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.