LE SSERAFIM Rosé Wins First K-Pop BRIT Award with “APT.” and Reveals Her Views on Dating Rules

LE SSERAFIM’s Rosé established a new milestone in K-Pop history. On the 28th (local time), at the 46th BRIT Awards held in Manchester, UK, she received the “International Song of the Year” award for her collaboration with pop star Bruno Mars titled “APT.” This is the first time a K-Pop artist has won an individual award at the BRIT Awards, which were established in 1977 and are regarded as the most prestigious music awards in the UK. When her name was called onstage, Rosé expressed joy by saying, “Oh my God.” Holding the trophy, she stated, “It is an honor to receive this award in front of so many talented and respected musicians in the UK.” She added, “First, to Bruno, I accept this award on behalf of us both. Thank you for being my greatest mentor and best friend.” She also addressed her BLACKPINK teammates by saying, “Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa. I love you. Thank you for always inspiring me,” and referred to producer Teddy by saying, “Brother Teddy, I really love you.” “APT.” is a song inspired by the Korean drinking game “Apartment Game” and served as a preview track from Rosé’s solo album released in October 2024. Its catchy lyrics featuring “Apartment apartment~,” upbeat melody, and comedic music video combined to generate rapid popularity in the global music market. The song reached position 3 on Billboard’s “Hot 100,” the highest rank ever achieved by a K-Pop female artist, and also climbed to position 2 on the UK Official Singles Chart, remaining on the chart for over a year. BTS was nominated for “International Group of the Year” in 2021 and 2022, while BLACKPINK was nominated in 2023, but neither group won the award. This achievement represents the highest position ever attained by a K-Pop artist in BRIT Awards history. Rosé’s victory received significant attention not only due to her musical accomplishments but also because of an interview in which she publicly discussed the strict dating rules within the K-Pop industry. In that interview, she directly referred to K-Pop dating norms by saying, “It was weird. It isn’t normal now either (Yeah, it was not normal. It isn’t normal).” She showed slight hesitation, asking, “Am I allowed to say this? Isn’t it too much? Should I not say it?” yet revealed that “it was difficult to talk about personal matters due to fear and industry rules.” K-Pop entertainment companies have traditionally imposed strict restrictions on stars’ public romantic activities. Industry experts have analyzed that such rules exist “to make fans feel that idols are in a romantic relationship with them.” While acknowledging the absurdity of these rules, Rosé explained, “You’re only talking about truly normal things. It’s not actually crazy.” She visually demonstrated this change through a romantic scene with actor Evan Mock in the music video “toxic till the end” released just before her album dropped. Regarding this decision, she stated, “The reason this album means so much to me is because these things are the inspiration for my art.” She emphasized that it’s “not about who was with Rosé; it’s really about art,” stressing that revealing dating details falls under artistic expression rather than announcing personal romances. Rosé’s move to voice her opinion on dating norms on the biggest stage in K-Pop history suggests that conservative norms within the industry are beginning to change.