Apt. (song)

"Apt."
Single by Rosé and Bruno Mars
from the album Rosie
Language	English Korean
Released	18 October 2024 (2024-10-18)
Genre	Pop punk pop
Length	2:49
Label	The Black Label Atlantic
Composer(s)	Christopher "Brody" Brown Rogét Chahayed Omer Fedi Phillip Lawrence Theron Thomas Henry Walter Michael Chapman Nicholas Chinn
Lyricist(s)	Chae Young Park Bruno Mars Amy Allen
Producer(s)	Bruno Mars Cirkut Omer Fedi Rogét Chahayed
Rosé singles chronology
"Gone" (2021) "Apt." (2024)
Bruno Mars singles chronology
"Die with a Smile" (2024) "Apt." (2024)
Music video
"Apt." on YouTube

"Apt." (stylised in all caps) is a song by New Zealand and South Korean singer-songwriter Rosé and American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It was released through The Black Label and Atlantic Records on 18 October 2024, as the lead single from her upcoming debut studio album, Rosie (2024). It marks Rosé's first single in three years, and her first release since departing from YG Entertainment and Interscope Records as a solo artist in 2023. The song is a pop punk and pop track featuring vintage pop rock riffs, indie rock, and electro-pop influences. It is inspired by a South Korean drinking game called "Apartment," and the song's catchy chorus is built around the game's rhythmic chant.

Background and promotion

On 16 August 2024, Rosé was seen attending a concert of Mars in Los Angeles and later that month sharing a picture of her wearing a shirt with Mars on it. Two months later, on 16 October, Rosé posted a polaroid picture of her sitting next to Mars and taught him a Korean drinking game, according to the caption. Mars also shared a story that the singer supposedly tried to kiss him that night, promoting a possible upcoming release.

On 17 October, Rosé announced the release of the single on her social media, just a day ahead of the release. An accompanying artwork was revealed alongside the announcement, featuring a black-and-white rose-tinted photo of Mars behind a drum set and Rosé lying in front of the set with a black leather jacket and skirt on. The news of the release arrived a few weeks after the announcement of Rosé's upcoming debut studio album Rosie, slated for release on 6 December 2024.

Composition and lyrics

"Apt." was written by Rosé (credited as Chae Young Park), Bruno Mars, Amy Allen, Christopher Brody Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Omer Fedi, Philip Lawrence, Theron Thomas, Henry Walter, Michael Chapman, and Nicholas Chinn. It was produced by Mars, Cirkut, Fedi, and Chahayed. The track also interpolates the 1982 hit "Mickey" by American singer Toni Basil, written by Chapman and Chin. The song has been described as a pop punk and pop track characterised by "vintage pop rock riffs", as well as indie rock and electro-pop sounds.

Inspired by a popular South Korean drinking game named Apartment, from which the title of the song is also derived, the track employs the game's rhythmic chant of apateu (Korean: 아파트) to create a "playful" and "addictive" chorus. In an interview with Vogue, the singer revealed that she was initially "kind of freaked out" how people would react to a song about a drinking game. Moreover, Rosé "asked her team to delete the song from their phones", only to find out "that they were already obsessed with it". The singer later "proposed a collaboration to Bruno Mars" and sent him three songs, including "Apt.". When Bruno heard the track for the first time, he asked what the title meant, and Rosé "explained that it was a Korean drinking game". The singer also expressed that she "never thought that [the collaboration] would happen" and was "very excited" to work with Bruno.

'APT' is actually my favourite Korean drinking game that I play with my friends back home. It's so simple, puts a smile on your face, and breaks the ice at any party. One night in the studio, I taught my crew how to play the game. Everyone was fascinated, especially when I started the chant, so we played around with it, and I said we should make a song out of it... and after Bruno joined the track, the rest became history!

— Rosé on the song's origins.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
NME

NME's Rhian Daly scored "Apt." five out of five stars, dubbing the track "a luminous banger that fizzes with playful energy, from its stomping pop-rock beat to its addictive chanted chorus". Similarly, Irene Kim of Vogue praised the vocal harmony between Rosé and Mars and labelled the song "a pop-punk delight" that "will have fans chanting along". Paper included "Apt." in their weekly roundup of new songs to listen to, calling it a "cheeky, rollicking pop-rock track [...] that arrives with an irrepressibly fun, Ting Tings-y video". Billboard likewise placed the song in their weekly must-hears list and positively described it as "a slick pop confection full of clap-along refrains".

Commercial performance

"Apt." became one of the biggest streaming hits in both the United States and the world upon release, topping Spotify's global and U.S. daily streaming charts. Industry personnel reported that the song was an unexpected challenger against Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" and Morgan Wallen's "Love Somebody" for a debut atop the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 due to its strong streaming and sales performance. "Apt." debuted at number 11 on Spotify's Daily Top Songs USA chart on Friday and bounded to number one on the chart by Sunday, where it remained as of Wednesday, while it also continued to grow on Apple Music. It also was performing well in sales, remaining at number three on iTunes on Wednesday, and was projected to debut on the Pop Airplay chart after its first week of tracking, which would become Rosé's first entry on the chart as a soloist. The song earned 3.57 million U.S. streams on Friday, and reached 3 million daily streams for each of the next three days for a total of 13.32 million streams in its first four days of release. It also sold 5,700 downloads in the U.S. over its opening four-day period.

Music video

Co-directed by Mars and Daniel Ramos, a music video was released in conjunction with the single on 18 October 2024. The video features both Rosé and Mars presenting a garage band-esque performance, with the two singers alternating on drums and vocals, in matching black leather jackets across a pink set. Throughout the video, the duo can be seen dancing and playing the titular game, as well as Mars waving taegeukgi and getting "flustered" by Rosé's unexpected kiss.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the CD single.

• Rosé – lead vocals, songwriting
• Bruno Mars – lead vocals, songwriting, producer
• Omer Fedi – songwriting, producer
• Cirkut – songwriting, producer
• Rogét Chahayed – songwriting, producer
• Amy Allen – songwriting
• Christopher "Brody" Brown – songwriting
• Philip Lawrence – songwriting
• Theron Thomas – songwriting
• Michael Chapman – songwriting
• Nicholas Chinn – songwriting
• Julian Vasquez – engineering
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• Bryce Bordone – mixing assistant
• Chris Gehringer – mastering

Charts

Chart performance for "Apt."

Chart (2024)	Peak position
Japan (Japan Hot 100)	96
Japan Digital Singles (Oricon)	38
South Korea (Circle)	17

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Apt."

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Various	18 October 2024	CD digital download streaming	The Black Label Atlantic
Italy		Radio airplay	Warner Italy
United States	22 October 2024	Contemporary hit radio	Atlantic