The Rose: Come Back (2026)
Without any warning in 2023, a Youtube music clutched deeply into ears with the words of an apology: “지쳐버린 난 tonight, 잊혀지지 않는 말….”
As one of those who watched and remained riveted from the intro, I had no idea what the Korean words were. That one word “tonight” though was sung with such soul shattering power that there was no choice but to stay firmly in the seat and remained engrossed in the song. So begins the debut music video for the Korean rock band, The Rose. Not with pastel colors or bubble pop sound but with rain and fire. It was a sound and aesthetic that was welcome to fans who thrive in alternative music. The Rose delivered to fans songs and videos of emotional power delivered by their talent and face cards. Then they just disappeared.
The answer to the question of what happened is briefly answered in the upcoming documentary THE ROSE :COME BACK TO ME . Starting on February 13, fans and more will know what happened to Woosung, Dojoon, Hajoon, and Taegyeom.
The Rose: Taegyeomn, Hajoon,Dojoon, and Woosung
The documentary is directed by Eugene Yi (Director of FREE CHOL SOO LEE) and is a summary of the groups activities for the past few years. Through interview segments, each of the member narrate over clips from their time at playing clubs in Hongdae, tour footage, and ultimately at their experience at Coachella.
The documentary was a crowd favorite at the 2025 Tribeca Film festival selling out multiple screenings. All of the attention during the festival earned the documentary a spot as a runner up for the Audience prize.
The focus of the documentary was not filming intimate moments or journaling the group. It was discussion and brief summary of what the band had to deal with as they rose to recognition, how they fell apart, and their current state. Enough information and memories is shared within the film to indicate that the band has been through a lot, an almost parallel story of the typical rock band. Even though they originated in Korea where Kpop has dominated the music charts, The Rose is a rock band and had very relatable origins. The members fond memories of their early budget restraints and creative ways to make music will resonate with any musician.
Even though it follows along a predictable rock groups journey, The Rose still breaks the mold as they had to juggle domestic (Korea) and international audience. Much of their success to recognition is through the readily accessible social media and that the group is genuinely talented. Even while singing songs that contain both Korean and English, there is no question how musically talented the quartet is. With the documentary, audience will have even more a deeper connection to the band as they learn tidbits of drama and struggles behind the songs.
There was a moment of worlds colliding when the documentary also featured one of their managing companies, Transparent Arts. A record label founded by the members of the Far East Movement. Remember? Like a G6?! As an American millennial, this was literally jaw dropping. The addition of Transparent Art’s story and connection to The Rose added a fresh layer of fascinating to the documentary.
The documentary is now out in USA and will release internationally on 2/14/2026. For fans of The Rose, the documentary will just deepen those already deep connections to the band. For those unfamiliar with the group, it will be a great introduction to one of the rare internally known Korean rock groups.
While they didn’t fit the K-POP genre, The Rose carved out their own style and their own music, building a huge global fan base. THE ROSE: COME BACK TO ME is the story they want to share with the world.
