Rosé's 'Apartment' and NewJeans' 'How Sweet' Named Songs of the Year by Rolling Stone

K-pop sensation Rosé from BLACKPINK and American pop star Bruno Mars have collaborated on the track 'Apartment,' which has been recognized as one of the 'Songs of the Year' by Rolling Stone. The magazine announced on December 3 that 'Apartment' secured the 21st spot in its '100 Best Songs of 2024' list. Rolling Stone highlighted that the song was inspired by Rosé teaching her bandmates the Korean drinking game 'Apartment.' The collaboration with Bruno Mars added a captivating candy-coated punk pop beat to the track.

NewJeans' 'How Sweet' also made the list, coming in at 35th place. Rolling Stone noted that since their debut in 2022, NewJeans has introduced unique sounds and genres to K-pop, and 'How Sweet' is no exception, featuring energetic electropop beats paired with bright, resonant vocals. Additionally, another BLACKPINK member, Lisa, teamed up with Spanish pop star Rosalía for the track 'New Woman,' which landed at 70th place. The magazine remarked that the two global queens, with the help of Max Martin, Illya, and Tove Lo, created a nostalgic 90s teen pop vibe, complemented by a music video that humorously depicts Swedish beats, flip phones, and fax machines.

ENHYPEN's 'XO' was ranked 97th, with Rolling Stone describing it as evidence of the group's fearless approach to pushing artistic boundaries.

In the same announcement, Rolling Stone included BTS (방탄소년단) member RM's second solo album 'Light Place, Long Person' at 88th in its '100 Best Albums of 2024' list. The magazine praised RM for exploring the duality between his world-conquering persona and the ordinary young man 'Kim Namjoon,' stating that the psychedelic and emotional album harmonizes introspective lyrics with inviting new musical explorations.

Chappell Roan's 'Good Luck, Babe!' topped the 'Best Songs' list, followed by Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us' in second place, and Shaboozey's 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' in third. For the 'Best Albums' category, Charli XCX's 'Brat' took the top spot, with Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' and MJ Lenderman's 'Manning Fireworks' following in second and third, respectively.