BLACKPINK's Rose makes history at AMAs with two nominations, including collaboration of the year

Blackpink Rose creates history

With the announcement of the 51st annual American Music Awards (AMAs) nominations, K-pop fans everywhere have reason to rejoice. Well-known performers like Stray Kids, Ateez, and members of BTS RM and Jimin have each received a nomination in the Favourite K-Pop Artist category, showcasing the genre on one of the largest international music stages.

BLACKPINK's Rose, the first and only South Korean artist to receive recognition at the American Music Awards outside of the K-pop category, has, nevertheless, made headlines this year.

Rose is nominated for Collaboration of the Year for her viral hit APT, which features international superstar Bruno Mars, in addition to being nominated for Favourite K-Pop Artist. This is a pivotal point in K-pop history that emphasises Rosé's expanding impact outside of the genre's usual bounds.

After its October release, APT swiftly gained widespread popularity. Inspired by a popular drinking game in Korea, the song blends Bruno Mars' trademark flair with Rosé's unique vocals. In the Collaboration of the Year category, the song will compete against Kendrick Lamar and SZA's Luther, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' Die With A Smile, Marshmello and Kane Brown's Miles on It, Post Malone and Morgan Wallen's I Had Some Help, and Taylor Swift and Post Malone's Fortnight.

Interestingly, APT almost never made it to the public. During an appearance on KPop with Jojo, Rosé revealed just how close she was to scrapping the track altogether.

“I think it is a bit scary, because when I played it to a Korean friend that I really like trust, I played it to Teddy, my producer in BLACKPINK. If I didn’t play it to him, I don’t think I wouldn’t have really understood. He was instantly like, ‘Rosie, this song is gonna break the internet.’ That’s what he said. Because I trust his opinion, I was like, ‘Really,’ he’s like, ‘I love it, this is crazy.’ So that’s when I was like, ‘Okay.’ I started calling them back, you know, like, let’s bring it back out. So it is kind of scary."

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In the meantime, Lisa, Rosé, Jennie, and Jisoo—the four members of BLACKPINK—all keep doing well in their solo endeavours. However, BLACKPINK fans have even more to anticipate as the band is getting back together for a much-anticipated world tour. The tour will begin in July in Goyang, South Korea, and travel to major cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, New York, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, and London before coming to an end in Tokyo on January 16 and 18.