Solo star Rosé
The K-pop superstar is soaring on her own these days
SMASHING RECORDS The 24-year-old, better known as one of the members of the super-successful K-pop girl band Blackpink, has found massive success since embarking on a solo career this year.
Her breakout single, On The Ground, has topped Billboard’s Global 200 chart, making her the first artist to reach top spot both as a soloist and as part of a group (Blackpink reached No 1 with Lovesick Girls).
FROM DOWN UNDER She was born Roseanne Park in Auckland, New Zealand, but was raised in Melbourne, Australia. She was 15 when YG Entertainment discovered her talent at an audition in Melbourne. After training for four years, she joined Blackpink – and never looked back.
DEBUT SOLO ALBUM She released her solo album, R, in March. It features On The Ground; as well as her second single, Gone. On The Ground, which she co-wrote, is about questioning her priorities professionally and personally.
“It could have gone any other way – love songs, break-up songs but we wanted to find something that spoke to me, so it felt right to be talking about what I’ve been thinking about these past couple of years.”
TALENTED GUITARIST Rosé is also an accomplished guitarist and has played since she was a kid.
“I always thought it was such a cool instrument. I just felt like all those people who could play the guitar were so lucky,” she told Billboard.
She bought her first guitar off Amazon “for like $70 [now R1 015]. It was navy blue and it was terrible, it was wood but felt like it was made of plastic”.
HAPPY MUSICAL FAMILY She and her Blackpink bandmates are still friends and they’ve all been supportive of her solo career, she says. With Jennie having also released a track (2018’s Solo), she reckons Lisa and Jisoo could too.
“I think they’ll ace it. More than giving them advice, I would just be there for them and make sure I’m there supporting them emotionally and physically.”