Rosé described “APT.” collaborator, Filipino-American singer Bruno Mars, not only as a mentor but also a dear friend.
“[He’s] the best friend I could ask for in so many ways. He’s just been a really good mentor to me and really been a good friend,” she shared in an interview with Billboard.
The K-Pop star opened up about how Bruno played a role while she was working on her first solo album, Rosie.
“He guides me in a lot of things. At the beginning, he really helped me inspire me not just even with ‘ATP.’ but with the album. I had a little questions and things that I couldn’t figure out, and I remember he would just throw these small things and it would help. He was like a big cheerleader for me on the side at one point on a very crucial moment,” she shared.
The singer further recalled: “It was a very important when I was wrapping everything up, so he was a really good sounding board, and he is really a good friend to chat to.”
When it comes to collaborating with Bruno on “APT.”, Rose remarked how Bruno has such a dynamic vision when it comes to making music.
“He had such a vision for everything and at first it was really hard to understand. He would be inspired by a lot of things that I’ve done in the past. And I would ask him so many questions, and he’d send me so many videos and be like, ‘Rose this is it.’ And as he was sharing, the shape of it would form, so it was just like a lot of communication,” she stated.
Rosé recently made history at the Grammys after becoming the first K-Pop soloist to be nominated for the six general field categories.
The singer-songwriter received nominations for Song of the Year and Record of the Year for the track “APT.” She also bagged a nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the track she collaborated with Bruno.
“Never in a million years would I have thought that this would happen to be nominated for a Grammy. But I think most importantly, I feel like the song that is being celebrated and being nominated for the Grammy contains so much of my culture in it,” the K-Pop star remarked, reflecting on her historic nominations.
Rosé added that the recognition reaffirmed her belief in the power of cultural representation and inclusivity. “It proves to me also that culture is loved. Different cultures are being accepted, regardless of ages, different backgrounds and cultures, everyone has been enjoying it so much and I’ve been watching that, and it’s really just really blown my mind away. And so it means so much to myself, my younger self who grew up feeling like that would not be a possibility,” she stated.
The K-Pop star also highlighted how meaningful the nominations are to her, particularly as someone who grew up with little representation in the music industry.
“That means a lot to me because growing up there wasn’t many people like me. I was the minority and especially on television and in the music industry, and so I remember even then I wanted to do music obviously. Somewhere in me said, ‘I want to do music,’ but I didn’t even know that was like a possibility,” she said.
The 2026 Grammy Awards is set to happen on February 1, 2026 (US time).