After years of infrequent releases, the BLACKPINK members have blitzed the market with solo singles over the past few weeks. Some of these have featured international stars, like Lisa’s duet with Spanish pop queen Rosalía. Now, it’s Rosé’s turn to join forces with a global hitmaker, pairing up with Bruno Mars for the quirky, irreverent APT.
You might think this is Bruno’s first brush with K-pop, but we actually have him to thank for Taemin’s excellent 2016 single Press Your Number. Both he and Rosé took part in APT.‘s composition, alongside ten (!) other writers/producers. This army of creative forces is surprising given the song’s simple — almost cast-off — quality. With no other information beyond the music itself, I would’ve assumed a couple teenagers came up with this in their garage. That’s not meant to be a diss, as APT.‘s throwaway appeal works in its favor. It’s not trying to be anything more than a catchy little pop track and carries a scruffy energy that’s quite charming.
I have my doubts how well APT.‘s more gimmicky moments may play in the long run, but the hyper-repetitive chant forging its main hook is supported by a surprisingly robust instrumental that grows more engaging as the song goes on. The arrangement takes a welcome turn after the second chorus, growing into a raucous bridge that injects new melody and kicks the track up a notch. This alone elevates it above other recent BLACKPINK-adjacent releases. And rather than recalling Rosé or Bruno Mars songs of the past, APT. reminds me most of late-2000’s indie pop duo The Ting Tings. Like their ubiquitous singles, this song is experienced best in short, concentrated bursts.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
For me, this is on par with the Odd Youth release from the last post, only with adult vocals. At least those girls have the excuse of being children (and I would note that Barbie movies have better music by far actually lol) but this….I mean, sure? At least it’s both a full song (unlike Mantra) and an original one (unlike Moonlit Floor) I guess.
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you could kinda sing that’s not my name over that beat
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Totally.
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it’s fun. Reminds me of the 2010s music
8.25/10 for me (7, 8, 9, 9)
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I always expected the most from Rosie, who seemed like the only MUSICIAN in the group. This is fine and fun…7.5/10
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it reminded me of shake it off, runaway baby, and hey mickey. the song works for what it’s going for and what it was inspired by (extremely unserious, full of fun), but i wish the chorus was more than just aparteu the whole time. give us real choruses back PLEASE. also bruno’s voice overpowers hers when they sing together, dunno if it’s just the mix or its intentional. you can hardly hear her.
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I found it very fun. I liked the energy and the spunky energy. Rather coincidentally, I was given a listen to Tommyfebruary6’s pop rock material, and how much cheesiness I can actually enjoy 😄 I think it’s a pleasant head bop and definitely my favorite of BP’s recent solo. I like the low-key energy of the mv
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It gives me dopamine the way watching a good amusing unserious romcom does. So far the most instantly enjoyable track by BP member post-YG.
Also agree with 8.25 verdict.
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also you kinda forgot to put it in the rating 8 category (our first 8 in a while!)
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Oops!
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A funny little song with Bruno Mars in it, I will take it.
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Loving this one, probably the BP solo release I’ve liked the most.
I’m just really happy the girls didn’t choose to stay with the dated sound YG has been using with them, instead their solos all sound different to their BLACKPINK catalog.
I see this song kinda fitting Bruno Mars’ first album, and so I’m getting the feeling that it might as well be a part of early/mid 2010s revival playlist haha. I really enjoy the pre-chorus and the way it’s sung at the end, it kinda elevates the song to a new level. I keep listening to it just to hear that part once more lol.
10/10 to me.
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WASTED opportunity!
Of all the things they could’ve done together, they decided to go the “irreverent way”. Ok then, but at least “Lazy Song” is irresistible/catchy/fun. The APT chanting is annoying. The chorus is nice but it doesn’t even sound that original (I kept thinking it sounds like Bad Romance by Lady Gaga).
This is not some small, 2nd class, wash out, random collaboration…this is Bruno Mars. Whether you like his music or not, he is HUGE. The least I expected was something simple but emotional a la “Just the Way You Are”. Silly me, was actually expecting something meatier and fun a la “Finesse”, “24K Magic” or “That’s What I Like”. But no, we got whatever this is. 7/10
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The APT part is annoying however I like the rest of the song, especially when it moves to the finale. And finally I’m not annoyed about Rose’s singing. She changed her phrasing for this one, for the better for me. Not a very special song but fine.
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Finally a pop song that is bright and poppy and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Actual fun is being had. The video is spot on too (and thrifty!). I might give it a 10 for the fun factor, but really Nick’s rating is about right.
Yes, very “Mickey”, “Shake it Off”, perhaps a debut-era Twice song, and a few others others mention above, but when a song does this well, great! Its all good!
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Finally, an international collab I love!
I knew that was possible, I am not inherently against collabs with international pop artists, but I don’ t think I’ve ever really loved one.
As a collab, this song is cleverly made: although the sound of it is very American-pop and its sung in English, its hook is centered around a chant from a Korean drinking game. It even takes it a step further by having the song intro be an audioclip of some friends playing drinking games. This way, the song really establishes its identity as a collaboration between a Korean and an American artist.
However, the above would not have landed it on my playlist alone. Good thing it is also insanely catchy! I’m glad I checked this out, because my day is officially improved.
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Minus the “APT” centerpiece, I really like this. As a former cheerleader, it makes me want to pick up some pom poms and dance! And I appreciate that her cursive singing is reined in a bit here, it suits the song and her shared parts with Bruno.
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When I first heard it, I was like ‘This could be in Bring it On’
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Classic rock backbeat with some cuteness on the top. I like it!
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This song’s good, and I can’t wait for the rest of the album in December.
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The song is unserious and will be enjoyed by her fan. I will definitely listen to it without overthinking it just for fun. Rating pretty ok
But what does its title actually mean? Rosé explains exclusively to Vogue that the song was inspired by her favorite Korean drinking game, Apartment. “I remember going home [from the studio] kind of freaked out. Is this OK, that I’ve written a song about a drinking game?” she says. Conflicted, she asked her team to delete the song from their phones—only to realize that they were already obsessed with it. (To honor Rosé’s Korean roots, throughout the song both she and Mars stick to the Korean pronunciation of apartment, apateu, or 아파트.)
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Definitely a highlight of the year for me so far. I always thought Rose was the one who had the best chance to be a breakout star from the group, and so I was always surprised how scarce her releases were. She’s got a nice voice and indie-rock free spirit vibe, and this song captures that.
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I gave this a chance more because of Bruno because I’m not gonna be the one to pass music he’s involved in, and I like this more than I thought I would given that it’s an international collab. The instrumental growing towards the end the way it is really made the song!
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I like the song, it’s fun and youthful, but like you said it doesn’t recall either of their previous works. That makes watching the video weird. Bruno mars has had playful energy before like in the lazy song but even in ice cream I feel like we haven’t seen such a hyper rose. Ill probably get over that though
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Love it! It’s a straight 10 for me, this is the type of song that is kind of lost in today’s music. It’s catchy and it builds up really well, the ending is very climactic, very well produced. I was kind of expecting Rosé to go the more serious singer/songwriter bland ballads route like Gone, but had a sneeky suspicion she might pull an Olivia Rodrigo/Sabrina Carpenter on us. Well, I’m happy it’s the latter and expect great things from the album. She is obviously the only one from BP who could make a legit solo name of herself, so I hope it works out.
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The hook may grow annoying, but for now this has tons of personality and fun in it. I can easily see Rose going down a more upbeat pop direction, fingers crossed!
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They call me “hell”
They call me “stacey”
They call me “her”
They call me “jane”
That’s not my name
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More like “Hey, hey, you, you, I don’t like your girlfriend!”
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Insert lyrics of Vamps’ Can we dance too!
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Imo, this song is childishly annoying (that repetitive apt chanting). She gets a shot with Bruno and decides to release this? Had she been a bit more serious, she could have had a tremendous hit under her belt. It’s not the worst song ever, but this feels like missed opportunity
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Y’all are nuts, this is fucking fantastic.
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when i first listened to it, i was also somehow reminded of The Tings Tings. More so of their 08/09 release “That’s not my name”. Which also have a repetitive and catchy hook. Overall really like this song, simple yet catchy.
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The last seconds of the song have had me scratching my head as to what it reminded me of.
And then I found it.
This is like the younger sister of Block B’s ‘HER’. Less ebullient & less charming sure, but equally as catchy and quirky
Now I’m just desperate for someone to remix the 2. I feel this song would vastly improve if it had the instrumental of ‘HER’.
Rating’s around the same.
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Came here to ruin your vibing by saying it sounds like Vamp can we dance. The whole prechorus is exactly that. I normally can’t get past songs that sound to similar to other songs (e.g. Flowers by Miley sounds a lot like Bruno Mars’ When I was you man), but this is actually fun. I do think I need a lil bit more ya know.
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Amazing & Trending
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