ROSÉ of BLACKPINK Recalls Disguising Herself As an Old Lady to Avoid Being Recognized in Public

As one of the biggest pop stars in the world, ROSÉ can’t exactly walk around in public without being recognized — not without a little creativity, at least.

In a Dazed cover story published Thursday (May 29), the BLACKPINK star opened up about a time she disguised herself as an old lady, just so she could walk around for a little while without fans knowing it was her. The getup was elaborate, with ROSÉ hiring a professional team to deck her out with prosthetic wrinkles and a gray wig.  

“It was really, really intense,” she told the publication, noting that the fear of being caught in the costume ultimately outweighed the freedom it brought her. “I don’t think I’ll ever do that again.”

Even so, the K-pop star says that experiencing life as a regular person, even if only for a little bit, still calls to her. “What does freedom look like to me?” she mused in the interview. “Freedom means being anonymous.”

ROSÉ also said that she misses “not having to be terrified of small things” and “not having to be the annoying person in the room full of my friends who is paranoid about something, when I want to be very nonchalant and chill, but I have to be careful about everything.”  

“Even if I’m not doing anything wrong, I have to think, ‘What if this makes people think that I’m doing something wrong?’” she continued, adding that her fame means she’s always grappling with the “fear of being misunderstood.” 

The New Zealand native’s thoughts on celebrity and anonymity come at a time when she’s more famous than ever. In addition to being one-fourth of what is arguably the biggest girl group in the world, ROSÉ also recently elevated her superstar status by dropping her debut solo album, Rosie, in December. The LP featured smash hit “APT.” featuring Bruno Mars, which spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200.  

She’s now gearing up to regroup with LISA, JENNIE and JISOO as BLACKPINK plans to reunite this summer, embarking on a world tour that kicks off in July. ROSÉ didn’t say much about the upcoming comeback, but she did tell Dazed, “Each of us has gone out and been inspired and learned so much about ourselves, and now we’re coming back to each other with good energy.” 

As for her own ambitions, the “Number One Girl” singer opened up about wanting to win a Grammy someday. “That would be incredible,” she said. “But I think if it means more to my community, it’d be special. That’s the first thing that I want, and whatever awards or celebration comes after it, that would feel extra rewarding.”