From being one-fourth of Blackpink to releasing her first solo EP in 2021 to dominating the fashion world as a power player, Rosé knows the spotlight and fame. But that Rosé is the very definition of a K-pop idol with rarely a hair out of place. Even “APT.,” her catchy single with Bruno Mars and her first release since signing with The Black Label, still kept idol Rosé in view.
Then on November 22 came “Number One Girl.” The new all-English single gives permission to see a piece of not Rosé but Roseanne Park — and her wide-open heart. A cut off of the singer’s full-length project Rosie, arriving on December 6, “Number One Girl” stops listeners in their tracks. Although Rosé touches on similar emotions in her electric guitar ballad “Gone,” where “Gone” emphasizes barely-contained anger, “Number One Girl” replaces that anger with palpable desperation. Rosé has taken “I just wanna be the one” from “Gone” and built out the painful story with piano chords and belted notes for “Number One Girl.”
Rosé begins with a demand: “Tell me that I’m special.” It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that millions of fans would tell her that she is special — whether she asks or not. Yet, Rosé sings directly to this person who has her begging to be needed, to be loved, to be worth their attention. Despite holding her bleeding heart in her hands (metaphorically, of course), by the end of the song, all she is left with is desperation and its bitter aftertaste.
So what’s it ‘gon take for you to want me
I’d give it all up if you told me
That I’d be
The number one girl in your eyes
Armed with her raw lyrics and a huskier tone to her vocals, Rosé directed the MV with simplicity at the forefront. She avoided any idol shiny-ness in her directorial debut, instead opting for shaky, low-quality camcorder shots and night scenes. The latter magnifies Rosé’s vulnerability by tenfold: as she stares at the camera with hooded eyes singing lyrics like “Tell me that I got a big heart / Then back it up with evidence,” we are seeing Rosé at her most raw. At this point, it is just her trying not to drown in a typhoon of emotion.
Throughout the MV, the star’s loneliness is strikingly clear. From empty skate parks to empty highways, darkness constantly surrounds Rosé. When there is light, it is often painfully bright and draws attention to the imperfections she clearly wants to show, like her messy hair or her downcast eyes. Occasionally, three Rosés appear one after another, timed with the downbeats, but this only makes her words hit home harder. She begs, “Say what I’m dying to hear / Cause I’m dying to hear you,” yet, she is in an echo chamber — alone.
Rosé could have created her directorial debut with sleek outfits, trendy makeup, the works, considering she is Rosé from Blackpink. However, she opted to capture the emotional resonance of “Number One Girl” instead. Clad in blue jeans and a black crop top with her curls falling in front of her face, Rosé pours out her heart and her pain.
In a recent interview with i-D, Rosé spoke about how criticism now impacts her as an artist, “I woke up one day feeling like ‘Oh my God, it does affect me.’ I was like, ‘Wow, I’m human. I really am a vulnerable little girl.’” Rosie and “Number One Girl” are about that “vulnerable little girl,” chipping away at the perfect idol perception of Rosé and replacing it with a very human Rosé.
So, if “Number One Girl” is any indication, we should better get the tissues ready now for Rosie — we are in for one emotional ride.
(YouTube. Images via The Black Label)
