IU’s 4th Album’s Pre-Release Track ‘Through The Night’ Gets Perfect All-Kill

In the Korean music industry, most look forward to the comebacks of boy bands and girl groups, yet Lee Ji Eun — better known by her stage name, IU — is one of the few exceptions. Since 2008, IU has made a name for herself as a successful soloist. Her popularity was further extended when she also pursued a career in acting. Now she is one of the top K-pop idol actresses in Hallyu today.

Usually, IU follows a patter,n switching from singing to acting and back to singing again. Her last stints in both were successful, but were also met with controversy. As a musician, IU’s last release was her seventh EP, or mini-album, Chat-Shire. It was successful as it sold over 50,000 copies in South Korea and almost 1,000 copies in Japan which includes over 1.6 million purchased downloads of the song “Twenty-Three.” However, it was also met with accusations of plagiarizing Britney Spears’s voice and using child abuse as a topic.

As for her acting, IU played the lead female role in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo opposite Lee Joon Gi (The King and the Clown, The Scholar Who Walks The Night). The Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) period K-drama was in a weird spot, as it was not popular among Korean audiences, yet it was a hit internationally. Still, many K-drama fans criticized the inclusion of K-pop stars, IU included, as they are often said to be terrible actors and actresses.

Simply put, IU needed something new in her career that didn’t involve any criticism or controversy. Fortunately, that is what she’s getting with her latest K-pop comeback, her fourth studio album, and pre-release song, “Through the Night.” It has achieved a Perfect All-Kill.

The news of IU getting a Perfect All-Kill was recently announced when the Korean music charts were updated, as reported by AllKpop. “Through the Night” earned a Certified All-Kill, which is when a song ranks number one on all the major real-time and daily charts, as well as Instiz’s real time iChart and weekly iChart. However, if they are all number one on the same week, it is known as a Perfect All-Kill, and that is what IU achieved.

It must be heavily stressed that “Through the Night” isn’t even the featured single of the upcoming fourth studio album. As a matter of fact, we don’t even know what the fourth studio album’s title is either. “Through the Night” is actually one of two pre-release tracks for it. This was revealed 10 days ago when her label and agency, LOEN Entertainment, released the following statement to the media.

“IU will be reuniting with her fans through her 4th full album on April 21. Ahead of her full album release, she’ll be releasing two pre-releases on March 24 and April 7.

“IU, who is in the final production stages of her album, will showcase a variety of music, including collaborations with numerous artists of all skills. Please anticipate experimental sounds, unique lyrical emotions, and a well-made album.”

In about 15 days, fans will get another pre-release song prior to the album’s release. IU might actually have two Perfect All-Kills in less than a month’s time if things go her way. And for those who still question IU’s achievement, the music video for “Through the Night” is attached above. The views and the likes don’t lie.

[Featured Image by LOEN Entertainment/Image Capture of “Through the Night”]