genre kpop

As one of the biggest pop stars in the world, ROSÉ can’t exactly walk around in public without being recognized — not without a little creativity, at least.
In a Dazed cover story published Thursday (May 29), the BLACKPINK star opened up about a time she disguised herself as an old lady, just so she could walk around for a little while without fans knowing it was her. The getup was elaborate, with ROSÉ hiring a professional team to deck her out with prosthetic wrinkles and a gray wig.  

“It was really, really intense,” she told the publication, noting that the fear of being caught in the costume ultimately outweighed the freedom it brought her. “I don’t think I’ll ever do that again.”

Trending on Billboard

Even so, the K-pop star says that experiencing life as a regular person, even if only for a little bit, still calls to her. “What does freedom look like to me?” she mused in the interview. “Freedom means being anonymous.”

ROSÉ also said that she misses “not having to be terrified of small things” and “not having to be the annoying person in the room full of my friends who is paranoid about something, when I want to be very nonchalant and chill, but I have to be careful about everything.”  

“Even if I’m not doing anything wrong, I have to think, ‘What if this makes people think that I’m doing something wrong?’” she continued, adding that her fame means she’s always grappling with the “fear of being misunderstood.” 

The New Zealand native’s thoughts on celebrity and anonymity come at a time when she’s more famous than ever. In addition to being one-fourth of what is arguably the biggest girl group in the world, ROSÉ also recently elevated her superstar status by dropping her debut solo album, Rosie, in December. The LP featured smash hit “APT.” featuring Bruno Mars, which spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200.  

She’s now gearing up to regroup with LISA, JENNIE and JISOO as BLACKPINK plans to reunite this summer, embarking on a world tour that kicks off in July. ROSÉ didn’t say much about the upcoming comeback, but she did tell Dazed, “Each of us has gone out and been inspired and learned so much about ourselves, and now we’re coming back to each other with good energy.” 

As for her own ambitions, the “Number One Girl” singer opened up about wanting to win a Grammy someday. “That would be incredible,” she said. “But I think if it means more to my community, it’d be special. That’s the first thing that I want, and whatever awards or celebration comes after it, that would feel extra rewarding.” 

SEVENTEEN is headed for some big changes, as most of the boy band’s 13 members are currently serving or gearing up to enlist in the South Korean military to fulfill their mandatory service to their country. 
But that doesn’t mean the group mates have any plans of putting their musical evolution on pause. In a Hollywood Reporter profile published Wednesday (May 28), the members of the K-pop phenomenon revealed their game plan for the next couple of years as Jeonghan, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, Mingyu, DK, Seungkwan, Vernon and Dino complete their civic duties, from dropping solo music to reuniting stronger than ever at the end of their service. (Joshua, a U.S. citizen; The 8 and Jun, who are Chinese citizens; and S.Coups, who is exempt due to an ACL injury, are the only members who are not required to serve.) 

“This is something that has been inevitable for us all along,” Hoshi told the publication of enlisting. “We have been prepared. We have a lot of projects that we have discussed with [Hybe] very thoroughly up until now.” 

Trending on Billboard

First thing’s first: On Monday (May 26), SEVENTEEN dropped new album Happy Burstday, featuring a solo song performed by each member, in addition to three full-group tracks. The move to showcase their individual capabilities before enlisting was intentional, priming each bandmate for more opportunities to explore music even as everyone else in the group is pulled in different directions. It’s a strategy not unlike the one used by BTS over the past couple of years, with all seven of the “Dynamite” singers dropping solo music at different points during their own enlistments ahead of their upcoming post-military reunion this year. 

“Up until now, we’ve mostly focused on our group promotions,” Hoshi continued. “We would like to show more of our individualities, each of the members’ personalities and capabilities, so that when the time comes and we get back together again as a group, we‘ll be able to showcase ourselves as a better SEVENTEEN.” 

And while nine of the members carry out their service, group leader S.Coups said that he and the other three bandmates plan to “stick together and make something great to showcase to the fans” in the meantime.  

“We understand that the fans are very sad that some of us are going to be away, but among ourselves, [we] don’t consider this to be a really huge deal because we know that we are going to stay together,” added Woozi. “We should consider this as quite a long preparation phase for the next album that’s going to be even better and greater.” 

According to THR, the nine eligible bandmates must enlist in South Korea before they turn 30. Jeonghan and Wonwoo, who are 29 and 28, respectively, are already serving.

SEVENTEEN is also similar to BTS in that the former’s military shift will come right at the height of the group’s popularity. As announced by Billboard on Wednesday, the “Super” band is the top K-pop group and No. 3 overall on the midyear Boxscore charts, grossing $120.9 million and 842,000 tickets sold on tour in 2025.

The interview also follows a three-year run of six top 10 albums on the Billboard 200. But according to S.Coups, SEVENTEEN — even in spite of its upcoming challenges — is just getting started.

“We are ready to reinvent ourselves,” he told THR. “We are standing at a new starting line, preparing for a new path ahead and ready to blaze a new trail.”