Anticipation for Rosie, singer Rosé’s debut studio album, is sky-high after her first single “Apt.,” featuring Bruno Mars, made her the first female Korean artist to claim the top spot on Spotify’s U.S. chart. Now, as a pre-Thanksgiving treat for her American fans, Rosé has released a second single, titled “number one girl,” ahead of the album’s launch on December 6.
If “Apt.” served up pure pop-punk delight, this latest track goes back to Rosé’s roots, striking a similar tone to her 2021 single “Gone.” And it’s notably vulnerable, with the 27-year-old crooning lines like: “Isn’t it lonely I’d do anything to make you want me? I’d give it all up if you told me that I’d be the number one girl in your eyes.”
The moodiness of the song’s music video, directed by Rosé herself, matches the intimacy of its storytelling perfectly: In it, we see the singer running around Seoul at dusk, passing sites like the Jamsugyo Bridge (the backdrop to Louis Vuitton’s pre-fall 2023 show) as she serenades her namesless lover: “Tell me I’m a little angel, sweetheart of your city, say what I’m dying to hear ’cause I’m dying to hear you.”
All at once, one of pop music’s most famous faces—boasting upwards of 80 million followers on Instagram alone—strips back her superstar persona to reveal the fragile beating heart underneath. As it turns out, even a girl at the top of the charts still longs for a fairytale romance.
