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| yna@yna.co.kr 2024-02-20 10:25:06
SEOUL, Feb. 20 (Yonhap) -- IU’s new mini album "The Winning" is not only her first album in over two years but also her first album in her 30s.
"I approached this work thinking of it as pinpointing a certain aspect of those in their 30s," the K-pop diva said during her 13-minute interview released on her official YouTube channel on Monday. The singer turned 30 last year.
IU said, "(Entering my 30s,) I felt a lot of comfort and ease that I hadn't felt in my teens and 20s... It's about bringing out stories that are definitely different from the messages I conveyed in my 20s."
She said the new album pulled out something "immersed in for a long time."
"It was a really enjoyable process because there was no squeezing or distress involved," she added.
"Victory" is the keyword IU wanted to emphasize in her new work. She said she embedded the word in every song to the extent that it became the title of the album, "The Winning."
She said, "I've always been a competitive person... I thought my 30s would be a time for my competitiveness to reignite... I prepared (the album) with the thought, 'I still find competition fun and winning enjoyable.' I'm playing out a game every day against the plans past me laid out, and I'm winning every day."
Set to be released at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Winning includes five songs with double lead tracks, "Shopper" and "Holssi." IU credited as the sole lyricist for all the tracks.
Through Shopper, IU wanted to convey the message: "boldly pursue what you want." She said, "It's an era where one increasingly has to hide their desires and cravings... I hope it becomes a norm to freely speak out about one’s desires."
She added, "Even if you hear things like, 'Isn't that dream unrealistic? You seem like a greedy person,' I want to say let's boldly desire. I want to become like that myself."
About the other lead track, Holssi, she explained, "When I was young, I thought I would blossom into a flower... But as I entered my 30s, I decided, 'I just want to live as a seed.' It's because of the realization that not everyone has to become a flower."
The song is her own contemplation on "accepting one's limitations or impossibilities and shifting focus from blooming into a flower to 'how can I live as a splendid seed," she said.
"After all, 'Holssi' dreams of victory. ‘The Winning’ asks what that victory might be... I want to say that just because you feel like you might not blossom flamboyantly, like in 'Shopper,' there's no need to diminish your desires... I want to say 'achieve your own victory' to myself and to the people I love. So I made this album with as much organic sincerity as possible."
In addition to the double title tracks, The Winning includes songs "Shh..," "Love Wins All," and 'I'll Be Your Audience."
Since its pre-release on Friday, the music video for Holssi has garnered 4 million views. The pre-released track "Love Wins All" has claimed the top spot on the Melon’s Top 100 chart.
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