Lilac (IU Album)

''Lilac'' (, stylized in all caps) is the fifth studio album by South Korean singer-songwriter IU. It was released on March 25, 2021, through Edam Entertainment. The album was certified platinum by the Korean Music Content Association.

Background and conception

On September 8, 2020, IU uploaded a video of herself as Lee Ji-dong, her alter-ego, working for Edam Entertainment on her official YouTube channel, revealing that she would be releasing a studio album by the end of the year. In an interview with ''GQ Korea'' in November 2020, she shared that the release had been scheduled for 2021. On January 11, 2021, her label Edam Entertainment announced that she would return with a pre-release single, a cheerful and energetic pop song titled "Celebrity", on January 27. On March 3, IU announced her fifth Korean-language studio album, titled ''Lilac'', will be released on March 25.

Of the 10 tracks, IU served as the sole lyricist on eight tracks, two being co-written with Dean and Lee Chan-hyuk. Although the original plan was to include six songs written by her and six by other composers, she is only credited as co-composer on "Celebrity" and "Coin". While working on the album, IU revealed in an interview with '' W Korea'' that she did not feel the need to include a self-composed song, instead deciding to cut them as their calmer sound did not fit the tone of the rest of the record. She revealed that she wanted to make an album that was enjoyable and, at the same time, told stories, aiming to "put on a show that, above all, entertains." She compared ''Lilac'' to a blockbuster rather than an independent film, concluding, "I wanted to make my world, which has always been small and safe, bigger and wider, even if it was a little risky."

Concept and title

The concept of ''Lilac'' is "greeting/farewell" (). According to Korean age reckoning, IU turned 29 in 2021; as a result, the album was the last of her twenties. IU explained her choice, stating, "Since I debuted at the age of , people have seen me from the middle of my teens, but they've seen me throughout my whole twenties. I'm making this album because I want to say goodbye to those who have been watching over my twenties, and thank you to those who watched until the very end. I want to have a glamorous goodbye. Something glamorous, without sadness. ..I want to reach my thirties with a clean slate." In an interview with ''W Korea'', she also shared: "In the language of flowers, 'lilac' means 'memories of youth.' I wanted to include a farewell with the message 'I'm now going onward to my next chapter' while also greeting my upcoming 30s at the same time."

The album marks closes IU's "twenties series", comprising the past releases ''Spring of a Twenty Year Old'', " Twenty-Three", " Palette" and "Eight".

Songs

''Lilac'' ranges from city pop, retro funk, and ballad, to indie pop and reggae. From "Lilac" to "Epilogue", IU expressed the end of her twenties as "a beautiful parting story."

"Lilac", which IU described as a bittersweet song reminiscent of a spring typhoon, recalls the disco sound from the 1970s and the 1980s, harmonizing the bass line with funk and pop elements. Speaking of a couple who joyfully parts at the beginning of spring after being together for ten years, IU says goodbye to her youth. In recording the song, she used the nasal sounds and vocalization techniques of " Good Day", " You & I", " The Red Shoes" and "Every End of the Day". "Lilac" also incorporates melodies and references lyrics from "Good Day", and a shortened version of its lyrics are referenced in the second verse, namely "How can the sky and the wind be more perfect than this?" ().

In "Flu", IU compares the feeling of being in love to a flu, going so far as to rebel and engage in a desperate fight to get rid of the virus of love and the malaise it causes. In "Coin", based on the disco punk rhythms of the 70s and the 80s, she asks to let her play one last round of a challenging game that is harmful to her health. The song incorporates the sound effects of an electronic arcade. Along with "Ah Puh", it is one of the first times IU raps.

"Hi Spring Bye" mixes strings and electric guitar, recalling American pop ballads of the 80s, and tells of the farewell to spring. "Celebrity" was born for a friend labelled eccentric for her personality and clothes and then expanded to a message for all those who have felt a sense of alienation for not having met expectations. It is an electropop and tropical house song, and IU used synthesizers and autotune for the first time. "Troll" is based on reggae and bossa nova and tells of an on-again, off-again relationship. "Empty Cup" is lo-fi and R&B, telling of the moment in which one decides to give up the person by their side, nevertheless going on "unhappy, even resentful" because they are unable to end a relationship that has lasted so long.

"My Sea" was composed by Kim Je-hwi and Kim Hee-won, who composed the IU ballad " Through the Night". It is an orchestral piece that combines "Dear Name", "Love Poem", and "Secret". The song runs for five minutes and 16 seconds, a numerical representation of IU's birthday, May 16. The music starts calm and crescendos with the introduction of a 20-member string ensemble before reaching a dramatic climax. "My Sea" is about reconciling with her younger self and represents the culmination of the narrative, in which, according to ''IZM'', "the echo that stretches out into the vast sea in a magnificent scale is intertwined with the voyage of the last 10 years, after which she finally falls in love with herself." IU compares her journey to the stormy sea, finding comfort in knowing her path that will always lead her back to her true self.

"Ah Puh" is a hip hop track that conveys confidence, loneliness, and exhaustion, giving a fresh vibe with the repetition of some consonants and vowels. The album is closed by "Epilogue", a song dedicated to fans, whose languid jazz arrangements and vintage sounds are reminiscent of IU's third album, ''Modern Times'', and in which she sings with a "vague, moving and dreamy voice".

Release and promotion

The release and title of ''Lilac'' was announced on March 4, 2021; a comeback timetable was shared on March 8. Previously, IU shared visual and audio snippets titled "Bylac" and "Hilac" on February 25 and March 1, respectively. IU unveiled the track list on her official SNS accounts on March 10, revealing K-R&B singer Dean as a featured artist, with AKMU's Lee Chan-hyuk, singer-songwriter Naul, and Penomeco taking part in production.

''Lilac'' was released on March 25, 2021, through Edam Entertainment. The release marks the singer's first full-length album in nearly four years, following '' Palette'' (2017). IU appeared on South Korean music programs for the first time since promotions for ''Palette''.

Singles

''Lilac'' was preceded by the release of its lead single "Celebrity" and an accompanying music video on January 27, 2021. The single topped several South Korean music sites and debuted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart. The single also entered the ''Billboard'' World Digital Song Sales chart in the United States at number three.

"Lilac" was simultaneously released alongside the album on March 25, 2021 as its second single and title track, also accompanied by a music video directed by Flipevil. The single debuted at number four on the Digital Chart with only four days of tracking. In the following week, the single peaked atop the chart. IU first performed the song, along with "Epilogue", on ''Music Bank'', marking her first performance on a music show since "Palette". The following day, she returned to ''Show! Music Core'' and ''Inkigayo'' to perform "Lilac" and "Coin".

The third single, "Coin", was released the day after the album, on March 26, 2021. It was accompanied by a retro-inspired music video that was uploaded to 1TheK's official YouTube channel. The single debuted at number seven on the Digital Chart. The following week, the song rose to number four. IU performed the song, together with "Lilac", on ''Music Core'' and ''Inkigayo'' on March 26 and 28, respectively.

Critical reception

In evaluating ''Lilac'', South Korean critics placed it in the broader perspective of IU's discography of the last decade, describing it as an album that incorporates "the many activities and various styles" she has challenged, the sounds of her twenties and the experiences of her own life, "unraveling the days that have passed so far from a variety of perspectives." Although critics Kim Hak-sun and Lee Dae-hwa regretted the lack of cohesion and freshness in the music, despite the album's high level of completeness, the choice to personally write the lyrics of all the songs served to "capture the organicity of the entire album", "eliminating the sense of imbalance". Shim Yoon-ji of the ''Kyunghyang Shinmun'' felt that the "exciting yet lonely, lyrical yet ambiguous" lyrics revealed IU's strengths, and that, by recounting her growth through music, she had developed a record "that comforts young people who live in the contemporary age," concluding that the album's greatest characteristic was that it was "so different that it cannot be summarized in a single word."

Hwang Sun-up of ''IZM'' called ''Lilac'' "a flower made of sounds" in which "the biggest change is the trendy sound transplantation based on multi-person collaboration, commonly used in idol groups." While observing that it might seem "a composition that can be a bit cluttered because it feels like it contains various things without much calculation," this is overcome "by the sense of unity and immersion that career-based storytelling gives," and concluded that "behind the seemingly glamorous work, the silhouette of Lee Ji-eun, a human being who overcame the confusion of the past and proved herself, bloomed more beautifully than anyone else."

Both ''Newsis'' and ''Rolling Stone Korea'' concluded there couldn't be a more perfect farewell.

Foreign critics focused more on the new musical direction, found by ''NME'' "bolder, louder and more fun," with which "IU steps out of her comfort zone to offer pure pop escapism," swapping "her subdued brand of sun-kissed pop for dancefloor hits." Chase McMullen of ''Beats Per Minute'' praised the choice of leaning on external collaborators, commenting that they had given a breath of fresh air and that most of ''Lilac'''s music sounded "weightless and playful," never straying too far "from what she knowingly calls 'the IU sound'," while drawing on the most disparate music and genres. He concluded that it is "an album of rumination, prideful bliss tempered by melancholy, and, above all, acceptance," in which IU "is both spectator and the spectated, the show is both pure performance and genuine, even fragile intimacy." ''Rolling Stone India'' spoke of it as a "grand celebration of all things summer and pop," in which "her artistry has only evolved and bloomed into something greater, more powerful and profound," and appreciated the choice to intervene on the album as a producer.

Instead, ''The Chicago Maroon'' praised IU's lyrical talent and found ''Lilac'' "an album about surveying the rubble of your twenties and picking at shards of memory, not just the glimmering fragments of your best past selves, but also the singed photographs of exes and old friends. It is about the queasy recollection of moments where you gambled and lost, and above all, the flat realization that you are here, now, looking back at the end of an era." While acknowledging the presence of more sunshine pop tracks such as "Troll" and "Celebrity," it felt they weren't enough to define the whole album "pure pop escapism" and "weightless and playful" as done by ''NME'' and ''Beats Per Minute''.

Korean online magazine ''Idology'' named ''Lilac'' among the ten best albums of the year. ''NME'' included it on their list of the best Asian albums of 2021, while ''IZM'' and ''Rolling Stone India'' on their list of the best K-pop albums of the year. It was also featured among the memorable music releases of 2021 according to ''Allure Korea''. "Lilac" was included in the lists of the best K-pop songs of 2021 compiled by ''Rolling Stone Korea'', ''NME'', ''Billboard'' and ''Teen Vogue''. "Empty Cup" placed 42nd on the list of the 50 best songs of 2021 according to ''Beats Per Minute''.

Commercial performance

On its first day, according to the Hanteo chart, ''Lilac'' sold 216,319 copies, surpassing the opening day sales of its predecessor, ''Love Poem'' (2019). ''Lilac'' became the second highest-selling by a South Korean female soloist in its first week, having sold a cumulative 267,754 copies. It debuted atop the weekly Gaon Album Chart for the period dated March 21–27, 2021. On the Gaon Digital Chart, all ten tracks from the album simultaneously appeared in the top 30, with "Lilac" at number four. The song peaked at number one on the chart the following week. Additionally, several of IU's older songs re-entered the Digital Chart following the album's release. In May 2021, ''Lilac'' was certified platinum by the Korean Music Content Association (KMCA) for selling over 250,000 copies.

Track listing

Personnel

Personnel adapted from the liner notes of the physical album.

* Madilyn Bailey – music (track 2)
* Jeppe London Bilsby – music (track 5), arrangement (track 5)
* Jacob Chatelain – music (track 2), arrangement (track 2)
* Lauritz Emil Christiansen – music (track 5), arrangement (track 5)
* Choi Hyung – mixing (track 4)
* Choi In-sung – bass (track 3)
* Choi Ja-yeon – assistance (track 8)
* Martin Coogan – music (track 2)
* Dean – lyrics (track 6), music (track 6), chorus (track 6)
* Dr.Jo – music (track 1)
* Jeff Gartenbaum – recording (track 4)
* Go Hyun-jung – mixing (track 9)
* Gu Jong-pil – mixing (tracks 2-3, 5)
* Hong Joon-ho – guitar (track 4)
* Hong So-jin – piano (track 3)
* Im Geum-bi – music (track 10)
* Im Soo-ho – music (track 1), arrangement (track 1), drum (track 1), guitar (track 1)
* IYP Orchestra – strings (track 4)
* IU – lyrics, music (tracks 3, 5), chorus (tracks 1-3, 5-10)
* London Jackson – music (track 2), arrangement (track 2)
* Jane – music (track 6)
* Je-hwi – music (track 8), arrangement (track 8), drum (track 8), synthetizer (track 8), chorus (track 8)
* Je-hwi's Friends – chorus (track 8)
* Ryan S. Jhun – music (tracks 2, 5), arrangement (tracks 2, 5)
* Jo Joon-sung – mixing (track 8)
* Jung Gi-woon – assistance (track 9)
* Jung Jae-pil – piano (track 8)
* Jung Suk-hoon – guitar (track 8)
* Jung Yoo-ra – assistance (tracks 2-3, 5)
* Junny – music (track 6)
* Kako – music (track 3)
* Kang Hwa-seong – arrangement (track 4), electric piano (track 4), keyboard (track 4)
* Kang Hyo-min – recording (track 8)
* Kang Sung-young – assistance (track 5)
* Kim Dong-min – guitar (track 3)
* Kim Hee-won – music (track 8), chorus (track 8)

* Kim Joon-sang – assistance (track 9)
* Kim Kap-soo – recording (track 4)
* Kim Seung-hyun – guitar (track 9)
* Kim Soo-young – music (track 10), arrangement (track 10), guitar (track 10), chorus (track 10)
* Kwon Na-moo – mastering
* Chloe Latimer – music (track 5)
* Lee Chang-sun – recording (track 4)
* Lee Chan-hyuk – lyrics (track 9), music (track 9)
* Lee Min-woo – assistance (track 9)
* Lee Na-il – strings arrangement (track 8), strings directing (track 8)
* N!ko – music (track 1), arrangement (track 1), electric piano (track 1), synthetizer (track 1)
* Naul – music (track 4), chorus (track 4)
* Oh Sung-geun – recording (track 8)
* On the String – strings (track 8)
* Zacchariah Palmer – music (track 2)
* Park In-young – strings arrangement (track 4), strings directing (track 4)
* Park Ji-yong – drum (track 3)
* Park Woo-sang – music (track 6), arrangement (track 6), keyboard (track 6), bass (track 6), synthetizer (track 6), mixing (track 6)
* Peejay – music (track 9), arrangement (track 9), drum (track 9), bass (track 9), keyboard (track 9), sound effects (track 9)
* Penomeco – music (track 7)
* Poptime – music (track 3), arrangement (track 3)
* Seo Dong-han – organ (track 8)
* Shim Eun-ji – music (track 10), arrangement (track 10), drum (track 10), bass (track 10), keyboard (track 10)
* Shin Jung-eun – drum (track 4)
* Son Myung-gap – recording, mixing (track 1)
* Stay Tuned – mixing (track 7)
* Sumin – music (track 10)
* Celin Svanbäck – music (track 5)
* Ung Kim – music (track 1), arrangement (track 1), bass (track 1), electric piano (track 1)
* Woogie – music (track 7), arrangement (track 7), drum (track 7), bass (track 7), piano (track 7), guitar (track 7), synthetizer (track 7), strings (track 7)
* Yang Kyung-ah – bass (track 8)
* Yoon Won-kwon – mixing (track 10)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Accolades

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

{{IU (singer)

IU (singer) albums
2021 albums