Another brand new song comes out ahead of ROSÉ’s upcoming solo album and this one is from the depths of her conscience. “number one girl” talks about the mentality of a superstar in the digital age. Admiration, love, and validation are all that she seeks for.
ROSÉ is gearing up towards releasing her first solo album titled ‘rosie.’ The first release from the album was “APT.” which became a viral sensation on social media. While social media fame is great, it comes with its own set of issues.
“I realized how vulnerable and addicted I was to this [online] world and that craving for feeling like I wanted to be loved and understood. I hated that about myself,” said ROSÉ while talking about “number one girl” with Paper Magazine.
She continued how the online world affects her although she tries to keep a blind eye to it; “Even in interviews, I’m like nothing really fazes me, you know? But it does. Every word, every comment, it crushes me.”
The song builds on this concept of questioning is she the best now? Does she have everyone’s approval and validation? What can she do more?
She will soon realize that this is a futile attempt.
Listen to “number one girl” by ROSÉ
ROSÉ “number one girl” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
Being a popstar in this digital age is not so easy. There is too much information with us at all times. There is an overload of information and stimulation that our brains were not meant to handle. Being under the spotlight as a popular artist, this effect is tenfold on ROSÉ.
As successful and popular as ROSÉ is, there is no possible way that she can make everyone happy. There is bound to be someone who likes her new song just a little less than her previous song. There is going to be someone who doesn’t love her new song or the music video. And usually, negativity speaks louder than positivity.
Tell me that I’m special, tell me I look pretty
Nobody wants to be called ugly. Nobody wants to be ordinary. But both of these traits are very subjective. You could be Miss Universe but there’s bound to be someone who finds you unattractive. This is just human nature. There are just too many people that you could possibly please all of them.
In the second verse of the song, ROSÉ sings about a genuine concern that all pop artists have;
Tell me I’m that new thing, tell me that I’m relevant
It would be not too far off the truth to call today’s world an ‘attention economy.’ Money flows where attention is. And attention span is getting shorter and shorter. This is why short-format entertainment such as TikTok and reels dominate modern social media. ROSÉ could be the biggest start today, but the same is not guaranteed in a month. One bad album and she could lose it all. So, it makes sense that she has this constant fear of staying ‘relevant’ in this entertainment business.
These thoughts creep up in her head at the dead of night and the fact that she put it into a song suggests that this is not a one-time occurrence.
The tragedy is that ROSÉ seems to be putting her own self-worth and happiness in the hands of the billions of people in the world. This is a sure way to burn yourself to the ground. Hope she finds the courage to find love and happiness within herself.
Let us know what you think about this song in the comments below. Read the complete lyrics to the song on Genius.