Rosé drops unexpected twist after APT smashes global records

BLACKPINK’s Rosé surprised fans with a rare look into her creative process after revealing the demo version of her smash hit APT.

The release came just as the track reached a staggering two billion streams on Spotify, cementing its place in K-pop history.

Rosé shared the demo, which she called APT 1.0, during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show. 

Unlike the final version that fans know, the early cut carried raw lyrics and a softer vocal approach, with references to Room 17 and late-night meetings. 

The music icon admitted that in the past she asked fans to delete the demo, but now she feels it represents an honest part of her journey as an artist.

APT. first came out in October 2024 as the lead single from her debut solo album rosie. The track quickly became the fastest K-pop song to cross one billion streams, later winning Song of the Year at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards. 

With Grammy buzz already surrounding it, the song shows no signs of slowing down.

The single was co-written by Rosé, Bruno Mars, Amy Allen, Brody Brown and Philip Lawrence and it cleverly incorporated Toni Basil’s 1982 anthem Mickey.

Its music video, co-directed by Mars and Daniel Ramos, has also passed two billion views on YouTube.

However, Rosé’s achievement arrived at the same time BLACKPINK reunited for their single JUMP and wrapped the North American and European legs of their Deadline World Tour. 

For the unversed, BLACKPINK will continue the tour across Asia later this year.