Blackpink member Rosé releases first K-pop solo album ‘R’, showcasing her beautiful voice, and it’s worth the wait

New Zealand-born Rosé revealed her plans for a K-pop solo album last year and has been working hard on ‘R’

The album received 400,000 pre-orders within four days; its title refers to a new beginning for the star

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Rosé from Blackpink has released a first solo album, titled ‘R’.

Published: 12:59pm, 12 Mar 2021Updated: 1:32pm, 12 Mar 2021

Blackpink’s Rosé had a gift for the world on Friday – the release of her highly anticipated first solo album, R.

Fronted by the single On the Ground and the B-side Gone, which she premiered during Blackpink’s online concert in January, the 24-year-old singer’s first solo release is worth the long wait.

During last year’s Netflix documentary Blackpink: Light up the Sky, Rosé revealed she had been working extremely hard on songwriting and was anticipating her release for a long time.

Born Roseanne Park in New Zealand and raised in Australia, she joined South Korean music company YG Entertainment in 2012, and debuted as the main vocalist of Blackpink in 2016.

But before her soulful tone took centre stage in Blackpink’s music, bolstering the groundbreaking girl group’s success, and before she dropped her first album, Rosé’s first appearance in the K-pop world was collaborating with G-Dragon, another YG artist, on his song Without You in 2012.

Since then, she’s been putting her all into Blackpink and being a fashion icon – she’s brand ambassador of Yves Saint Laurent – while anticipating her first solo release, which comes two years after the release of fellow band member Jennie’s Solo, the first solo release from a Blackpink member. (In the K-pop world, it’s normal for band members to stay active in their groups while also pursuing solo careers, unlike in many Western music industries.)

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