Still dominating global charts with his Lady Gaga collaboration “Die With a Smile”, Bruno Mars isn’t done proving his musical supremacy by delivering yet another banger “APT”. A duet with K-Pop superstar Rosé of girl group Blackpink, the upbeat pop-rock track has shot up to the top floor at a rapid pace since its release last Friday.
The song, which was co-written by the two singers, is currently the #1 song on Spotify Global, Apple Music, iTunes, Youtube, TikTok, and just about every music chart in Rosé’s homebase in South Korea. On Spotify, the song dethroned Mars’ own “Die With a Smile” from its nearly two-month streak at #1, doing so with impressive double-digit numbers that continue growing each day – a clear sign of a viral hit. With that feat, the 27-year-old Rosé became the first ever Korean female soloist to top the chart.
APT’s music video also breaks a notable record on Youtube. The vivacious video, which features Mars and Rosé being silly while playing some instruments in a pinkified studio, became the fastest music video in 2024 to hit 100 million views. It reached the milestone in just 5 days.
The idea of “APT” itself derives from a traditional Korean drinking game. The word – spelled “ah-pa-two” – is the Korean pronunciation of “apartment”, which Rosé cleverly bakes into the lyrics of the song – part of her upcoming solo album “Rosie”, due out in December.
Critics have embraced the song as well. Billboard calls the song “one of the biggest streaming hits in both the United States and the world since its release last Friday,” while music trade NME singles out Rosé’s incredible songwriting skill: “Rosé has already proved she can write a killer song, but on ‘APT.,’ the first taste of her debut solo album, she takes a gigantic leap forward.”
The song is challenging to debut in the Top 5 of next week’s Billboard Hot 100. If that happens, Rosé will make another history for the highest debut of a female Korean artist on the chart. Such an impressive feat for a song that only got teased via a pair of Instagram posts from its two performers just days before release.
Listen to the song below.