‘Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can’t.’
― American actor, musician Johnny Depp
Wherever I go these days, I hear the ‘APT.’ song by Rose of Blackpink, a South Korean girl group, and Bruno Mars, an American singer-songwriter.
I turn to YouTube and there, I see a video clip of the song or videos of young people dancing to its infectious music. Yes, the music video has unleashed a social media dance craze. Since its release, it has been viewed 400 million times on YouTube.
One of my colleagues in the office loves the song so much that in one hour, he can replay the song many, many times. So, it’s hardly surprising that the song is now stuck in my head.
Park Seon-min, a pop culture critic and professor at Kyung Hee University, a private research university in South Korea with campuses in Seoul and Suwon, said ‘APT.’ was popular internationally because of its catchy lyrics, drinking game theme and star appeal.
The repetitive ‘apateu’ (meaning ‘apartment’ in Korean) chant used in the song comes from a popular South Korean drinking game.
Rose has explained to Vogue that the song, which was released on Oct 18, was inspired by her favourite Korean drinking game called Apartment.
“APT. is actually my favourite Korean drinking game that I play with my friends back home. It’s so simple, puts a smile on your face, and breaks the ice at any party,” she said.
“One night in the studio I taught my crew how to play the game. Everyone was fascinated, especially when I started the chant, so we played around it and I said we should make a song out of it …and after Bruno joined the track, the rest became history!”
Now, my friends, there is no need for us to enjoy the drinking game and fall in love with the song. If you like cheerful and fun music that is easy to listen to, you will enjoy it.
The song’s chorus is built around the game’s rhythmic chant of apateu. To some people, apateu sounds like ‘Apa tu?’ in Bahasa Malaysia.
And it has been reported that the ‘APT.” fever took over Osaka, Japan on Friday when Bruno Mars and Rose performed the viral megahit live for the first time there at the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA).
The two starts rocked out in matching oversized suits.
At the event, Rose was reported to have said, “The song began with the drinking game I like the most, and I never expected it to be loved this much” as she and Bruno received the Global Sensation award.
The MAMA is a top ceremony for the K-pop cultural phenomenon. Over the years, it has been held in different countries, and the 2024 show is split between one night in Los Angeles and two nights in Osaka.
How long will ‘APT.’ remain a viral megahit? We will wait and see.
In the meantime, let us enjoy the cheerful and fun song while it lasts. Indeed, as pointed out by an announcer on Lite FM, an English–language radio station in Malaysia, cheerful and fun songs are good to play because they can instantly uplift your mood and generally make you feel happier.
‘APT.’ is a good song to listen to as we drive home late at night after a long hard day in the office. Its upbeat tempo can help create a positive atmosphere at social gatherings and encourage guests to dance, sing along and connect with one another.
Many years from now, the song will definitely evoke happy memories or positive experiences of the year 2024 for many of us.
