Bruno Mars and Rosé Bring Pop-Punk to the Grammys With ‘APT.’

Bruno Mars and Rosé kicked off the 68th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday with a killer performance of their smash collaboration “APT.“

The duo arrived onstage at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, with Mars shredding guitar and Rosé singing the track, dressed in an Avril Lavigne-esque white tank and black tie. The performance also helped Rosé make history as the first solo K-pop artist to perform at the Grammys.

“APT.” earned Mars and Rosé three nominations: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

They released the hit track in Oct. 2024, with Mars posting a photo with Rosé, admitting she’d taught him a Korean drinking game that “got me saucy. Soon after, she tried to kiss me, and I was like ‘Woah Rosie! What part of the game is this?’” he said. “She was like, ‘I ain’t playin games wit you anymore lil boy! Big Rosie bout that BIDNESS!’ Shaken, I replied ‘Stop Rosie, I’m scared!’ But other than that, super chill night.”

“Apt.” appears on Rosé’s debut solo album, Rosie, which she released two months later. The album also features the hits “Number One Girl” and “Toxic Till the End.” Since releasing Rosie, Rosé has contributed a song to the F1 soundtrack album, “Messy,” and collaborated with Alex Warren on his song, “On My Mind.” 

Mars has been nominated for a total of 36 Grammys, winning 16. A longtime staple of the awards show, he made his performance debut in 2011, when he delivered a medley of “Grenade” and “Nothin’ on You,” the latter a collaboration with B.o.B.

This year is bound to be momentous for Mars, who recently announced his new album The Romantic, out Feb. 27. It marks his first new album in a decade, following 2016’s 24K Magic. He also released the lead single “I Just Might” and revealed a massive world tour starting this spring. He was recently named this year’s Record Store Day ambassador, which will coincide with the release of The Collaborations, a compilation album highlighting his best link-ups.

Along with all her solo work, Rosé has also been back in action with her Blackpink bandmates. Last year, the group reunited for a stadium tour, which crisscrossed North America in the summer. And the quartet just announced a new mini album, Deadline, which will arrive Feb. 27 via YG Entertainment. The project will mark the group’s third mini album, and first release with new music since their smash 2022 full-length, Born Pink.