Rosé 'new trick' Explained: The Apple Deal, Why Korean Fans Won't Call It a Comeback, and What It Means for Album 2
Rosé is back with new music, and the internet immediately called it a comeback. Korean coverage did not. That is not a translation slip — it is a real distinction, and it tells you exactly what “new trick” is and is not.
Here is the whole thing: what dropped, who made it, why Apple is involved, and where her second album actually stands.
What happened
On September 9, Rosé and Apple announced the song together. The teaser was fifteen seconds on Instagram: a burgundy lollipop, the words new trick on the wrapper, and a snippet of distorted guitar that sounded nothing like rosie.
The song landed September 17 at 7 PM ET — September 18 at 8 AM KST, released through The Black Label and Atlantic Records as a standalone single. Not a lead single. Not an EP track. A one-off.
Who actually made it
Rosé wrote it with Amy Allen and Andrew Wells, and Allen and Wells produced it. If those names feel familiar: Allen worked on “APT.”, and Wells worked with Rosé on “Stay a Little Longer.” This is her core team, not a brand-assigned one.
The music video was directed by Dave Meyers — Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande — and shot entirely on the iPhone 18 Pro as part of Apple’s Shot on iPhone campaign. The same campaign has previously run videos from The Weeknd, Olivia Rodrigo and Lady Gaga.
Sonically it is a hard left turn: garage-punk guitars, early-2000s pop-rock energy, a ’90s rom-com kind of nostalgia. The Black Label framed the message as pushing through hardship and finding your own “new trick.” Rosé told Vogue she wrote it with Allen shortly after the Met Gala, and called it possibly the cutest thing the two of them have made.
So is it an ad?
Yes and no, and the distinction matters.
The song is a real release — written by her usual collaborators, out on her label and Atlantic, streaming everywhere. The video is the Apple part: made for the iPhone 18 launch, shot on the phone, running as campaign material.
What it is not is a piece of her next album. Rosé has said the second record is still being figured out and is expected around 2027. “new trick” sits outside that. Think of it as a very well-funded detour.
🇰🇷 Why Korean fans aren’t calling it a comeback
This is the part English headlines flatten. In Korean fandom, 컴백 (keom-baek, “comeback”) is not a synonym for “new song.” It is a specific event with a specific shape:
- an album or mini-album with a designated title track
- a promotion cycle — weekly music show stages, fan-signings, variety appearances
- a fandom mobilization window: streaming pushes, album sales, chart goals
A one-off digital single with no title-track structure and no music show run does not get that word. Korean outlets used 신곡 (shin-gok, new song) and 싱글. Global outlets went straight to “comeback,” and one French write-up literally called it son comeback.
Neither is wrong in its own language. But if you are a global fan waiting for music show stages and a fan-sign lottery, this is the post that saves you the disappointment: there is no cycle attached to this one.
🌍 The other thing global fans keep getting wrong
The press release came from The Black Label, not YG — and that confuses a lot of people who assume BLACKPINK news always flows through YG.
Simple version: BLACKPINK as a group is a YG matter. Rosé’s solo work runs through The Black Label, the label founded by longtime BLACKPINK producer Teddy. So when you see a Rosé solo announcement, you are looking for The Black Label’s statement, not YG’s. Same artist, two different front doors.
📊 The gap
English coverage led with the Apple partnership and the word “comeback.” Korean coverage led with “first new song in about a year” and treated the Apple tie-in as context rather than the headline. One framing makes it sound like a campaign. The other makes it sound like a palate cleanser before the real era. The second one is closer to what it is.
Where this sits in her solo run
Quick timeline, because it has been a busy two years:
- Dec 2024 — rosie, her debut solo album, carrying “APT.” with Bruno Mars, which peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100
- 2025–26 — her F1: The Movie track, and “On My Mind” with Alex Warren
- Sept 2026 — “new trick”
- 2027 (expected) — album two, still in progress
And she is not alone in the release window. Jisoo put out “Click” earlier this month, and Lisa’s EP Press Play is due in October. Three members, one autumn.
FAQ
Is “new trick” on an album?
No. It is a standalone single. Her second album is expected around 2027.
Is it a comeback?
In English, people are using the word. In Korean fandom terms, no — there is no title track, no album, and no music show promotion cycle attached.
Who produced it?
Amy Allen and Andrew Wells, who also co-wrote it with Rosé.
Why is Apple involved?
The music video was made for Apple’s Shot on iPhone campaign and filmed entirely on the iPhone 18 Pro, directed by Dave Meyers.
What does the song sound like?
Garage-punk and pop-rock — a sharp departure from the melancholic tone of rosie.
- Title: “new trick”
- Released: Sept 17, 7 PM ET / Sept 18, 8 AM KST
- Format: Standalone single
- Labels: The Black Label · Atlantic Records
- Written by: Rosé, Amy Allen, Andrew Wells
- Produced by: Amy Allen, Andrew Wells
- MV director: Dave Meyers — shot on iPhone 18 Pro
- Genre: Garage-punk / pop-rock
- Next album: Expected 2027
💬 Jamie’s Take
I keep thinking about the fact that she wrote this right after the Met Gala. You go to the most controlled, most photographed night of the year and then you make a song about scraping your heart off the floor and kicking a door open. That is a funny order of events, and it is probably why the song works.
The Apple thing does not bother me. Brand-funded videos have been part of this industry forever, and a Dave Meyers video is a Dave Meyers video. What I actually care about is what it signals: rosie was a sad album, and she has now spent a single announcing she is done being sad. If that is the direction of album two, 2027 is going to be very loud.
Just do not wait up for music show stages on this one. That is not what this is.
Comments
Post a Comment