ROSÉ Sets Sept. 17 Release for 'new trick' Video Shot on iPhone 18 Pro

Q: Will ROSÉ's gritty new track overshadow the cinematic debut of Apple's iPhone 18 Pro, or is the tech the real star?

ROSÉ is likely to be the bigger attention driver, while Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro is the platform and proof point rather than the emotional center of the campaign. The teaser is built around ROSÉ’s star power and a noticeable musical pivot. The snippet of “new trick” suggests a sharper, more playful pop-rock sound than the sadder tone of her 2024 album rosie, and ROSÉ herself has framed it as a deliberate shift. That makes the song newsworthy on its own, especially after the commercial momentum of “APT.” with Bruno Mars, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. At the same time, Apple is not being overshadowed so much as using that attention strategically. The “Shot on iPhone” campaign has long depended on major artists to dramatize hardware advances, and this installment is timed to showcase the iPhone 18 Pro’s headline camera upgrade: variable aperture control. Apple says the feature allows roughly 50% more light in low-light conditions and adds more cinematic flexibility, while the Dave Meyers-directed video serves as a high-visibility demonstration. So the likely outcome is a split win. ROSÉ will dominate fan conversation, streaming interest and social buzz because music creates the hook. Apple, however, gets what it wants: a glossy, culturally relevant showcase for the iPhone 18 Pro’s camera in a format consumers immediately understand. In public imagination, ROSÉ will be the star; in marketing terms, the tech is the product being sold.

Q: How did a hectic post-Met Gala week inspire ROSÉ to completely abandon her sad-song era for a distorted, hard-edged sound?

A hectic week after the Met Gala pushed ROSÉ into a mood where sad songs no longer felt honest, and that led directly to the sharper sound of “new trick.” ROSÉ said she wrote the song about two days after the Met Gala in New York during an especially busy stretch, working with frequent collaborator Amy Allen. In that session, she told Allen she “hadn’t been able to relate to or write sad songs lately,” which marked a major break from the mindset behind her debut album rosie, a project she has described as full of heartbreak-driven writing. That creative block against sadness became the turning point. Instead of forcing another emotional ballad, she and Allen leaned into something “not sad,” playful and energetic. ROSÉ described the result as possibly “the cutest thing” they had made together, and said she enjoyed “being that girl” in the studio and channeling that energy into herself. Musically, that shift shows up in the preview: distorted electric guitar, layered vocals and a rougher, harder-edged pop-rock texture. ROSÉ also linked the track’s spirit to the punchy pop-rock songs used in classic Apple ads from the 2000s, helping explain why the song lands with a gritty, high-voltage feel rather than the softer melancholy of rosie. So the post-Met Gala chaos did not just inspire a new song; it helped ROSÉ realize she was ready to move beyond her sad-song era and try a bolder, more playful version of herself.

3 articles · Updated · Billboard · Sep 9

Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. ET is the release time ROSÉ and Apple announced for “new trick,” unveiled through Apple’s latest “Shot on iPhone” campaign.
A short teaser previews lyrics including “Lovesick, I’ll pick my heart off the floor” over distorted electric guitar and layered vocals, hinting at a punchier, grittier sound.
Dave Meyers directed the video, which Apple said was filmed entirely on the newly unveiled iPhone 18 Pro, a model that adds variable aperture control for the first time.
The campaign extends Apple’s run of music-video collaborations with major pop acts, while giving ROSÉ another solo spotlight after her 2024 album “rosie” and the No. 3 Bruno Mars duet “APT.”