Lilac (IU album)
Background and conception
Background and conception
-------------------------

On September 8, 2020, [IU](/wiki/IU_%28singer%29 "IU (singer)") uploaded a video of herself as Lee Ji\-dong, her [Edam Entertainment](/wiki/Kakao_M "Kakao M") employee [alter\-ego](/wiki/Alter_ego "Alter ego"), on her official [YouTube](/wiki/YouTube "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](/wiki/W_%28magazine%29 "W (magazine)")* 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](/wiki/Korean_age_reckoning "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 closes IU's "twenties series", comprising the past releases *[Spring of a Twenty Year Old](/wiki/Spring_of_a_Twenty_Year_Old "Spring of a Twenty Year Old")*, "[Twenty\-Three](/wiki/Twenty-Three_%28song%29 "Twenty-Three (song)")", "[Palette](/wiki/Palette_%28song%29 "Palette (song)")" and "[Eight](/wiki/Eight_%28song%29 "Eight (song)")".

### Songs

*Lilac* ranges from [city pop](/wiki/City_pop "City pop"), [retro funk](/wiki/Retro-funk "Retro-funk"), and [ballad](/wiki/Sentimental_ballad "Sentimental ballad"), to [indie pop](/wiki/Indie_pop "Indie pop") and [reggae](/wiki/Reggae "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](/wiki/1970s_in_music "1970s in music") and the [1980s](/wiki/1980s_in_music "1980s in music"), 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](/wiki/Good_Day_%28IU_song%29 "Good Day (IU song)")", "[You \& I](/wiki/You_%26_I_%28IU_song%29 "You & I (IU song)")", "[The Red Shoes](/wiki/The_Red_Shoes_%28IU_song%29 "The Red Shoes (IU song)")" and "[Every End of the Day](/wiki/Every_End_of_the_Day "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](/wiki/String_%28music%29 "String (music)") and [electric guitar](/wiki/Electric_guitar "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](/wiki/Reggae "Reggae") and [bossa nova](/wiki/Bossa_nova "Bossa nova") and tells of an [on\-again, off\-again relationship](/wiki/On-again%2C_off-again_relationship "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](/wiki/Through_the_Night_%28IU_song%29 "Through the Night (IU song)")". It is an orchestral piece that combines "[Dear Name](/wiki/Dear_Name "Dear Name")", "[Love Poem](/wiki/Love_Poem_%28song%29 "Love Poem (song)")", and "[Secret](/wiki/Last_Fantasy "Last Fantasy")". The song runs for five minutes and 16 seconds, a numerical representation of IU's birthday, May 16\. The music starts calm and [crescendos](/wiki/Dynamics_%28music%29 "Dynamics (music)") 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*](/wiki/Modern_Times_%28IU_album%29 "Modern Times (IU album)"), and in which she sings with a "vague, moving and dreamy voice".


Who composed 'Through the Night', a song similar to 'My Sea'?