Blueming (song)

"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.

"Blueming"
Single by IU
from the EP Love Poem
LanguageKorean
ReleasedNovember 18, 2019 (2019-11-18)
Genre
Length3:37
LabelKakao M
Songwriter(s)
  • IU
  • Lee Jong-hoon
  • Lee Chae-kyu
Producer(s)
  • Lee Jong-hoon
  • Lee Chae-kyu
IU singles chronology
"Love poem"
(2019)		 "Blueming"
(2019)		 "First Winter"
(2019)
Music video
"Blueming" on YouTube

Commercially, the song was a success in South Korea, topping the Gaon Digital Chart and became her 22nd number-one single. 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.

Background

"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 conjuction with the release of the EP.[2] 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".[3]

Music and lyrics

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.[4] A vivacious pop-rock number, it continues her color-oriented lyrics featured in her previous albums Chat-Shire (2015) and Palette (2017).[3] The track interpolates syrupy electric guitar instrumentals with full synths, and a deep, percussive undertone "with IU flexing her fluttery vocals".[5] Lyrically, the songwriting explores the themes of everyday anxieties of modern day romance in a increasingly online and technological world, and how she has come "into bloom" with a 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."[6]

Commercial performance

The song debuted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart, becoming IU's 22nd number-one single in South Korea, and extending her record for the most number ones singles out of any South Korean artist.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

Promotion

The official music video for "Blueming" was uploaded to Kakao M's YouTube channel simultaneously with the release of the single on November 18, 2019. As of January 2021, the music video garnered over 87 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.

Accolades
Awards for "Blueming"
Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards Best Vocal Performance Solo Won [10]
Song of the Year Nominated
2021 Golden Disc Awards Digital Daesang Won [11]
Digital Bonsang Won
Gaon Chart Music Awards Music Steady Seller of the Year Won [12]
Music program awards
Program Date Ref.
Inkigayo (SBS) December 1, 2019 [13]
December 8, 2019 [14]
December 15, 2019 [15]
Music Bank (KBS) December 20, 2019 [16]
December 27, 2019 [17]
Show! Music Core (MBC) December 21, 2019 [18]

Chart performance

Release history
Release dates and formats
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various November 18, 2019
  • Kakao M
 [1]

References
  1. "Love Poem - EP on Apple Music". Apple Music. November 18, 2019.
  2. "Love Poem - EP on Apple Music". Apple Music. November 18, 2019.
  3. Herman, Tamar (November 18, 2019). "IU Unveils 'Love Poem' EP: Watch Music Videos For 'Blueming' and 'Above the Time'". Billboard.
  4. "Key, BPM of Blueming By IU". Musicstax. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  5. "50 best K-pop songs of 2019". KultScene. December 31, 2019.
  6. "The 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2019: Critics' Picks". Billboard. December 29, 2019.
  7. "Digital Chart – Week 47 of 2019" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  8. "2020년 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  9. "IU Chart History: World Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  10. "2020 MAMA Nominees". mama.mwave.me. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  11. "Golden Disc Awards 2021: Blackpink, BTS, Loona and Monsta X win big, here are all the winners of K-pop's biggest honor". Meaww. January 9, 2021.
  12. Raeburn, Brandon (January 11, 2021). "Here are the winners of the 10th Gaon Chart Music Awards – BLACKPINK, BTS, IU, NCT, and more". Bandwagon Asia.
  13. Kim, Min-ji (December 1, 2019). '인기가요' 아이유, 방송 출연 없이 1위…강다니엘·AOA 컴백 [콕TV] ['Inkigayo' above 1 IU, without TV appearances ... Kang Daniel, AOA comeback [Cock TV]]. TV Report (in Korean). Retrieved May 9, 2020 – via Naver.
  14. Park, Yun-jin (December 8, 2019). '인기가요' 아이유, 출연 없이 'Blueming'으로 1위…엑소·세정·박지훈 컴백 [종합] ['Inkigayo' IU, up to one 'Blueming' without the appearance ... EXO · Sejung · Jihoon Park comeback [Comprehensive]]. My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved May 9, 2020 – via Naver.
  15. ‘인기가요’ 아이유 1위, 트리플크라운 달성 ‘박진영→스트레이키즈 컴백’(종합) ['Inkigayo' IU No. 1, to achieve the Triple Crown 'JYP → stray comeback kids (General)]. Newsen (in Korean). December 15, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2020 – via Naver.
  16. "Watch: IU Takes 4th Win For "Blueming" On "Music Bank"; Performances By Super Junior, MAMAMOO, GFRIEND, And More". December 20, 2019.
  17. "뮤직뱅크". 뮤직뱅크 (in Korean). Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  18. '음악중심' 아이유, 방송 출연 없이 1위…Y군·마미손·슬리피 무대 '눈길' [종합] ['Music Core' IU, no one shows up appearances ... Y-Gun, Mami-Son, Sleepy Stage 'Eyes' [Overall]]. Xports News (in Korean). December 21, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2020 – via Naver.
  19. "Digital Chart – Week 47 of 2019" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  20. "Iu Chart History (K-Pop 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  21. "2019년 Digital Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Retrieved January 10, 2020.


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