On the Ground

On 30 December 2020, in an interview with South Korean media outlet Osen, Rosé revealed that filming for her debut music video would begin in mid-January 2021.[1] On January 25, 2021, a 33-second teaser titled "Coming Soon" was uploaded to Blackpink's official YouTube channel and featured Rosé singing an snippet of an unknown track.[2] Rosé's label YG Entertainment disclosed that she had "completed all filming for her solo album title track's music video in mid-January", and the release will be "surely different from Blackpink's usual musical style".[3] On 2 March, it was announced that Rosé would debut her solo project on 12 March, making her the first Blackpink member to release solo material since Jennie's "Solo" in November 2018. The next day, new teaser poster unveiled the name of the lead single, "On the Ground", for the first time.[4][5] The first music video teaser for "On the Ground" was released on 7 March.[6][7][8] On March 8, YG revealed the album track listing, which confirmed first-time songwriting contributions from Rosé on the title track.[9] On 9 March, the second music video teaser for the title track was published.[10] "On the Ground" was released for digital download and streaming as the lead single from R on 12 March 2021, by YG Entertainment.[11]

"On the Ground" was written by Rosé, Amy Allen, Teddy, Raúl Cubina, Jon Bellion, Jorgen Odegard, and was produced by the latter alongside Ojivolta and 24. The song is an electropop, pop rock and pop song with synth-pop elements and an EDM-inspired beat, complemented by a simple guitar.[12][13][14][15][16] The track features wispy, melodic verses accompanied by "breathy" vocals, chorus that boasts the dance-pop punch, angelic bridge, and Rosé's high note at the end.[16][17] The track sees Rosé reflecting on her life as a global K-pop superstar and she realizes what really matters in her life already lies within herself.[16] She created the single's name herself and considers it to be the most successful line in all the songs that she has ever sung.[18] It means that everything that the singer needs is here, "on earth," and there is no need to rush somewhere to find this necessary.[19] In terms of musical notation, the song is composed in the key of C# major, with a tempo of 189 beats per minute, and runs for two minutes and forty-eight seconds.[20]

Basically the song is kind of about looking for answers in life, for a purpose in life, and I feel like people, especially these days, can relate to it. Sometimes when you’re always kind of on that roll, you kind of forget to take care of what actually matters to you most, and it’s just a song that says that everything we need is already within us. There’s no need to go out and look for it.

— Rosé on the song's meaning.[21]

Following the release of "On the Ground", it was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Ashlee Mitchell from MTV noted that "On the Ground" provides "the perfect contrast, taking a more confident stance, reminding listeners of the importance of being true to yourself."[11] Writing for Beats Per Minute, JT Early described the song as a "feel-good song about realising what’s important."[12] Madison Murray of Young Hollywood described the song as an "empowering anthem about Rosé’s experience in the spotlight and how she learned her true inner strength."[13] Writing for NME, Rhian Daly described the song as a "breezy, EDM-infused pop song".[16] Jo Ji-Hyun of IZM gave the song a three-star rating, praising its "soft and strong message" and noting Rosé's vocals for "creat[ing] a higher level of completeness."[22] Divyansha Dongre from the India version of Rolling Stone described "On the Ground" as "an electric pop anthem with a catchy guitar riff and picturesque set designs."[14] Alice Bailey, reviewer of the French fashion magazine Elle, called the song "a moving, beautiful, and lyrically-deep lead single."[23] Anna Chan from Billboard described it as "an empowering and thoughtful song about finding purpose within yourself."[24]

"On the Ground" debuted at number one on both the Billboard Global 200 and the Global Excl. U.S. charts with 92.1 million global streams and 29,000 global downloads sold, the first to do so in the charts' histories.[32] The song charted on the Global 200 for seven weeks and the Global Excl. U.S. for nine weeks, becoming the longest-charting song by a K-pop soloist until later surpassed by bandmate Lisa's songs "Lalisa" and "Money".[33] In South Korea, "On the Ground" debuted at number fifteen on the Gaon Digital Chart on the eleventh issued week (March 7–13), with less than two days of tracking.[34] The following week, the song entered the top ten with "Gone" and peaked at number four, marking her first top-ten solo entries in the country.[34] The song also managed to peak at number one in Singapore and Malaysia.[35][36]

In the United States, the song debuted and peaked at number 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the highest-charting song by a Korean female soloist in the US.[37] The song collected 6.4 million streams, 0.3 million radio impressions, and 7,500 digital sales in its first week.[38] In the United Kingdom, "On the Ground" debuted and peaked at number 43 on the UK Singles Chart, simultaneously becoming the first and highest-charting song by a Korean female solo artist on the chart.[39] Similarly, the song landed at number three on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart, number 49 on Irish Singles Chart, and number 31 in Australia's ARIA Charts.[40][41] In Canada, "On the Ground" arrived at number 35 on the Canadian Hot 100, generating the singer's first top-40 entry in the country.[42]

On 14 March 2021, Rosé performed "Gone" and "On the Ground" for the first time live on SBS's Inkigayo.[56] On 16 March Rosé performed the single on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, marking her first solo performance on American television.[57] In the performance Rosé is seen in a black-and-white clip that found her singing while running through elaborate choreography with an array of back-up dancers.[15] On 18 March, she performed "On the Ground" on Mnet's M Countdown.[58] The singer performed the song on Show! Music Core on 20 March.[59] The song was performed again on Inkigayo on March 21.[60] On 27 March, Rosé performed the song on Show! Music Core.[61] On 27 March, the singer performed "On the Ground" on Inkigayo.[62] On 30 March, Rosé performed "On the Ground" on Japanese channel Nippon TV's morning show Sukkiri.[63] Rosé performed "On the Ground" as part of her solo stage during Blackpink's Born Pink World Tour starting in October 2022.[64] In April 2023, she performed the song during Blackpink's set as the headlining act of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.[65] On July 2, 2023, she also performed the song during Blackpink's set as the headlining act of BST Hyde Park in London.[66]

On 11 May, Brie Larson posted her acoustic rendition of the Korean singer's single on both her social media accounts, alongside a caption that read: "A little ROSÉ magic for you". Rosé showed her appreciation via her Instagram Stories, adding a heart emoji above the video.[84][85]