BLACKPINK’s Rosé and global pop star Bruno Mars have secured one of K-pop’s highest honors, winning the Song of the Year Daesang at the 2025 MAMA Awards for their collaborative hit “APT.” The award was presented during the ceremony’s first night in Hong Kong, recognizing the track’s massive global success and cultural impact. The win marks a significant milestone in Rosé’s solo career and celebrates one of the most notable cross-genre collaborations of the year.
The Award Win
On the first day of the two-day event, held at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium, the MAMA Awards announced two of its major Daesang winners. Hosted by actor Park Bo Gum, the ceremony saw Rosé and Bruno Mars’s “APT.” claim the prestigious Song of the Year award, while ENHYPEN won the other announced grand prize, Fans’ Choice of the Year.
The Song of the Year award is one of the most coveted honors at the annual ceremony, representing the top track of the year based on a combination of digital performance and judge evaluation. “APT.” triumphed over a competitive list of nominees that included major acts like aespa, IVE, and BLACKPINK.
Breakdown of “APT.”
Released in October 2024, “APT.” served as the lead single for Rosé’s debut studio album, “Rosie.” The song marked her first solo release in three years and her first under a new partnership with The Black Label and Atlantic Records.
The track’s unique concept is rooted in a popular South Korean drinking game called “Apartment.” The song’s chorus is built around the game’s rhythmic chant of “apateu,” the Korean word for apartment. In an interview, Rosé explained the song’s origin.
“APT is actually my favourite Korean drinking game that I play with my friends back home. It’s so simple, puts a smile on your face, and breaks the ice at any party. One night in the studio, I taught my crew how to play the game. Everyone was fascinated, especially when I started the chant, so we played around with it, and I said we should make a song out of it… and after Bruno joined the track, the rest became history!” Rosé said.
Musically, “APT.” has been described as an up-tempo track that blends pop, pop-rock, and pop-punk with a new wave feel. The song also includes an interpolation of the 1982 Toni Basil hit “Mickey.”
Global Chart Domination
Even before its MAMA Award win, “APT.” had already cemented its status as a global phenomenon. The song was a commercial success, spending 12 weeks atop the Billboard Global 200 and becoming the longest-running number-one single of 2024.
It achieved chart supremacy in over 50 countries, including Canada, Germany, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Sweden. The track also broke records in key markets, becoming the first song by a K-pop female soloist to top Australia’s ARIA Singles Chart and the first Western song to lead the Billboard Japan Hot 100 in over a decade.
The music video, featuring Rosé and Mars as a garage band in matching black leather jackets against a pink set, broke viewership records on YouTube. It became the fastest music video by an Asian act to reach one billion views on the platform. On Spotify, “APT.” was the second-fastest song ever to amass one billion streams, and the fastest by a K-pop artist.
Critical Acclaim and Cultural Impact
“Apt.” received widespread acclaim from music critics upon its release. NME gave the song a five-star rating, calling it “a luminous banger that fizzes with playful energy, from its stomping pop-rock beat to its addictive chanted chorus.”
South Korean music critics noted the song’s inventive concept and broad appeal. Critics pointed out that the song turned an everyday Korean word into a global meme, similar to the cultural impact of Psy’s “Gangnam Style.” The repetitive, chant-like chorus was highlighted for its easy pronunciation and rhythmic fun, making it highly accessible to international audiences.
One pop culture professor attributed the song’s international popularity to its catchy lyrics, relatable drinking game theme, and the significant star power of both Rosé and Bruno Mars.
The 2025 MAMA Awards Ceremony
The 2025 MAMA Awards were held with a respectfully subdued atmosphere in Hong Kong. Organizers canceled the red carpet event and adjusted the broadcast schedule out of respect for the city’s mourning period following a tragic residential fire in the Tai Po area that claimed numerous lives.
Some viewers of the broadcast noted a more predictable format and a lack of live audience reactions from artists. The first night’s performances included acts like Super Junior, IVE, ENHYPEN, and Babymonster, with the final awards presented on the second night of the ceremony.
A Milestone Achievement
This Song of the Year win adds to an already impressive list of accolades for “APT.”. The song had previously earned awards at the Asia Artist Awards and MTV Video Music Awards. It also made history at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, where it received three nominations for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. Those nominations made “APT.” the most-nominated song by a K-pop artist and the first to be nominated in a Big Four category as a lead artist.
The award underscores the powerful synergy of Rosé and Bruno Mars’s collaboration, a partnership that successfully blended their distinct musical styles into a global hit that resonated with fans and critics alike.
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