Critic Rating: 8/10
In her debut solo album rosie, released on December 6, 2024, Rosé bares her vulnerable emotions and insecurities, revealing her true self beyond the glamorous life as a Blackpink member. Many fans, including myself, know her as the main vocalist of the best selling girl group Blackpink. The group has taken a hiatus to pursue solo activities, including Rosé, who has released her first solo album. The album consists of 12 tracks, including the viral “APT.” featuring Bruno Mars. The tracklist also consists of many ballads, a style of music I rarely gravitate towards. Despite my initial doubts, the album’s emotion and depth grew on me. The title rosie refers to the nickname her loved ones affectionately call her, making the album feel even more intimate as it delves into themes of heartbreak, growth, and identity.
The album opens with the pre-release single “number one girl,” showcasing Rosé’s striking vocals in an emotional piano ballad in which she expresses her need for approval and validation — not only from her romantic partner but the general public as well. Rosé has stated that the song was written about her fixation on the public’s opinion and the mental toll that negative comments have taken on her throughout her career. It is the vulnerability of the lyrics, paired with her melodic voice, that makes this song one of my favorites.
The following song, “3am,” transitions the album from ballads into more dynamic tracks. At first, the song did not stick with me, but it soon grew on me as I became addicted to its chanty rhythm, especially with the repetition of the line “eh-eh, eh-eh, eh-eh.” Rosé sings about the complexities of love and her longing for her toxic relationship despite its instability. In the self-aware lyric, “I just saw a red flag / Gonna pretend I didn’t see that,” she acknowledges that she recognizes the warning signs yet chooses to ignore them.
The third track, “two years,” depicts Rosé’s struggle to get over her ex and her frustration towards her lingering feelings of attachment. Her storytelling lyrics combined with a synth-pop beat are layered with chanting backing vocals and vocal effects to create a catchy yet heartfelt track. This song emotionally resonates with a lot of listeners who still reminisce about the past despite how painful it is.
In “toxic till the end,” Rosé explores the turbulent emotions she experiences during an on-and-off relationship. She conveys her pent-up frustration with the line, “You wasted my prettiest years,” showing that she believes the relationship was a waste of her time. The music video portrays the constant cycle of this emotionally and physically draining relationship, with Rosé and her ex quickly shifting back and forth from affectionate embraces to once again arguing and shoving. The raw and deep emotions present here sets “toxic till the end” apart from a typical breakup song.
Rosé then breaks from the melancholic mood of the album with “APT.” — a bright, energetic pop-punk single featuring Bruno Mars. I like that Rosé didn’t stick with a single genre, but released a cohesive collection of songs that still varies in sound. The repetition of the lyric “apateu” originates from Rosé’s favorite Korean drinking game, “Apartment.” The track’s fun concept and catchy chorus have made the song explode in popularity on social media, making it the most popular and iconic song on the album.
Rosé further proves her musical versatility in “drinks or coffee,” which features flirtatious and playful lyrics with a groovy beat. The witty lyrics of the next track “gameboy,” along with its relaxed instrumentals, made me love this song the more I listened to it. Both songs are an addictive listen and have unsurprisingly become favorites.
Unfortunately, most of the second half of the album failed to captivate me as much as the earlier songs did. Although I did love Rosé’s raspy and raw vocals on “stay a little longer,” which added another layer of emotion and desperation in the song, it reminded me quite a bit of “number one girl” as it is also another ballad. Next up was “not the same,” which was a nice song but just not my favorite. I found the melody of this track to be somewhat awkward-sounding, and I preferred other songs on the album.
In “call it the end,” Rosé finds herself questioning her relationship with her partner. The slow tempo of the song can be boring, but I loved her vocals. The next track, “too bad for us,” has beautiful lyricism, evident in lines like, “In the desert of us, all our tears turn to dust / Now the roses don’t grow here.” My favorite part is the faster-paced bridge, which is written beautifully like the rest of the song.
The album then comes to a close with the bittersweet song “dance all night,” where Rosé reflects on her personal growth and experiences. I liked that she ended the album with an optimistic and vibrant song about living a carefree life without the heartbreak and sadness we heard about earlier.
rosie is a deeply sentimental album that demonstrates Rosé’s musical talent in not only her voice, but her songwriting as well. Her versatility and talent as an artist shines through the songs, and even though I didn’t love all of them, they were all meaningful. It is a good album overall, and from her 2021 single album R to now, you can see a distinct style emerging from her songs — one that feels authentic to her. I’m excited to see her grow as a soloist in the future.
