IU Comeback
IU is back with her sixth mini album, [The Winning]. Known as the “Nation’s Sister” in Korea, she is a world-renowned K-pop soloist known for her stellar vocals. The mini album has a total of five tracks, and there is a feature with HYEIN of NewJeans. This includes the song “Love wins all,” which received a lot of views when it came out due to V of BTS starring in the music video.
“Holssi” Review
“Holssi” was the first release with a music video. This was the weakest song on the project only because it lacked the substance that IU is known for. The track details a story about her wanting to soar into the sky with someone to a new imaginable world. It seems as if she wants to spend forever with this person, especially in the second verse. According to Genius, the verse translates to, “I’ll fly in the center for everyone to see. Watch your sight, better bring your sunglass. The sky above is blinding. But I’m not afraid of heights at all. I’ll fly so close to the scorching sun and look down without a care. I’ll pick a cloud to sit on.”
The music video starts with an image of the sky relating to the soaring in the sky reference. IU is dancing with kids and pondering about this life she envies with her love interest.
“Shopper” Review
“Shopper” showcases IU’s high notes and angelic voice against a catchy guitar beat. It is another great song by the artist and is about wanting to shop for the big goals she has in life. This is shown in the chorus with the English translation of the lyrics. According to Genius, “Let’s go haul. Fill it up to make it burst Look around Time is short, make ‘em all yours, oh. Shop all day, ay-ay-ay. Greed is free, ay-ay-ay, oh. Go Make your own. Like I was born to own. This shop will never close, forever.”
The music video shows IU looking for a special shop full of magic inside of it. This relates to the storyline she is going for, which is a shop for “more.” She means to aim higher with dreams and ambitions. Throughout the aesthetically pleasing video, she is on the run as people are trying to take her magic away. It ends with a cartoon version of her flying in the clouds.
“Shh.. (feat HYEIN, WONSUN JOE & Special Nar. Patti Kim)”
“Shh..” is a great song with great meaning. It features a star-studded lineup of features with HYEIN of NewJeans, WONSUN JOE and a narration at the end with Patti Kim. The message of the song is about a girl who’s special and lights up the room around her. Everyone feels a strong aura in her presence. This song just has such a positive message because it can be about any girl. The chorus is translated in English with the words: “It’s not about F (F), not about L (L). We got something else. Your thick dark hair (F), braided into pigtails (L) and your lips with a story to tell (Connecting each other). We connect each other (How special we are).”
A third music video was released with IU and another girl who seems to be a friend. The song is about connection and how her best friend is a light in her life. They share an emotional moment at the end because they are supposedly going their separate ways.
Overall Review of [The Winning]
IU not only created beautiful tracks with deep meanings, but her music videos connected the storyline. There were different plots in each and they were curated with such attention to detail. The music videos felt like short movies, and I personally love it when K-pop artists create a visual that engages the viewer from the first second.
She is a one-of-a-kind talent who will be spoken about for generations. What did you think of IU’s new release?
