"Messy" is a song by New Zealand and South Korean singer Rosé. It was released through Atlantic Records and Apple Video Programming on 8 May 2025 as the second single from the soundtrack album to the sports action drama film "F1" (2025).
Background and release.
A day after the release of the song "Lose My Mind" by Don Toliver featuring Doja Cat as the first single of the "F1" film, Atlantic Records revealed the line-up of artists involved in "F1 the Album", including Rosé as a featured singer. On 1 May 2025, Rosé officially announced her involvement in the project on social media, expressing her excitement for fans to hear her "very first movie soundtrack". Promotions for the album began at an activation event held during the 2025 Miami Grand Prix on 4 May. During the event, Rosé was selected to wave the chequered flag for the sprint race. A snippet of "Messy" being played at the event was posted by social media influencer Tyler Walsh. The full song would eventually be played at the next round, the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, before the start of the race. On 7 May, "Messy" was announced to be the film's second single, with official teasers shared throughout the day. The song, alongside an accompanying music video, was released the following day on 8 May. It marked the singer's first release since her debut studio album "Rosie" in December 2024.
Composition and lyrics.
"Messy" was written by Rosé, Cleo Tighe, Delacey, Matthew James Burns, and Peter Rycroft; it was produced by the latter two artists credited under the names Lostboy and Burns. According to "F1"s director Joseph Kosinski, Rosé was brought in and shown a scene from the film, from which she drew inspiration to create the song. It has been described to be a "sleek and passionate pop ballad" that features a "piano and anthemic percussion". Rosé sings about an intense romantic relationship and uses the central theme of "let's get messy" to convey her desire for "raw and uninhibited connection". In the chorus, she sings "Baby, I’m obsessed with you and there’s no replica / Maybe if it’s messy, if it’s messy, if it’s messy / Then you know it’s really love,"
Critical reception.
Writing for "Billboard", Kristen Wisneski ranked “Messy” as the sixth-best song on "F1 the Album", noting that it "stands out as one of the more emotional tracks on the album, capturing the tension between emotional desire and chaos". "Rolling Stone"s Tim Chan praised Rosé's "pleading voice and confessional lyrics" for adding "emotional heft" to the album but observed that the track felt out of place as the sole ballad on a tracklist full of "party-ready" songs.
Music video.
Directed by Colin Tilley, the music video for "Messy" was released on 8 May 2025. It intersperses scenes of the "F1" film with various clips of Rosé sipping martinis at a bar; sitting atop a seeming pile of diamonds in a nightclub; leaning over the terrace of a high-rise building; and walking down the Las Vegas Strip, which had been temporarily shut down for the music video shoot.
Credits and personnel.
Credits adapted from Tidal.