back to a toxic boyfriend again and again. She admits how destructive it was, and finally realises how much he was manipulating her during that period, yet she still loved him and they kept being pulled towards each other. 

Back then, when I was runnin’ out of your place

I said, “I never wanna see your face”

I meant I couldn’t wait to see you again

We were toxic till the end 

5. drinks or coffee

One of my personal favorites on the album, drinks or coffee breaks up the high emotional tension of the previous songs with a fun and flirty energy. It talks about seeing a friend/an acquaintance at a party and starting a flirty relationship because you suddenly see them in a new light. She talks about the possibilities of this relationship in the future, saying “We could get drinks or we could get coffee” as a metaphor for either a casual or a serious relationship that could grow from the flirting. 

I’m feelin’ so good (good) at a bad party 

We don’t have to talk (talk), I know that you want me

Gotta keep it nice (nice), we cannot be naughty 

We could get drinks (drinks), or we could get coffee

6. APT. 

Since its release in October this year, Rosé’s song APT. with Bruno Mars has very quickly risen to mainstream popularity, its fun and catchy beat making everyone instantly fall in love with it. It put Rosé and her upcoming solo album on many people’s radars who don’t even listen to K-pop, which made an even easier transition for her into a pop solo career. A song with a fun beat that has romantic elements while making everything into puns about playing a Korean drinking game, this was undoubtedly a perfect combination that will stay in everyone’s heads for a long time. 

Sleep tomorrow but tonight go crazy

All you gotta do is just meet me at the

아파트, 아파트, 아파트, 아파트 

7. gameboy 

After a break of two fun songs in the middle of the tracklist, Rosé goes back to reflecting on her past relationship. As the title says, this song is about regretting giving a chance to a player who took her love for granted and would never actually be serious about her despite his ‘good guy’ act.  

Gave you my favorite memories

Yeah, I hate the way I let you inside

Just so you could take it for granted

Two years, now I understand it

8. stay a little longer

Probably the most vocally challenging song on the album, this balled showcases Rosé’s vocal capabilities beautifully. It’s a vulnerable song about begging your lover not to leave you yet, to stay longer until you are stronger and more able to handle it. She begs him to stay despite it making her possibly seem desperate and insecure, which shows her openness and vulnerability in writing the lyrics.

I’m fragile, I’m speechless, don’t leave me in pieces

Already havin’ enough trouble breathin’

Please, won’t you stay

Stay a little longer, babe?

9. not the same

Not the same is another track where she reflects on the deception and manipulation she suffered at the hands of her ex. She feels ashamed for ever trusting him when he was playing a part the entire time and confronts him about messing up their entire relationship. Very vocally and instrumentally interesting with a whimsical guitar in the background, this song is somehow simultaneously relaxing to listen to and emotionally enraging. 

Say what you want to, babe

But you know that you’re talking in circles

Tell me lies like we okay

Promise ‘til your face turns purple

That you’re gon’ love me, love me

One day you gon’ love me right 

Shame on me for trustin’ you once, trustin’ you twice 

10. call it the end 

This track sees Rosé at the crossroads of her relationship, debating whether to end it completely or get through it because of the feelings she still has for her boyfriend. She pleads with him to tell her what to do and repeatedly asks him if they have a future or if everything is done between them. There is also a lot of reflection about both the good and the bad times they had together, which makes it harder for her to make a decision. 

Do I call you my ex or do I call you my boyfriend?

Call you a lover, do I call you a friend?

Call you the one or the one that got away?

Someone I’ll just have to forget

Do I call you every night you’re gone

Or never call you again?

Do we have a future

Or should I call it the end? 

11. too bad for us 

Similarly to the previous song, too bad for us takes it a bit further to the time she made the decision to end the relationship, and reflects on the fact that all the good parts and all the love slowly disappeared over time, even though she felt on could nine in the beginning. Eventually, the issues caught up with them and became unavoidable.

And it crept up on us, in the way that it does

And the moment disappeared

In the desert of us, all our tears turned to dust 

Now the roses don’t grow here

12. dance all night 

Finishing off the album, this song brings the final grain of positivity that came with her finally letting go of past feelings and deciding to stop dwelling on and overthinking the regrets from her relationship. This is a perfect last track because it brings the heartbreak cycle to a close, giving hope for the future where she can finally move on after feeling like she is unable to for such a long time.

‘Cause I, I would dance all night

Not care about the headache in my life

Oh-oh-oh, and I would not obsess

Over all the little things I don’t regret

I’d dance all night, ni-i-ight

The storytelling of rosie is unique and interesting because it tells a story of a relationship and the subsequent breakup and heartbreak in a non-chronological way, and makes the listener feel as if they’re jumping back and forth between the relationship stages. The lyrics are incredibly vulnerable and brave, perfectly showing Rosé’s expressed desire to get closer to fans as a solo artist and try to be completely open and personal in her songs.