"Number One Girl" is a song by New Zealand and South Korean singerRosé. It was released on 22 November 2024 throughThe Black Label andAtlantic Records as the second single from her debut studio albumRosie (2024). The track was written by Rosé, along withAmy Allen and the song's producersBruno Mars,D'Mile,Carter Lang,Dylan Wiggins, andOmer Fedi. It has been described as asentimentalpop-punkpiano ballad, blending elements ofsoft rock. The lyrics explore themes of heartbreak, unrequited love, longing, insecurity, and vulnerability. Rosé wrote the song after being deeply affected by hateful comments online.
The single was accompanied by a self-directed music video, featuring a retrocamcorder style. The video showcases Rosé wandering through various nighttime locations in Seoul, including theJamsu Bridge, and a lookout, as she sings to an unnamed lover. Rosé debuted the song live onKBS2'sThe Seasons: Lee Young-ji's Rainbow on 29 November 2024. The song ultimately achieved moderate success, peaking at number 29 on theBillboard Global 200 and securing top-five positions in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It also charted in countries such as Australia, Canada, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.
On 18 October 2024, Rosé released "Apt.", a collaboration with American singerBruno Mars, as the lead single from her upcoming debut studio album.[1] The song went on to become a commercial success, reaching number one in 19 countries, including Australia and New Zealand, as well as the top 10 in the United Kingdom and the USBillboard Hot 100.[2] On 19 November, the singer announced "Number One Girl" as the second single fromRosie through herInstagram.[3] In an accompanying caption, she clarified that the title stands for her fans whom she refers to as her "number ones".[4] The post also includes the artwork that depicts the singer gazing away from the camera in a white shirt printed with the song's title.[5]
['Number One Girl'] was written after a terrible night of scrolling through the internet till like 6 a.m., and I barely got any sleep. I walked up to the studio the next day very cranky, and they asked me, 'How have you been?' And I was like: 'Very bad. I'm so exhausted. I'm exhausted trying to please everyone.' I'm always just trying my best to be [the best version of myself], but I felt a little lost and like I was never good enough. I was a bit cranky against the world. And I wanted to write a song that's just so, like, disgustingly open and honest.
"Number One Girl" was written by Rosé,Amy Allen,Bruno Mars,Dernst Emile II,Carter Lang,Dylan Wiggins, andOmer Fedi; it was produced by the latter five.[7] It is asentimentalpop-punk song,[8] featuring apiano ballad that lyrically delves into themes of heartbreak,unrequited love, longing, insecurity and vulnerability over asoft rock instrumental.[9][10] It was written the day after attending an event, after which Rosé found herself looking throughhate comments on social media.[11] She was unable to sleep due to being "obsessed with what these people were gonna say about [her]", as opposed to what she wanted them to say about her. She also admitted to feeling "disgusted" about herself and being in denial as a result.[12][13]
Writing forClash, Shahzaib Hussain dubbed the single as a "bruisedtorch song", lauding it as Rosé's "most candid and expressive release to date".[9] Gabriel Saulog ofBillboard Philippines labelled it as a "devastating opening track" to her album, opining that the powerful ballad highlighted Rosé's "golden voice" and heart-wrenching lyrics with its "embrace [of] piano-laden melodies and crashing drums".[14]The Wall Street Journal's Mark Richardson described the song to be a "theatrical, swooning ballad", which he remarked was both a "statement of purpose" and a "bold choice to open a pop album".[15] Similarly, in her review of the album forNME, Crystal Bell described the song as "a striking introduction to an album that largely trades K-pop’s grandeur for intimate songwriting and emotional candour".[16]
In his review of the album, Jeff Benjamin ofBillboard ranked the song at number 5, praising Rosé's emotionally charged vocals and comparing its impact toOlivia Rodrigo’s "Drivers License".[17] In Ludovic Hunter-Tilney ofFinancial Times review, he described songs like “Number One Girl” as "classier but unmemorable" compared to "Apt." and referred to them as "Olivia Rodrigo-styleballads".[18]
A self-directed music video was released together with the single on 22 November 2024.[8] Recorded in the style of a retro camcorder, it depicts Rosé wandering at night around the streets ofSeoul, a skate park, the top of a lookout, and theJamsu Bridge, while she sings to an unnamed lover.[10][20] On 13 February 2025, a performance video of the song was released. Filmed inNoisy-le-Grand, the video featured scenes of Rosé wandering through theLes Espaces d'Abraxas and performing delicate choreography with a male dancer.[21][22]
Rosé performed the song live for the first time onKBS2's late-night music programThe Seasons: Lee Young-ji's Rainbow for the episode aired on 29 November 2024.[23] The live performance version fromThe Seasons was released as a track on a limited digital version ofRosie on 10 December 2024.[24]
^Hwang, Hye-jin (29 November 2024).로제 “새벽 5시까지 악플 찾아보기도…브루노 마스=츤데레”(레인보우) [Rosé "I was looking for hate comments until 5 am… Bruno Mars = Tsundere" (Rainbow)].Newsen (in Korean).Archived from the original on 29 November 2024. Retrieved29 November 2024 – viaNaver.
