Rosé Makes History as First K-Pop Artist to Win a BRIT Award

Rosé just rewrote K-pop history. At the 46th BRIT Awards on February 28, the BLACKPINK member became the first Korean artist to win a BRIT Award, taking home International Song of the Year for "APT.," her global collaboration with Bruno Mars, according to the official BRIT Awards announcement.

A Historic Win in Manchester

The ceremony, held at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, saw Rosé walk off with one of the night's most competitive prizes. No K-pop act had ever claimed a BRIT Award before, as confirmed by the BRIT Awards' official records, despite years of growing recognition: BTS received International Group of the Year nominations in 2021 and 2022, BLACKPINK followed in 2023, and Korean DJ Peggy Gou was shortlisted in 2024 without winning. Rosé crossed the finish line first.

"Give a shout out to BLACKPINK. Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa, I love you guys so much. Thank you for always inspiring me," she told the crowd. She also dedicated the moment to her collaborator: "Bruno, I'm receiving this award on behalf of the both of us. Thank you so much for everything for being my biggest mentor and best friend." A thank-you to Teddy, founder and chief producer of THE BLACK LABEL, rounded out her speech.

The Song That Broke Every Record

"APT." was released in October 2024 as a pre-release single from Rosé's debut solo album rosie, pairing bright pop hooks with a refrain borrowed from a popular Korean drinking game (the so-called "apartment game"). It immediately went everywhere. The track logged 45 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, the longest run ever for a K-pop song per Billboard's chart data, peaking at number three. In the UK, it climbed to number two on the Official Singles Chart and stayed on the chart for over a year, according to Official Charts Company records. "APT." also peaked at number two on Spotify's Global Top Songs chart and accumulated over 2 billion streams across platforms, making it one of the most-streamed K-pop tracks in Spotify history. That level of streaming depth is what converted a viral moment into a genuine BRIT Award contender.

Before the BRITs, "APT." had already put up serious hardware. At the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, it took the top prize for Song of the Year alongside a second trophy, becoming one of the year's most decorated tracks globally, as confirmed by MTV's official winners list. The Grammy Awards added nominations for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, though it left without a win.

What This Means for K-Pop

The BRIT Awards are one of the last major Western awards shows where K-pop had yet to land a win. The Grammy and VMA doors are now open; the BRITs just joined them. That Rosé achieved this not through a heritage label but through THE BLACK LABEL, YG Entertainment's boutique imprint, makes it more striking. "APT." succeeded precisely because it refused to feel like a calculated crossover move. It sounded like a song two people genuinely had fun making, and the world responded to that. It's also worth noting what this means commercially. The APT. run on British charts positioned Rosé as genuinely competitive in one of the world's most stubborn Western music markets, not just as a Korean act crossing over for novelty. The BRIT win transforms that chart run into a permanent piece of K-pop history, one that future acts will be measured against.

With rosie still in full rollout and the BRIT win extending the song's cultural moment, Rosé's solo trajectory is one of the clearest arguments that the K-pop solo pivot can work on a global scale when the music is right.