Songfacts®:

• Sung by Rosé, "Toxic Till the End" is an emo-pop anthem about a thoroughly miserable relationship with a boyfriend who was, in her words, "jealous and possessive and so manipulative." He did unforgivable things, and yet somehow, maddeningly, she kept getting pulled back into the vortex of their toxic romance.
• The former boyfriend in question - forever immortalized among her friends as simply "the ex" - had been a recurring topic in her life for so long that Rosé finally decided to do something about it. "We've talked about the ex a bit too much," she told Apple Music's Zane Lowe, "It's about time that we write a song called 'the ex.'"
  
  She later decided on the punchier title "Toxic Till the End."
• Rosé wrote "Toxic Till The End" with:
  
  New York songwriter Michael Pollack. His achievements include co-writing hits for Maroon 5 ("Memories") Justin Bieber ("Ghost") and Miley Cyrus ("Flowers").
  
  Another New York songwriter, Emily Warren. Her career highlights include writing for high-profile artists like Dua Lipa ("New Rules"), Sigrid ("Don't Feel Like Crying") and The Chainsmokers ("Don't Let Me Down"). She also sang on another of The Chainsmokers hit singles, "Paris."
  
  Toronto-based artist, songwriter, and producer Evan Blair, whose other credits include Nessa Barrett's "I Hope Ur Miserable Until Ur Dead," Dove Cameron's "Boyfriend" and Benson Boone's "Beautiful Things."
• When asked if it was hard to mine such personal territory, Rosé admitted: "It was actually easy for me to talk about it because it was the thing I was talking about all the time. I hated how much I talked about it, but I needed to get it off my chest."
  
  She added the song was a turning point. "I'm actually shocked that today I can wake up and be like, 'I don't talk about that anymore.'"
• And then there's the bridge, where in a satisfyingly snarky tone, Rosé sings:
  
  I can forgive you for a lot of things
  For not giving me back my Tiffany rings
  I'll never forgive you for one thing, my dear
  You wasted my prettiest years
  
  The Tiffany rings bit was apparently just poetic license. "He didn't actually steal my Tiffany rings," Rosé reassured Hits Radio. "We just made that one up. So I'm like 'Calm down.'"
  
  But the sentiment - that searing sense of wasted time - is very real. "The second half of it, like, 'You wasted my prettiest years,' is what we were trying to get at," she explained.
• As for the identity of "the ex," well, that's where things get murky. Fans have speculated wildly, pointing fingers at everyone from skateboard instructors to celebrities, but no solid evidence has emerged. A man named Jason Choi, once mistakenly identified as the ex in question, had to publicly deny the rumors. Others think Rosé's team might be stoking the mystery as part of a clever promotional strategy, blending truth and fiction to keep listeners hooked.
  
  What Rosé has made clear is that the song is about more than just her own experiences. "It's a song that represents toxic relationships that we all go through," she said. "I feel like everyone can relate to it."
  
  And she's probably right. Who hasn't had a relationship - or at least a crush - that felt like a beautiful, disastrous waste of time?
• Directed by Syrian-American filmmaker Ramez Silyan, the cinematic music video was filmed at Old Westbury Gardens in Long Island, New York. Starring Gossip Girl actor Evan Mock as Rosé's love interest and drawing inspiration from Gilmore Girls, the visual brings to life the song's theme of a toxic relationship.
• Some fans speculated that the ex referenced in "Toxic Till the End" might be Jaden Smith, noting similarities between him and Evan Mock, who played Rosé's love interest in the music video. However, during Vanity Fair's Lie Detector Test interview series, Rosé clarified the American musician and actor did not inspire the song.
  
  "No, it's not about Jaden Smith," Rosé said with a laugh, adding, "He's a good friend, though. Hi Jaden, miss you lots."
  
  When asked if the two had ever dated, she firmly denied it.