Blackpink’s Rosé departed for Osaka, Japan, through Incheon International Airport on the 20th to attend the ‘2024 MAMA AWARDS.’
Rosé, who achieved solo success with the global mega-hit song “Apartment” (APT.), opened up about the difficult journey to becoming a K-pop idol and shed tears.
On the 23rd (local time), Rosé reflected on her trainee days before debut in an interview with The New York Times (NYT).
Born to Korean immigrant parents in New Zealand, Rosé moved to Australia at the age of eight. At 15, encouraged by her father, she applied for a YG Entertainment audition in 2012 and was accepted, leading her to train in Korea for four years.
Rosé recalled, “I would wake up at 9:30 AM and practice until 2 AM. I often stayed late to practice alone post-work hours. The portrayal of Korean trainees is definitely glamorized,” adding, “The loneliness I experienced was somewhat traumatic, but as you know, I survived.”
Explaining her intense practice routine, she said, “If I failed, I would have had to return to my friends in Australia who would say ‘Where have you been, I don’t understand what you’re doing.’ I didn’t want to have to explain everything after failing.”
Speaking on the challenges as a K-pop idol, she noted, “We are always trained to present ourselves in the most perfect way. However, we were not trained to talk about our emotions, feelings, and experiences,” expressing her regret.
The NYT asked if she had experienced online harassment targeted at female artists. Rosé shed tears, responding, “It seems like I have, but I don’t want to feel emotions about it because I want to say I am quite strong.”
She continued, “I am very positive and wise in assessing situations, but it felt really bad when it actually happened to me. I was shocked by what I saw online and wondered why it was left unchecked.”
Rosé revealed that she found songwriting as a way to protect herself. “Songwriting came to me as a blessing when I needed it most. Writing about big issues allowed them to leave my mind,” she said.
Rosé’s collaboration with pop star Bruno Mars on the song “Apartment” is gaining worldwide popularity. “Apartment” entered the U.S. Billboard main singles chart “Hot 100” at number 8, setting a new record for a female K-pop artist. It also entered the UK’s Official Singles “Top 100” chart at number 4. Rosé will release her first full solo album “Rosie” on December 6.