Reporter Choi Joo-seong tied the record for being nominated in the most categories by a K-pop singer, including the Bonsang... "'Apartment' changed my life" From a world-renowned girl group to a solo artist... Blackpink Rosé performs at the Grammy Awards after starting as a trainee at the age of 15 and confessing to being a victim of malicious comments [AP=Yonhap News] (Seoul=Yonhap News) Choi Joo-seong Born in New Zealand to Korean immigrant parents, Rosé moved to Australia at the age of 8, and began her trainee life in Korea at the age of 15 when she passed the YG Entertainment audition in 2012 at the recommendation of her father. After enduring an exhausting trainee period to the point where he recalled in a New York Times interview in 2024 that he "survived loneliness," he distinguished himself by debuting with the girl group Blackpink in 2016. Girl group Blackpink performance photo [provided by YG Entertainment. [Resale and DB prohibited] Blackpink swept the top of the domestic music charts with their debut song 'Whistle' and has since established themselves as an unrivaled girl group by breaking various records with hit songs such as 'DDU-DU DDU-DU', 'As If It's Your Last', and 'Kill This Love'. In 2018, 'DDU-DU DDU-DU' became the first Korean girl group to enter the UK Official Singles Chart 'Top 100', and in 2020, 'Ice Cream', released by them with Sulina Gomez, ranked 13th on the US Billboard main single chart 'Hot 100', recording the highest ranking for a K-pop girl group. In addition, they became the first K-pop girl group to achieve a million-seller with their first full-length album 'THE ALBUM' in 2020, and made a mark by reaching the top of Billboard's main album chart 'Billboard 200' and the UK Official Album Chart 'Top 100' with their second full-length album 'BORN PINK' in 2022. The world tour 'Born Pink', which was held 66 times in 34 cities from 2022 to 2023, attracted 1.8 million viewers, the largest in the history of a K-pop girl group. In an interview with music magazine Rolling Stone in 2022, Rosé expressed her pride by saying, "I grew up with Blackpink members, and Blackpink is my eternal family and a part of me." Blackpink Rosé and Bruno Mars' 'Apartment' (APT.) ​​[Provided by The Black Label. Resale and DB prohibited] Rosé, who was loved for her unique voice while working as the main vocalist of Blackpink, began to show her capabilities as a solo singer and pop star starting with her solo song 'On The Ground' in 2021. The year after ending his exclusive contract with YG in 2023, he joined The Black Label led by producer Teddy, signed a record contract with the famous American label Atlantic Records, and released his first solo album 'Rosie'. She confessed her experience of being hurt by malicious comments, saying, "I wanted to sing about my 20s, which is not an easy time in life. I hope people will accept that I am not much different from an ordinary 23-year-old girl." 'Apartment', a duet song with pop star Bruno Mars released in October 2024, is a pre-released song from Rosé's solo album, and is a song inspired by 'Apartment Game', a Korean drinking game that Rosé usually enjoys. In an interview with American Paper Magazine, Rosé recalled, "I was the only person around me who believed that Mars would sing 'Apartment'. I thought it had to be this song," and "When I told Mars that it was a Korean drinking game when he asked the meaning of 'Apartment', his response was 'that's cool.'" Rosé won MTV VMA [UPI=Yonhap News] Immediately after its release, the song quickly became a hit song with its cheerful melody and addictive refrain that repeats 'apartment, apartment'. On Billboard's 'Hot 100', she ranked 3rd, the highest ever for a K-pop female singer, and ranked 2nd on the UK Official Singles Chart, enjoying steady popularity by staying on the charts for over a year until January of this year. In an interview with Apple Music, Rosé expressed the success of this song, saying, "I was like a child who grew up alone, entered Harvard Law School, and became president. I thought this song could change my life." 'Apartment' received the main award 'Song of the Year' at the US 'MTV Video Awards' (MTV VMA) last year, and was nominated in three categories at the Grammy Awards, including 'Song of the Year' and 'Record of the Year', which are the main awards, as well as 'Best Pop Duo/Group Performance'. This is a tie record for the most Grammy nominations by a K-pop singer. Previously, the group BTS was nominated in three categories, including 'Album of the Year' and 'Best Pop Duo/Group Performance' at the 65th awards ceremony. Rosé, who sang 'Apartment' with Bruno Mars during the opening performance of the awards ceremony on this day, attracted attention with an energetic stage and raised expectations for winning the award, but unfortunately, it ended in no results. Blackpink Rosé [Reuters = Yonhap News] cjs@yna.co.kr #Grammy #Rosé #Apartment #Blackpink tip