6 Facts You Didn’t Know About Apt., Including Why It Was Played During the PAP Conference

By now, you should’ve heard Apt. so many times that once you read the headline, the song played in your mind again.

But how much do you know about the song?

Did you know that it was Rosé who initiated the collaboration?

And did you know that while PM Lawrence Wong didn’t know why Apt. was played during the PAP convention, there is a legit theory on why that song was played, and it’s not just because it’s popular?

Read on for these six facts so you know what to talk about when the song is played!

If you prefer to watch an entertaining video about this topic instead (with an extra bonus fact), watch this then:

Still here? Well, here goes.

It’s Actually Part of an Album.

First of all, you need to know about Rosé. She’s part of Blackpink, a super popular South Korean girl group.

But you might have read news recently about how each member has started their solo career.

Late last year, all the members in Blackpink extended their contract as Blackpink, but for their individual activities, they can pursue them with other companies.

In September this year, Rosé confirmed that she had signed with Atlantic Records, a US record label. It’s not surprising, given that Rosé was born in New Zealand and grew up in Australia. She only went to South Korea after auditioning for YG Entertainment and becoming a K-pop star in Korea, joining Blackpink in 2016.

So, she can speak English better than many of us, and therefore, for her to sign to a US record label and maybe even be an English singer isn’t far-fetched.

Shortly after signing with Atlantic Records, she said she would be debuting a solo album called “Rosie” on 6 December 2024.

Part of the promotional effort was to release a song first. So she released the album pre-release single, Apt., which is 1 of the 12 songs in the album, on 18 October.

As you know, it went super viral.

She also released another song in the album, “Number One Girl,” on 22 November. But let’s face it: I bet you didn’t know about it until now.

 It Uses a Very Familiar Melody

If you’re old like me and heard it the first time on TikTok, you might think, “Oh, it’s an old song that went viral again on TikTok. It’s by… erm, Lady Gaga? One Direction? Or maybe part of the song in Lemon Tree?”

Well, I don’t blame you.

Part of the melody in the song is actually one that’s used repeatedly in popular songs. Like “Judas” by Lady Gaga.

Watch this video by Rick Reverie on YouTube and you’ll understand:

Rosé Looked for Bruno Mars

For a start, Bruno Mars is in the same label that Rosé just signed on. How did the collaboration come about?

In an interview, it was revealed that Rosé is a fan of Bruno Mars. Since they’re now in the same label, she asked if she could collaborate with him. She was asked to send three songs, and she didn’t expect the collaboration to take place.

As we now know, Bruno Mars agreed, and now, we have a new earworm.

But is it because it’s such an earworm and so popular that PAP decided to play the song as PM Wong went to address the crowd during their conference?

Well, maybe not.

There could be another reason.

Apt. Song Playing During PAP Conference

During the PAP biennial conference on 24 November 2024, when PM Wong was invited to the stage, the weirdest thing happened: Apt. was played.

PM Wong himself was surprised, showing a confused hand signal, while SM Lee’s wife, Ho Ching, was happily dancing.

When PM Wong got on stage, he even said, “I’m not sure why they played that music.”

Is it because it’s popular?

Shin Min Daily News did an analysis that makes sense. In the Apt. music video, lightning bolts appear everywhere in the background, even on the drum.

And what do we associate with PAP? Their lightning bolt logo.

In fact, the screen was also showing the PAP logo together with the Apt. lightning bolts.

@shinmindailynews 为什么PAP大会用《APT.》来迎接黄循财上台？《新明》记者和一些网友看出背后的巧思，你知道是什么吗？ #apt #黄循财 #pap #sgnews #viraltiktok ♬ original sound – 新明日报

Genius.

Everything About Apt.

Apt. is like durian—one of the reasons why durian has such a unique smell is that it combines many different aromas.

Apt. is somehow similar, as it combines elements from a few genres like pop, pop punk, pop rock, indie rock, and electropop.

This is expected because the song was written by 12 people, including Rosé and Bruno Mars.

Even the song itself is a fusion, since the main theme of the song is a Korean game, but the song is sung in English. Basically, this song is a mixed song.

This begs the question: What the heck is Apt.?

It’s called apateu, a game played in social gatherings in Korea, usually a drinking game.

Think of it as Ji Gu Pa in Singapore, where you just need your hands to play.

Yup, that’s all. There’s no need to overthink about what it is. It’s just a game.

The Numbers That Shocked Everyone

Many of us came across the song on TikTok, and it’s understandable—there are 3.8 million videos made with the song so far, sparking something known as the “APT dance challenge.”

The song debuted at number one on both the Billboard Global 200 and the Global Excl. U.S. charts, marking the second number-one single for both artists on these charts.

It also debuted at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, making Rosé the first female K-pop artist to enter the chart’s top ten.

On Spotify, it surpassed 100 million streams in 7 days. That’s common for a singer like Taylor Swift, but it’s a new record for a K-pop solo artist.

In other countries, mainly English-speaking countries like the UK or Australia, it topped the charts too, breaking records for a solo female K-pop artist.

Do note that while Rosé and Bruno Mars performed Apt. at the recent MAMA Awards, the song didn’t win the top award; instead, they won a special award called the “Global Sensation Award.”

The Song of the Year was won by Aespa’s “Supernova” instead.