Rosé may need to be crowned the new queen of 2000s pop.
Blackpink member Rosé has been praised in recent weeks for covering classic 2000s hits, including John Mayer’s “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” and Paramore’s “The Only Exception.”
But Rosé truly made big waves Tuesday for collaborating with fellow K-pop stars Onew of SHINee and Lee Suhyun of AKMU on a cover of Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You.”
The trio’s seaside performance of the powerful ballad — which is from Keys’ second album, 2003’s “The Diary of Alicia Keys” — aired on the South Korean variety show “Sea of Hope.”
Fans gave the rendition more than 150,000 likes and dropped nearly 6,000 comments on the song’s YouTube page. “Suhyun’s singing is dessert, Rose’s voice is chef’s kiss and onew’s vocal is cherry on the top … the whole delicious dish served,” offered one admirer, while another said they “got GOOSEBUMPSSS” from Rose’s high notes.
Suhyun opened with the first verse as Rosé, off to the side, studied the lyrics off of her phone moments before her shining moment.
Rosé then popped in — backed by a slow piano groove — with her own soaring take on the second verse, checking her phone to push out lyrics including, “Some people search for a fountain/Promises forever young/Some people need three dozen roses/And that’s the only way to prove you love them.”
Onew snuck his way into the outro, as the trio emotionally harmonized, “Some people want diamond rings/Some just want everything/But everything means nothing/If I ain’t got you, yeah.”
The collaborations didn’t stop with Keys’ music. Onew and Rosé joined to cover Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat’s 2009 track “Lucky.” The duo’s encore performance captivated the live audience with their delicate balance as they joined for the chorus: “Lucky I’m in love with my best friend/Lucky to have been where I have been/ Lucky to be coming home again.”
Rosé and her Blackpink sisters are no strangers to collabs, having worked with Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez. Last fall they teamed with now-expectant-mom Cardi B for the bouncy song “Bet You Wanna,” from the group’s sassy record “The Album.”