BLACKPINK Rosé graces the cover of W Korea October 2020 Issue wearing Tiffany & Co. jewelries. The issue will be released in 4 cover versions including 12 pages of our Chaeng’s photos and interview! See her elegant photoshoot below!
Covers
Interview + Photos
‘You Go High’ – ROSÉ for W Korea October 2020 Issue
The most beautiful and rare gemstones on Earth were created in Tiffany’s high jewelry collection, “Tiffany Jewel Box.” “This girl with an exceptional talent grew up to be an artist that rewrites K-Pop’s history and paints the entire world with color through her music. These two shining stories are merged into BLACKPINK’s ROSÉ.”
I’ve seen a lot of glamorous image from BLACKPINK, but today is something new again for Rosé. Do you know that it’s not easy to transport high jewelry to Korea via air, and only a few people are given the chance to wear it on pictorials? How was the shooting experience for Rosé?
ROSÉ: This is the first time I’ve done a photoshoot wearing fancy jewelry such as these. The staff also liked it because they saw a different image of me. It was really beautiful. I had a pleasant time shooting.
When I looked at the monitor, I suddenly sensed how the light of the jewelry blends with your hair color, radiating more subtle nuances. Every time BLACKPINK makes a comeback, it’s fun to see your hairstyles and hair colors change. I read some comments saying, “Rosé has a lot of hair”
ROSÉ: That’s right, I have a lot of hair. So at the salon, it takes a long time to dye my hair (laughs). I’ve tried so many colors, now I’m thinking about which color to choose. There are trends in hairstyles, and it seems to change easily. I’m curious about what hairstyles I will show to you in the future.
On August 28, BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez released the collaboration single ‘Ice Cream’. After your collab with Lady Gaga in “Sour Candy”, and BLACKPINK’s single “How You Like That,” this September you once again entered the top of the BILLBOARD HOT 100 at rank 13th, surpassing the performance of “How You Like That”. How was it working with Selena Gomez?
ROSÉ: The circumstances were not in our favor, so we couldn’t meet personally to work on it. Instead, we exchanged deeply through video calls. We’re fans of each other, so we were able to share our feelings through video calls and the process was very meaningful. We had a lot of fun working on it, so we hope that cheerful and bright energy will be delivered to as many people as possible.
Prioritizing the important things, what’s the most significant topic for Rosé as an individual these days?
ROSÉ: Perhaps, our ‘comeback’. We’ve been working diligently for BLACKPINK’s first full-length album. This is our first time to release a full album more than 4 years since our debut. We want to show a good performance that’s why we’re preparing very hard for this comeback.
I looked up this and that about you, I listened to a song [you worked on] before your official debut. 8 years ago, you participated as vocal feature in the song ‘결국’ (WITHOUT YOU) for G-Dragon’s album <One of a Kind>. It was surprising. Singing, ‘겨우 여기까지가 마지막인지 우린’ your singing voice is quite different back then compared to what it is now.
ROSÉ: When we recorded ‘결국’ it was not long after I arrived in Korea as a trainee, from singing as a hobby in Australia. I still remember that day. Back then, I didn’t know what style of music I liked and it was before I started to really find what color I wanted as an artist. I’m honored to participate in the recording, I was so nervous. Ever since I became a trainee, I began to realize exactly who my favorite artist was and what kind of artist I wanted to be. Maybe that’s why whenever you listen to ‘결국’, the tone and feeling are very different from what I am now. It’s amazing to listen to it again. I studied a lot to learn, and I don’t think I’ve ever tried to change. But before I knew it, my voice and expressions had already changed a lot. It’s truly amazing.
Rosé has her own conceptual vocals. I can feel the straight lines of sounds, yet I can still feel the delicateness. What do you think is ‘good singing’?
ROSÉ: That sounds like a difficult question. Being good at singing is not just a matter of keeping a good pitch or the right beat. Shouldn’t a good singer be someone who can translate the message a song is trying to convey into a story and deliver various emotions to the listeners? I’m trying to be a singer like that.
Which song is the most difficult to perform live?
ROSÉ: The song ‘Hope Not’ from the <Kill This Love> album. It’s not easy to sing it live because you have to sing it with so much emotion and it requires a lot of concentration.
Rosé is the main vocalist of BLACKPINK. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Rosé is a unique vocal style and guitar. But when you think of ‘Rosé and Dancing’, there’s nothing unusual about you being a dancer. In short, you’re good at everything (laughs). Is your dance skill largely due to the hard work paying off? Or maybe you had some kind of ‘Dance DNA’ and just never have the chance to bring it out?
ROSÉ: There are quite a few childhood videos of me dancing with my friends in front of my family (laughs). I just danced on my own, but I guess I always saw myself as a kid who loved to dance. Of course, I started to formally learn dancing when I became a trainee at sixteen. At first, it was hard to catch up because all of the other trainees learned a lot and danced really well. From then on, I practiced and studied and pledged that ‘Someday I’ll be praised for being a good dancer.’ I still remember the first time I was praised. Efforts are valuable, back then I really wanted to dance well, and [through the process] I seemed to have developed a lot of interest and love for dancing. Isn’t it the most important thing to have interest and love in whatever you do?
As expected, you’re a case of being talented at dancing from the start (laughs). Do you remember the first euphemism you played after learning the guitar as a child? Since the old days, ‘Romance’ is classical guitar’s representative intro…
ROSÉ: Haha, I started learning how to play the guitar because I was attracted to the unnies on YouTube that cover songs while playing their guitar. I wanted to be like that. My favorite unnie artists were Tori Kelly and Jayesslee. I kinda remember that I started learning pop songs first, that’s why I didn’t learn the classical style. The first song that I practiced and played the whole song must have been Jason Mraz’s ‘I Won’t Give Up,’ which was also my audition song.
I know that you’re the only left-handed member of BLACKPINK. However, you use your right hand when playing the guitar?
ROSÉ: Actually, I started learning guitar from an oppa who was close to me at church, and I used to watch YouTube and practice by myself at home. When I joined the company, I had the chance to get professional lessons. I am left-handed, but when I played along while watching the videos, I naturally started playing with my right hand. I wanted to be like the unnies I saw on YouTube.
Did your parents buy you your first guitar?
ROSÉ: Yes, it was around 70,000 krw. My parents bought me the cheapest one because they didn’t know how diligently I would play the guitar. Since it was a cheap guitar, my fingers hurt a lot because there was a wide gap between the strings and fretboard.
Has Rosé’s guitar been upgraded after that?
ROSÉ: First, I showed my parents how diligently I practiced, then I told them that my fingers hurt badly and it was hard to practice. And after saving my allowance, my parents helped me with the remaining amount and I bought my dream guitar called Taylor Mini. Until now, I still play that guitar.
Wow, that’s a characteristic of a model student? To make an effort in a planned and systematic manner. ‘Someday, I’ll be praised for dancing well’ is a similar case to that of a first-class student who puts their attention and effort into becoming the top student in the school, saying, ‘One day, I’ll be the top student in the entire school.’ Your father was the person who encouraged you to audition back when you were in Australia. Was your father the one who thought that you’re a star and wanted to share your talent with others?
ROSÉ: I think he wanted me to do what I like rather than live as a star. Because I sang and danced alone in my room (laughs). So I guess he helped me to grab the opportunity? It’s amazing to look back on all of that right now.
From your trainee days up until now, when was the definitive moment that you felt you had grown up by leaps and bounds?
ROSÉ: There are many moments, but I think it’s when we performed at the Coachella Festival last spring. I was really nervous before the performance. I wanted to do well because it was a stage that I had dreamed of for a long time. However, as soon as I saw the crowd who came to see BLACKPINK perform, many thoughts of trying to do well disappeared. I just enjoyed it all together and expressed the moment. More than the energy I delivered, the energy I received from the audience was so strong that I just followed them. I felt that I was one with the audience. Without any second thoughts, it’s a stage that I really enjoyed.
In recent years, K-Pop’s status has taken a different leap forward compared to the 2010s. Particularly, BLACKPINK is said to have rewritten the history of girl groups. When going on tours or having interviews with foreign media, how do you think they are looking at BLACKPINK? Is this a question that you get frequently?
ROSÉ: The fact that we’re going on tours abroad and receiving requests for an interview, I feel that they are showing great interest in K-Pop and us. Interviews with foreign media often ask questions like ‘Why does BLACKPINK seem to be popular internationally?’ It’s possible that the era has come when more people are open to new music that’s why we can be loved this much? It’s a thing we’re grateful for.
Amidst countless changes, whether big or small, what is something that you hope doesn’t change at the heart of this person named Rosé?
ROSÉ: Gratitude to the fans who made Rosé exist. For me and for my fans, dreaming of music and showing my passion for music will remain constant.
Translated by @inthemoodforbp
Photos: wkorea.com (1) | (2)
