| "Blueming" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by IU | ||||
| from the EP Love Poem | ||||
| Language | Korean | |||
| Released | November 18, 2019 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:37 | |||
| Label | Kakao M | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| IU singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Blueming" on YouTube | ||||
"Blueming" is a song by South Korean singer-songwriter IU, serving as the second single from her seventh Korean-language extended play (EP) Love Poem . It was released on November 18, 2019, through Kakao M, and was co-written by IU, Lee Jong-hoon and Lee Chae-kyu, with production handled by the latter two. Lyrically, the song expresses the sentiments of what it means to live and love in modern-day society.
Commercially, the song was a success in South Korea, topping the Gaon Digital Chart and became her 15th number-one single and 22nd number-one song overall. Additionally, "Blueming" achieved the number one position on the Billboard K-pop Hot 100 and ranked number five on the year-end Gaon Digital Chart for 2020. [1] It won the Digital Daesang award at the 35th Golden Disc Awards in January 2021.
"Blueming" was released for digital download and streaming as the second single off of IU's seventh Korean-language extended play, titled Love Poem , on November 18, 2019. It was released through various music portals, including iTunes, in conjunction with the release of the EP. [1] The song was written and composed by IU along with Lee Jong-hoon and Lee Chae-kyu, who had both worked on the composition for IU's 2015 song "Twenty-Three". [2]
Musically, "Blueming" is composed in the key of C major with a tempo of 106 beats per minute, and has a runtime of 3:37. [3] A vivacious pop-rock number, it continues her color-oriented lyrics featured in her previous albums Chat-Shire (2015) and Palette (2017). [2] Lyrically, the songwriting explores the themes of everyday anxieties of modern-day romance in an increasingly online and technological world, and how she has come "into bloom" with an unattainable relationship and her personal life. Tamar Herman of Billboard analyzed the song's lyrical message by writing, "IU sings calmly in an upbeat manner about the blue-ming emotions of sending small flower-like texts to the object of her affection, [...] creating a song that is a perfect representation of what it means to live and love at the end of a decade that has seen lives turned upside-down due to the impact of social media and technology." [4]
The song debuted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart, becoming IU's 15th number one single and 22nd number-one song overall in South Korea, further extending her record for the most number one songs out of any South Korean artist. [5] In addition, "Blueming" achieved the number-one spot on the Billboard K-pop Hot 100, becoming her eleventh number-one single on the Korean Billboard chart. More than a year later, the song maintained its position as one of the best performing singles in the country, ranking at number five on the year-end Gaon Digital Chart for 2020. [6] In the United States, the song peaked at number 10 on the US World Digital Song Sales chart in the week of November 29, 2019. [7]
The official music video for "Blueming" was uploaded to the YouTube channel of 1theK, a brand under Kakao M, simultaneously with the release of the single on November 18, 2019. As of December 2022, the music video has garnered over 153 million views on YouTube. To promote the song, IU performed "Blueming" on her 2019 IU Tour Concert "Love, Poem", which spanned 15 shows across East and Southeast Asia throughout November and December 2019.
| Year | Organization | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best Vocal Performance Solo | Won | [8] |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
| 2021 | Golden Disc Awards | Digital Daesang | Won | [9] |
| Digital Bonsang | Won | |||
| Gaon Chart Music Awards | Music Steady Seller of the Year | Won | [10] |
| Program | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Inkigayo | December 1, 2019 | [11] |
| December 8, 2019 | [12] | |
| December 15, 2019 | [13] | |
| Music Bank | December 20, 2019 | [14] |
| December 27, 2019 | [15] | |
| Show! Music Core | December 21, 2019 | [16] |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Streaming | ||
| Japan (RIAJ) [25] | Gold | 50,000,000† |
| South Korea (KMCA) [26] | 2× Platinum | 200,000,000† |
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | November 18, 2019 |
| [1] |
Lee Ji-eun, also known by her stage name IU (아이유), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, composer, and actress. She signed with LOEN Entertainment in 2007 as a trainee and debuted as a singer at the age of fifteen with Lost and Found (2008), her first extended play (EP). Although her follow-up albums, Growing Up and IU...IM, brought mainstream success, it was only after the release of "Good Day", the lead single from her 2010 album Real, that she achieved national stardom. "Good Day" went on to spend five consecutive weeks at the top of South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart, and in 2019, it was ranked number one on Billboard's "100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s" list.
"Good Day" is a song recorded in two languages by South Korean singer IU. The Korean version was released on December 9, 2010, as the lead single for IU's third extended play (EP) Real. It was written by Kim Eana, while production was handled by Lee Min-soo. The Japanese version was originally included on IU's first Japanese extended play I□U, released on December 14, 2011, before being released on March 21, 2012, as IU's first single album Good Day.
Modern Times is the third studio album by South Korean singer-songwriter IU. It was released on October 8, 2013, via LOEN Entertainment under its imprint LOEN Tree. Under the theme of "French Black", the album departs from the singer's girlish image which established her as the "Nation's Sweetheart", by attempting various styles of music such as swing, jazz, and bossa nova. Her first full-length record since Last Fantasy (2011), the album contains guest features and collaborations from several artists.
"Palette" is a song recorded by South Korean singers IU and G-Dragon for the fourth studio album of the same title. IU herself composed the music and penned the lyrics with the collaboration of G-Dragon. The song was released on April 21, 2017, in conjunction with the release of the album as the album's third single, following "Through the Night" and "Can't Love You Anymore".
"Eight" is a song recorded by South Korean singer-songwriter IU featuring South Korean rapper Suga of BTS. It was released as a digital single on May 6, 2020 by EDAM Entertainment. It is IU's first single following the release of her fifth EP Love Poem (2019). The song was written by IU, Suga, and El Capitxn and produced by Suga. Musically, "Eight" has been described as a "nostalgic" pop rock song with lyrics that find IU confessing as a twenty-eight year old, using a virtual figure and various analogies.
"Dance the Night Away" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Twice. It was released by JYP Entertainment on July 9, 2018, as the lead single from the group's reissue of their fifth extended play, Summer Nights.
"Bbibbi" is a song recorded by South Korean singer-songwriter IU, released digitally on October 10, 2018, through Kakao M. The self-written song was produced by Son Myung-gab. It subsequently debuted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart. The song was released in part to commemorate 10 years since IU's debut.
"Love Poem" is a song by South Korean singer-songwriter IU, released by Kakao M as the lead single from her seventh Korean-language EP Love Poem on November 1, 2019. It debuted at number 11 on the Gaon Digital Chart before topping the chart the following week, becoming IU's 21st number-one single in South Korea, and extending her record for the most number ones on the chart.
"More & More" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Twice. It was released on June 1, 2020, by JYP Entertainment as the lead single of the group's ninth extended play of the same name. The song was written by Park Jin-young and Bibi, while composed by Zara Larsson, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter and Uzoechi Emenike. Musically, it is a tropical house song featuring an instrumental chorus. The lyrics detail the emotions that intensifies in a romantic relationship.
"Twenty-Three" is a song recorded by South Korean singer-songwriter IU for the fifth extended play Chat-Shire. IU herself penned the lyrics of the song and co-composed it with its producers Lee Jong-hoon and Lee Chae-kyu. The song was released on October 23, 2015, in conjunction with the release of the album as the album's lead single. A dance track, the lyrics document IU's inner thoughts as she walks into her twenties.
"You & I" is a song recorded in Korean and Japanese by South Korean singer IU from her second Korean-language studio album Last Fantasy (2011). The Korean version was released on November 29, 2011 through LOEN Entertainment, and was written and produced by Kim Eana and Lee Min-soo, respectively. The song was a huge domestic success, achieving the top spot on the Gaon Digital Chart and went on to sell more 7,000,000 digital units by 2021. According to Gaon, "You & I" is the second best-selling single in South Korea since 2010, ranking only behind Busker Busker's "Cherry Blossom Ending" (2012).
"Celebrity" is a song by South Korean singer-songwriter IU. It was released on January 27, 2021, through EDAM Entertainment via Kakao M, and serves as the lead single from her fifth Korean-language studio album, Lilac. A dance-pop and electropop track, "Celebrity" was written by IU, with additional composition by Chloe Latimer and Celine Svanback, and Ryan S. Jhun, Jeppe London Bilsby, Lauritz Emil Christiansen, —the last three also handled arrangement.
"Lilac" is a song by South Korean singer-songwriter IU. It was released on March 25, 2021, by Edam Entertainment through Kakao M as the second single from her fifth studio album of the same name. The song is an upbeat pop song with a nostalgic sound.
"Strawberry Moon" is a song by South Korean singer-songwriter IU. It was released on October 19, 2021, through EDAM Entertainment via Kakao M. "Strawberry Moon" was both written and composed by IU, with additional composition credits by Jonghoon Lee and Lee Chae-gyu.
"Eleven" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Ive for their debut single album of the same name. It was released as the group's debut single on December 1, 2021, by Starship Entertainment in conjunction with the single album. Written and produced by Peter Rycroft (Lostboy), Lauren Aquilina, Ryan S. Jhun and Alawn with additional songwriting credits by Seo Ji-eum, "Eleven" is a dance-pop song that lyrically expresses the members' romantic feelings.
"Love Dive" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Ive for their second single album of the same name. It was released as the single album's lead single by Starship Entertainment on April 5, 2022. It is a dark pop and electropop song that incorporates percussion sounds, rhythmic bass, synth and trap mix, with lyrics that "reinterpret cupid of the new era planning to shine on the stage".
"Love Shhh!" is a song recorded by South Korean singer Jo Yu-ri for her first extended play Op.22 Y-Waltz: in Major. It was released as the EP's lead single by Wake One Entertainment on June 2, 2022.
"Love Wins All" is a song by South Korean singer-songwriter IU, released on January 24, 2024, through Edam Entertainment as the lead single from her sixth Korean EP The Winning. It was written by IU and composed by Seo Dong-hwan, and is her first single as a lead artist since "Winter Sleep", released in December 2021. The music video, starring IU alongside BTS member V, was released on the same date. The song achieved a perfect all-kill on the South Korean charts and debuted atop the Circle Digital Chart.
