Blackpink’s Rosé’s new song with Bruno Mars, “APT” has now been listed as one of the “banned songs” for students who are about to take their college entrance examination.
The song, which netizens said has all the characteristics of an earworm, is becoming a taboo among students who are preparing for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), with some saying that they are worried that the song will get stuck in their head during exam.
“Adults might laugh and say, ‘Why stress over something like that?’ but for us, with such an important test ahead, it can feel unsettling,” said one student.
“APT” is now joining the likes of SHINee’s “Ring Ding Dong” and Red Velvet’s “Dumb Dumb” among a few others, which have been dubbed “a distraction” by students in the past for their catchy lyrics and music.
Aside from “APT”, other recent songs that have been banned by students include aespa’s “Supernova”, BIBI’s “Bam Yang Gang” and Choi Ye-na’s “NEMONEMO”
According to Dankook University psychology professor Im Myung-ho in an interview with Yonhap News, “Our psychology is more fragile than we realise, and simple, repetitive sounds can easily trigger emotional bias. Youths, especially those with less experience, are more prone to experiencing earworms.”
The professor instead suggests listening to soothing classical music and practicing breathing exercises as ways to focus.
