"Congratulations on the Reconstruction Jackpot"... Yoon Soo-il's Comeback Amid Ros?'s 'Apartment' Craze

Girl group BLACKPINK member Ros?'s new song "Apartment (APT.)" is gaining sensational popularity worldwide, while the song "Apartment" released 42 years ago by singer Yoon Soo-il is also experiencing a resurgence, drawing attention.

A scene from Ros?'s new song 'Apartment (APT.)' music video [Photo by The Black Label]

According to the music platform Melon on the 24th, the title track "Apartment" from the "Yoon Soo-il Golden Hit Songs Collection" had only 1,942 daily listeners on the 17th, a day before Ros?'s "Apartment" was released, but this number surged by 122% to 4,306 on the 22nd. Comments on YouTube videos related to Yoon Soo-il's "Apartment" include listeners saying they heard Yoon Soo-il's song after listening to Ros?'s "Apartment."

Netizens left responses such as "I searched for Ros?'s Apartment and ended up listening to this," "Sorry Ros?, but for me, this is the only Apartment," and "I'm from the '90s generation, but this song is really good no matter when I listen to it." There were also witty comments like "Congratulations on the successful reconstruction," "Ros?'s new apartment is great, but this person's old apartment version is also good," and "The best reconstructed apartment in South Korea at this moment."

On the 23rd, Yoon Soo-il expressed his feelings in a phone interview with MBC Standard FM's "Son Tae-jin's Trot Radio," saying, "Suddenly, 'Apartment 2' came out, so I am greeting you through the radio like this." When asked if he felt the resurgence, Yoon Soo-il said, "I have seen a lot on the internet and heard the news from many people," and praised, "After listening to the music, I felt that Ros? and Bruno Mars' ideas were truly brilliant." He added, "I think it is very good that the same theme of 'Apartment' is being worked on globally."

Yoon Soo-il Photo by Yonhap News

When asked about the unique strengths of Yoon Soo-il's "Apartment," he replied, "There is about a 40-year difference in era. The atmosphere 40 years ago was very different, and music trends have changed a lot." He continued, "Ros?'s Apartment is lively and addictive, but my song never lost the number one spot in karaoke for 10 years back then." He added, "Although it is different from my intention, I think the strength of this song is that people sing along in large groups and cheer with this melancholic song."

Meanwhile, the new song "Apartment," a collaboration between BLACKPINK's Ros? and world-renowned pop star Bruno Mars, has been explosively popular, reaching number one on the Spotify global and US charts on the 22nd, just four days after its release, and surpassing 100 million views on YouTube on the 23rd.