Rose and Bruno Mars released a collaboration song "APT." on Oct. 18. Courtesy of The Black Label
Chinese social media have given BLACKPINK's Rose's new hit single with Bruno Mars, "APT," the thumbs up, praising its catchy and uplifting tune.
"This song is quite intriguing, it has a bit of the past American pop music style," one poster commented on Xiaohongshu, China's equivalent to Instagram.
Rose released her latest solo hit "APT" on Oct. 18, featuring American singer-songwriter Mars. The song currently sits at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 list chart, the highest entry for a K-pop female artist, shoulder to shoulder with Teddy Swims' "Lose Control" and Sabrina Carpenter's "Taste."
Reception for the smash hit has been mixed in Asia; most notably, the Malaysian government openly criticized "APT" for promoting negative Western values to the country's youth.
China, however, cannot get enough of it.
Another Xiaohongshu user notes there is finally a song that does not have to rely on skimpy dresses and skin-showing to make it to the top of the U.S. music charts.
Other comments on the platform include "all of us love listening to APT," "babe" and "congratulations."
Rose's Weibo social media post about achieving 100 million views on YouTube was bombarded with heart and cheering emojis.
By Oct. 31, the "APT" music video had over 211 million views on YouTube.
Chinese internet users also praised Rose's authenticity in making music and being true to her heart.
"Oh my god, I wanna tear up from watching her music video. I have [checked out] the other three [members of BLACKPINK] and their new songs, I feel that Rose is not as competitive, does not really care about the fame and wealth," writes one Xiaohongshu user.
"The music video is adorable, feel-good, she seems like she is protecting the little girl in her heart."
In videos on YouTube and TikTok, Rose explains the rules of her favorite drinking game.
The song is inspired by the popular Korean drinking game Apartment. The title refers to the Korean pronunciation of "apartment" — apateu.
Read the full story at SCMP.