On June 28, 2025, BLACKPINK’s Rosé stepped in as a surprise act during the opening evening of PSY's Summer Swag 2025 concert series, which kicked off at the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium.
The concert marked the start of PSY's seasonal live tour, known for its stage drenched in water effects and last-minute celebrity guest features. Rosé joined the stage unannounced and performed her solo songs APT. and Toxic Till the End.
Fans reacted to her appearance, with one X user saying:
"ROSIE THE MOST REQUESTED ARTIST! 🤧❤️," an X user commented.
Many admirers expressed their pride in the BLACKPINK vocalist:
"Oh godsé the hitmaker that u are," a netizen said.
"Rosie’s going on these concerts as guests to gain experience for her solo world tour soon TRUST. ik mother wants everything to be perfect," a viewer noted.
"Every time I see her performing Apt live i get this ultimate burst of energy within me, it makes me so happy. How lucky are these people who get to experience apt. Live 😭💗," another fan added.
Some called PSY and Rosé's appearance together "iconic," while others described it as a "full circle moment."
"See YG’s two most successful idols, Korea’s biggest hitmakers. The torch is being passed from one legend to another," a fan remarked.
"Kind of iconic that gangnam style was the biggest global hit from kpop until apt came along and now theyre performing it together," a user mentioned.
"What a full circle moment, psy was one of the seniors who were supportive with blackpink during the beginning of their careers 🩷," a person shared.
BLACKPINK Rosé's emotional speech during a surprise rendition at PSY's concert
While addressing the crowd, Rosé expressed gratitude for being invited to Summer Swag and thanked fans for supporting her solo album APT. She reflected on her struggles during her 20s as a BLACKPINK member, saying:
"I'm twenty-eight years old now, I debuted at the age of twenty-old and spent my 20s as a blackpink, but it was still too difficult, I think I know everything about this now, but there are many things I don't know, and I get hurt, and I keep getting hurt even if I say, 'I won't get hurt', I guess that's how life is."
Bowing, the songstress added that the song she was performing was her first ever written, and asked fans to sing and dance along. After her stage, PSY told the crowd that Rosé was the one who reached out first to join the concert.
The Gangnam Style star asserted that she also came in for rehearsals ahead of time. The performance was not pre-planned, and the invite was extended after her request.
Meanwhile, Rosé of BLACKPINK and U.S.-based singer Alex Warren officially rolled out their joint acoustic track On My Mind on June 27th. The release quickly landed at the top position on the iTunes Worldwide Songs Chart, making it the first 2025 release by a female K-pop soloist to reach No. 1 this year.