(G) I-DLE is starting 2021 with a statement: Don’t let anything get in the way down – especially not a breakup. Your fourth EP, I burn, which fell on January 11th, takes listeners to all the mixed emotions of a devastating split, such as sadness, frustration, confusion and, finally, finding the will to move on. Instead of letting the end of a relationship dull their spirits, they liken the experience to a blooming flower – an opportunity to start over. (G) I-DLE’s I burn it is the separation album that everyone needs to hear, because it is a reminder that something beautiful can emerge from the darkness.
After singing about the experience of capturing feelings on her 2018 debut EP, I am, and find love in your subsequent projects I made and I trust, the girls are telling a very different story with I burn. Now, they are exploring the uglier side of love. MINNIE told Elite Daily that the message behind the EP is about being strong enough to overcome anything. “[I burn] describes the story that, although these scars can hurt me, they make me shine and bloom a red flower “, she says.
Starting with the emotional track “HANN (Alone In Winter)” – a return to the 2018 song “HANN” – (G) I-DLE sings about feeling lost without an ex. The EP’s first single “HWAA” is equally raw. In it, the girls compare their loneliness to winter. “The cold wind and the heart covered with white snow / That will melt completely at dawn / Light a fire”, they sing.
Since winter is often associated with loneliness, (G) I-DLE waited until January to release his album. “The title track was made a year ago. We were just waiting for the right time, and the right time happened to be this time,” reveals YUQI, with SOOJIN adding: “Our goal was to release songs that would adapt to the cold climate.”
(G) I-DLE ensures that they are deeply involved in all of their projects as one of the few self-produced female groups in K-Pop. “We can make the kind of music we want and say the things we want to say,” says SOYEON.
At least one member helped write each song on I burn. SOYEON contributed “HANN (Alone in winter),” “HWAA” and “Where Is Love”, while MINNIE helped “MOON” and “DAHLIA”. “LOST” also marks the first track written by YUQI. Since some artists in the music industry turn to fashion hooks and lyrics instead of authenticity, SHUHUA emphasizes that girls have always been proud to keep it real. “Since the preview, we always thought that we should do what we want to do,” she says.
The girls even thought a lot about their tracklist. “We try to organize the order of the tracks based on the story of the lyrics, [so] there’s a sense of connectivity from the first track to the last track, ”explains MINNIE. That’s why the story of getting burned by a split and then growing up to something stronger is easy to follow for I burn. It starts with “HANN (Alone in winter)” – a song about separation – and ends with “DAHLIA” – an inspirational track that bears the name of a flower.
Putting your personal touch on your albums results in the most identifiable design possible for fans. “I tend to write my songs based on something that empathizes when I was working on the music or my emotions at the time,” says MINNIE. SOYEON agrees that genuine stories make the best songs. She says: “I wanted to talk about a real breakup. Not at the very moment when a relationship ends, but at the moment when the two lovers completely forget.”
Although fans may never know exactly who or what inspired (G) I-DLE to write their striking break-up lyrics, just the fact that fans are listening and finding strength in them is therapeutic for the girls. MIYEON feels that (G) I-DLE can overcome anything because they have their fans by their side. She says, “Beloved NEVERLAND! Thanks to your love and support, I feel warm in this cold winter.”