BLACKPINK’s Rosé, who has established a thriving solo career, became emotional during an interview with The New York Times (NYT) as she discussed the challenges of becoming a K-pop idol and the online harassment faced by female artists.
In the interview, published on Nov. 23, Rosé reflected on her journey to releasing her first solo full-length album. “It feels like I’ve been waiting to release this album for my whole life,” she said.
Recalling her childhood, she shared, “I grew up listening to a lot of female artists. They inspired me and helped me through tough times, and I always dreamed of having an album of my own one day. But I never really thought it was realistic. Last year, when I started working on it, I doubted myself a lot.”
Born to Korean immigrant parents in New Zealand, Rosé moved to Australia at eight years old. At 15, her father encouraged her to audition for YG Entertainment, leading to her acceptance and subsequent move to South Korea to become a trainee.
Reflecting on those early days, Rosé described the intense loneliness she faced. “I didn’t understand the lonely part—the isolation I’d go through. It was traumatizing, a bit shocking. But I survived it,” she said. Her routine involved grueling daily schedules. “I’d wake up at 9:30 a.m., train in a shared dance hall with seven or eight other girls, attend vocal, dance, and language lessons, and finish practice at 2 a.m. Many nights, I stayed back to practice alone. It was the same routine every day.” She admitted that the fear of returning to Australia and explaining a failed attempt kept her motivated. “I had come so far. I didn’t want to go back and have to explain everything.”
Recalling her early years with BLACKPINK, Rosé said, “The first few years were personally very difficult for me. But after a while, I started picking things up and learning.”
When asked about her greatest challenges, she highlighted K-pop’s “fan culture.” “We are trained to present ourselves perfectly at all times, even in online interactions with fans. I always felt I needed to be the perfect girl for everyone,” she explained.
Rosé also opened up about her desire to make music that resonates personally. “I was never trained to be vulnerable, open, or honest—that’s what I feared most because it went against everything I had learned. Writing music felt like breathing; the stories in my songs are ones the people around me have heard countless times. There were moments I hesitated, thinking, ‘Can we say this? Is it too much?’”
The conversation turned emotional as she addressed online harassment targeting female artists. Fighting back tears, she said, “I don’t want to get emotional about it. I consider myself strong-minded and positive, but when it got to me, it hit hard. Thankfully, songwriting became a blessing when I needed it most. I’d walk in with a problem, pour it into a song, and it would leave my mind.” However, not every creative effort was successful. “Some days, if I didn’t like the song, I’d think, ‘That didn’t help. That one’s not going on the album.’”
Rosé's debut solo album, Rosie, is set for release on Dec. 6. Ahead of the launch, she dropped a pre-release single, APT., on Oct. 18. The track, a collaboration with global pop star Bruno Mars, quickly climbed music charts and received widespread acclaim.
