Its lyrics reflect Rosé's rise to fame, from her childhood in Australia to flying to South Korea and becoming a member of Blackpink.

On 30 December 2020, in an interview with South Korean media outlet Osen, Rosé revealed that filming for her debut music video would begin in mid-January 2021.

[1] On 25 January 2021, a 33-second teaser titled "Coming Soon" was uploaded to Blackpink's official YouTube channel and featured Rosé singing an snippet of an unknown track.

[11] "On the Ground" was written by Rosé, Amy Allen, Teddy, Raúl Cubina, Jon Bellion, Jorgen Odegard, and was produced by the latter alongside Ojivolta and 24.

[12][13][14][15][16] The track features wispy, melodic verses accompanied by "breathy" vocals, chorus that boasts the dance-pop punch, angelic bridge, and Rosé's high note at the end.

Writing for The Line of Best Fit, Otis Robinson positively commented on the track's escapist nature in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, dubbing it as a "sing-into-the-hairbrush, clutch-the-heart anthem" that deserves its Guinness World Record.

[23] Ashlee Mitchell from MTV noted that "On the Ground" provides "the perfect contrast, taking a more confident stance, reminding listeners of the importance of being true to yourself.

"[12] Madison Murray of Young Hollywood described the song as an "empowering anthem about Rosé’s experience in the spotlight and how she learned her true inner strength.

[16] Jo Ji-Hyun of IZM gave the song a three-star rating, praising its "soft and strong message" and noting Rosé's vocals for "creat[ing] a higher level of completeness.

"[22] Divyansha Dongre from Rolling Stone India described "On the Ground" as "an electric pop anthem with a catchy guitar riff and picturesque set designs.

"[14] Alice Bailey, reviewer of the French fashion magazine Elle, called the song "a moving, beautiful, and lyrically-deep lead single.

[34] In South Korea, "On the Ground" debuted at number fifteen on the Gaon Digital Chart on the eleventh issued week (March 7–13), with less than two days of tracking.

[35] The following week, the song entered the top ten with "Gone" and peaked at number four, marking her first top-ten solo entries in the country.

[36][37] In the United States, the song debuted and peaked at number 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100, surpassing CL's "Lifted" (2016) to become the highest-charting release at the time by a female K-pop soloist.

[45] In Canada, "On the Ground" arrived at number 35 on the Canadian Hot 100, becoming the first top-40 hit by a Korean female solo artist in the country.

[46] An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Han Sa-min[47] and uploaded to Blackpink's official YouTube channel in conjunction with the release of the single album.

"[56][21] Then the music video shows Rosé in her childhood home, admiring her pre-fame self Roseanne in a softy cropped cardigan, denim cut-off shorts, and a t-shirt, playing piano.

[61] In the performance Rosé is seen in a black-and-white clip that found her singing while running through elaborate choreography with an array of back-up dancers.

[67] Rosé performed "On the Ground" as part of her solo stage during Blackpink's Born Pink World Tour starting in October 2022.

[70] On 11 May 2021, Brie Larson posted her acoustic rendition of the singer's single on both her social media accounts, alongside a caption that read: "A little ROSÉ magic for you".