Blackpink’s Rosé is proving that her star power extends far beyond the stage — straight into YouTube’s revenue stream.
According to Forbes Korea’s “2025 Celebrity YouTuber Rankings” released on Aug. 27, Rosé topped the list with 18.1 million subscribers and an estimated annual YouTube income of $8 million. Her channel, which features 86 videos, has amassed a staggering 3.6 billion views.
The windfall follows the runaway global success of APT., her collaboration with Bruno Mars last year. Inspired by Korea’s popular “apartment game,” the track’s addictive hook — repeating the word “apartment” 61 times — turned into a viral sensation. Within a week of release, it surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, a rare feat for a K-pop soloist.
Riding on that momentum, Rosé was named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People of 2025” in April. Most recently, she made history at the MTV Video Music Awards, scoring a record eight nominations as a K-pop soloist — seven of them for APT., her chart-topping duet with Bruno Mars.
Write to Byung-Yeon Yoo at yooby@hankyung.com