Song Review: Rosé (BLACKPINK) & Alex Warren – On My Mind

There have been a number of think pieces about how Billboard’s Hot 100 chart has become whiter, more male and more Christian this year. It’s a troubling development for anyone who fears baby steps toward theocracy as I do, and the chokehold Alex Warren’s Ordinary has had on the charts is one of this movement’s biggest vanguards. Like everything related to pop music, trends are cyclical and will eventually give way to something new, but I can’t say I was thrilled to see BLACKPINK’s Rosé making even the slightest move toward this woefully dull development.

On My Mind isn’t strictly K-pop, of course. I’m not even sure it’s K-pop adjacent. However, the fact that I’m writing about a song like this on the blog at all is kind of amazing. How did we get to this point?

The track itself is fine in a post-Lumineers, post-Mumford & Sons, post-Phillip Phillips world. It’s the kind of music designed for contestants to sing on American Idol or The Voice — vaguely anthemic but ultimately too rote to do much of anything. Rosé’s charm gets buried in this material. The quirky fun of APT. feels miles away as she emotes through On My Mind‘s dirge-like refrains. Alex Warren is… well… not the type of artist that would be anywhere near my playlist, so I guess it’s safe to say this song was never going to be for me. My unsolicited advice? Nix the constant collaborations and release some banging hits, starting with BLACKPINK’s upcoming single.

Grade: D+