ROSÉ and Bruno Mars have made history with their collaboration “APT.” The song has climbed to No. 4 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, making it the highest-charting song by a K-pop artist. This achievement surpasses BTS’s hit “Dynamite,” which peaked at No. 5 in December 2020. While “Dynamite” remains the only top-five hit from a K-pop group, “APT.” is ROSÉ’s first entry on the chart as a solo artist.
Before this, the K-pop quartet BLACKPINK, of which ROSÉ is a member, had two songs on the Pop Airplay chart, with a best position of No. 21. The Pop Airplay chart ranks songs based on their weekly plays across more than 150 mainstream top 40 radio stations, which are monitored by Mediabase. The data is provided by Luminate, ensuring accurate measurements of airplay.
“Apt.” now joins an exclusive group of K-pop songs that have reached the top 10 of the Pop Airplay chart. The first was PSY’s viral sensation “Gangnam Style” in 2012. Both “Gangnam Style” and “APT.” are unique, as they are the only songs in this category credited to solo artists. Here’s a summary of K-pop hits in the Pop Airplay top 10:
- No. 4: “APT.” – ROSÉ & Bruno Mars, Jan. 25, 2025
- No. 5: “Dynamite” – BTS, Dec. 19, 2020
- No. 7: “Cupid” – Fifty Fifty, Aug. 5, 2023
- No. 7: “Butter” – BTS, Aug. 7, 2021
- No. 10: “Gangnam Style” – PSY, Oct. 27, 2012
In terms of airplay, KMVQ (99.7 Now) in San Francisco leads all stations with over 1,400 plays for “APT.” since its release on October 18. Other stations like WHTZ (Z100) in New York, KIIS (102.7 KIIS-FM) in Los Angeles, SiriusXM’s Hits 1, and TikTok Radio have also given the song considerable airtime.
Additionally, ROSÉ’s track “Toxic Till the End” has debuted on the Pop Airplay chart at No. 40. It saw a 50% increase in plays week-over-week. Meanwhile, “APT.” gained 17% more plays.
Both tracks are part of ROSÉ’s album rosie, her first solo project separate from BLACKPINK. “APT.” has led the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts for 11 weeks each. It has also reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, making ROSÉ the first female K-pop artist to achieve a top-five position on that chart.
All chart updates dated January 25 will be available on Billboard.com on January 22, delayed by the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on January 20.
