BLACKPINK's Rosé Said No to $7.2M in Deals, and the Industry Is Taking Note

Rosé has reportedly walked away from two major endorsement deals worth a combined fortune, citing one reason above all others: the work did not look the way she wanted it to.

According to Korea Herald and industry sources, the BLACKPINK member turned down an advertising offer of approximately 10 billion won (around $7.2 million) from a well-known Chinese tea brand. Around the same time, a separate champagne collaboration she had been developing for nearly a year also fell through. The sticking point, per those same sources, was a bottle design bearing her name that failed to clear her aesthetic bar.

What the rejections signal

Neither deal fell apart over money. The figures involved are the kind that few artists at any level would decline without pause, which is precisely why the move is drawing attention inside the Korean music industry. The read from those close to the business is that Rosé is deliberately choosing creative authority over commercial reach, a position that becomes easier to hold, and more meaningful to exercise, after a record like APT.

The Bruno Mars collaboration, released in late 2024, became one of the biggest crossover hits of that cycle, putting Rosé firmly at the center of global pop rather than at its edges. The success appears to have given her the standing to be selective on her own terms, and she is using it.

Industry observers note that K-pop's traditional system rarely affords its artists this kind of unilateral veto power over commercial partnerships, making Rosé's position something of a departure from the norm. Turning down nine figures in Korean won while an album campaign is still generating momentum is the kind of leverage most acts in the system simply do not have.

What comes next

Rosé's team has not issued any official comment on either deal.

Since releasing her first full-length solo album rosie in December 2024, she has been moving between Korea and the United States working on follow-up material. No release date has been announced, but the early returns on rosie, and the selectivity she is now applying to her brand partnerships, suggest the next project will land with considerably high expectations attached. Circle the date when an announcement finally comes.