The social media interactions between Rose (Blackpink) and Bruno Mars after the 2024 MAMA music awards are causing a fever.
Rose has been involved in a number of dating rumors with male stars such as Kang Dong Won, Jungkook (BTS)... but this is the first time fans have seen her act so intimately, even boldly, with a male colleague.
News of Rose and Bruno Mars' collaboration broke out in mid-October, when the Blackpink singer suddenly posted a photo with the "Just The Way You Are" singer on Instagram with the caption: "That night I taught Bruno how to play a Korean drinking game."
Bruno Mars commented on the post: “This is so funny! Remember when you tried to kiss me? It was so weird. Also, that picture was great!”, to which Rose replied: “Take that back or I won’t release the song, Bruno.”
After the release of their song “APT.” on October 18, what Bruno Mars thought was a joke was realized in the MV “APT.”. Rose shocked everyone when she did not hesitate to kiss Bruno Mars on the cheek.
According to music critic Cha Woo Jin, Rose's actions show that idols are increasingly expressing their personalities and images, challenging the usual limitations of the strict Kpop music industry.
“The traditional rules for K-pop idols are being broken. Just look at Rose’s latest single, “APT.”, where she drinks wine and kisses Bruno Mars on the cheek in the music video. We’ve rarely seen a male co-star in a girl group music video before, let alone a kiss,” the critic said.
This is the premise that makes many fans support Rose and Bruno to become a couple. The two are commented to have cheerful personalities, are very compatible with each other, not to mention their shared passion for music.
On the other hand, Korean audiences were surprised by Bruno Mars' actions showing respect and support for Rose.
On Instagram, the American male artist praised Rose and Lady Gaga as “my girls making history” when the two songs “APT.” and “Die With A Smile” dominated global music charts, setting many records.
Most notably, Bruno Mars agreed to attend the 2024 MAMA awards ceremony. The public believes that Bruno is there because of Rose, because he is a globally famous music artist, has won 15 Grammy awards and has attended many prestigious music awards ceremonies around the world. But this is the first time he has attended a Korean music awards ceremony.
After the awards ceremony, Bruno posted a photo of himself walking with Rose with his arm around her shoulder, and called himself the singer’s “accompanying person” to MAMA 2024 (implying that he would give the spotlight to Rose). His sophistication was very popular with Korean fans.
Not only did the two artists comfortably hug each other on stage to receive the award, but they also went out to eat pizza together after MAMA ended.
Of course, there are opinions that, because Bruno Mars is a Western artist, Rose is more comfortable interacting with them. But there are still some fans who "ship" the two because of their chemistry and harmony.
Bruno Mars is known to have dated model and actress Jessica Caban, starting in 2011. But earlier this year, there was news that the couple had broken up.
