BLACKPINK’s Rosé Takes a Leap of Faith

This is an excerpt of an article first published in Mastermind 12, November 2022. To read the full interview, purchase the issue here.

As the most-subscribed artist on all of YouTube, with multiple Guinness World Records to its name, plus collaborations with Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa and Cardi B, BLACKPINK is the most successful female act to come out of South Korea’s multibillion-dollar pop industry. BLACKPINK is a cultural force, and each member has become an idol in her own right. Eldest member Jisoo is not only a vocalist but also a top-billed actor in Korea; rapper-singer Jennie is a burgeoning fashion maven with a sunglasses line; and Thailand-born Lisa’s focus on rap and dance led her to become the most followed K-pop star on Instagram. Then there’s Rosé, the powerhouse vocalist, whose precise belts with their hint of satisfying rasp became one of the group’s sonic signatures. Her unlikely story of becoming a breakout Kiwi in Korea speaks to how far a leap of faith can carry you.

Roseanne Park was born in Auckland, New Zealand, to South Korean immigrants on February 11, 1997. After a family move to Melbourne, Australia, at age seven, she developed an interest in music through church choir and by playing guitar and piano. In 2012, she attended a local audition held by Korean super-label YG Entertainment, which orchestrated PSY’s international smash “Gangnam Style” that same year, and she placed first. Shortly thereafter, Park dropped out of school to sign with the label for training in Seoul, which lasted four years. When BLACKPINK finally debuted in 2016, she introduced herself to the world as Rosé.

Today, Rosé credits her fierce and fearless spirit as an adolescent in helping shape the artist she has become. “Being the young, wild dreamer that I was, was exactly what helped me latch on to such a life-changing decision,” the singer writes by e-mail. “I always felt like I was fighting against something, like I wasn’t allowed to feel confident and strongly about my vision.”

In the Netflix documentary BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky, we see you audition for YG and, shortly after, decide to move to Korea. What compelled you to audition, and what helped you decide to take that leap at such a young age?

R My dad always watched me print out lyrics and chords off of his laptop and reach at the top of my lungs over the piano in an attempt to sing Beyoncé’s most heartbreaking, sad songs till midnight. So I guess it wasn’t too bizarre for him to ask me if I wanted to try auditioning at the YG audition that was being held in Australia. When I was growing up, there weren’t many opportunities for me to officially dive into music, so when YG – a company that was home to some of my favorite musicians – was coming to audition near my city, there couldn’t have been a better opportunity for me to reach out and grab on to my dreams. I would like to say that I was lucky – lucky to have a supportive dad who encouraged me to challenge myself and take my chance.

To be quite honest, if you ask me what factors helped me decide to leave home at such a young age, I think that being the young, wild dreamer that I was, was exactly what helped me latch on to such a life-changing decision without a second thought. I was surprisingly very sure about everything.

What was your dream back then? What were you hoping for?

R I don’t think I knew what would happen when I got to Korea. I never really thought that I would have the opportunity. All my “dreaming” really started when I landed in Korea and started training with the girls. When I arrived, everybody was headed one way, to something called a “debut” – to be formed into a group and finally release music after the long training years. And although we all were looking toward the same goal, I believe everybody had their own visions of what kind of musicians we all wanted to become. And I think that four different dreams, combined into one group, is what BLACKPINK has become. Arriving in Korea was when I started to really study and explore my music. I remember staying up until midnight watching live performances, picturing the kind of musician I aspired to be.

When you think back to that period, what are your strongest memories as a trainee? What scenes come immediately to mind?

R Surprisingly, the first thing that comes to mind is this tiny locker room. I played the guitar, so I would have to prepare my vocal performances on my guitar every week. We all shared a large dance hall, so I found this tiny locker room to practice my guitar. And I remember spending so many hours in the tiny room. I kind of miss it – it was quite cute!

In 2021, you made your successful solo debut with –R–. How did this transition feel? How is the satisfaction of that solo project different from your work with BLACKPINK?

R The transition, at first, was terrifying. But I took it in as a creative opportunity and worked on making it look and sound the most like myself. I was sure I would put my 110 percent into it, so when I really did, I was confident that my listeners would be satisfied. I enjoyed playing around with what kind of character I could be. And I’m satisfied with how I started it off.

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