Blackpink's Rosé said to have turned down $7.2m Chinese ad deal

Rosé, a member of K-pop group Blackpink, reportedly turned down a lucrative endorsement offer from a Chinese company, with analysts saying she has gained enough clout to pick and choose deals based on her image rather than the money involved.

According to recent reports, Rosé declined an endorsement offer worth approximately $7.2 million from a well-known Chinese tea drink brand.

She also spent about a year in talks with a prominent champagne brand over a collaboration that would have included a product bearing her name, but negotiations fell through. Reports suggest the deal collapsed because Rosé was dissatisfied with the bottle design.

One outlet analyzed that following the global success of "APT.," Rosé had established herself not merely as a Blackpink member but as a global pop artist recognized in her own right, adding that she had gained a level of choice that only a handful of K-pop artists can have — she is now in a position to turn down offers that would be hard for most to refuse, simply because they do not meet her own standards.

A representative from one Blackpink member's agency was quoted last year as saying that "one member has become extremely selective." It has not been confirmed that the member in question is Rosé. Still, the reports are being read as a sign that K-pop artists are increasingly taking control of how they manage their image as their international influence grows.

Adding to the buzz, pop star Bruno Mars recently made a joking remark about Rosé that has drawn attention in this context — quipping that she has "gotten expensive lately" and that she "won't even take my calls anymore."

Mars made the comments in an interview with MBC's YouTube channel "14F" ahead of his upcoming concerts in Korea next year, saying he hoped to share the stage with Rosé and appealing directly to her: "Rosé, if you're listening or watching, tell me what I have to do to sing 'APT.' with you in Korea." He added, "If I can afford her, that is."

Rosé and Bruno Mars collaborated on "APT.," released in 2024. The song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 — the highest chart position ever achieved by a female K-pop artist — and earned three nominations in major categories at this year's Grammy Awards, cementing its global reach.

Bruno Mars is scheduled to perform four concerts in Korea next year, on May 21, 22, 25 and 26, at the main stadium of Goyang Sports Complex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.