IU, new song 'From This Star' ranks 2nd on Melon... Music video reaches 3.6 million views in 22 hours

IU showcased his storytelling abilities by releasing the single ″From This Star″ at 6 p.m. on the 10th. This single includes two tracks: the title song ″From This Star″ and ″Dear my crazy soulmate.″ ″From This Star″ ranked second on the Melon TOP 100 chart immediately after its release. On the same day at 3 p.m., ″Dear my crazy soulmate″ also appeared at eighth place on the chart. ″From This Star″ is a dream pop genre arranged with synth pads, emphasizing a dreamy atmosphere. ″Dear my crazy soulmate″ is a song dedicated to actress Yoo In-na, with a dedication reading ″To Yoo In-na″ in the album notes. It expresses the friendship between Yoo In-na and IU, who have been connected for about 16 years, through music and the music video. The lyrics include lines such as ″Until the world eventually gives up on us, just the two of us like this,″ ″You can be weird in front of me forever, and that’s why I like you more,″ and ″My dream is for us to become two weird grandmas together.″ The music video features Kim Young-ok and Na Moon-hee portraying their friendship. The story depicts Kim Young-ok breaking the glass of a police station to enter a prison to meet Na Moon-hee, who is a prison guard. The video is characterized by visuals emphasizing yellow and purple colors. Kim Young-ok’s playful acting contrasts with Na Moon-hee’s calm expressions. The ″Dear my crazy soulmate″ music video reached 3.6 million views within 22 hours of its release. Comments on YouTube included, ″Has there ever been such a wonderful music video starring two older actresses?″ and ″After watching the teaser, I wondered if IU and Kim Young-ok were the main characters, but IU appeared more like a cameo. They made the music video like a movie. The best music video I’ve seen this year.″ Other fans wrote, ″It seems like a song written to Yoo In-na to be together forever. Truly a romantic,″ and ″They say highly developed friendship is like love, and women’s friendship is more beautiful than any love, which brings tears to my eyes.″ This single involved not only domestic producers such as Seo Dong-hwan and Lee Jong-hoon but also overseas producers. This is the first time in five years since his fifth studio album ″LILAC″ in 2021 that IU has collaborated with foreign producers. Having passed through his teens and twenties and now entering his thirties, IU is challenging various productions. The concerns about his musical direction are reflected in this single, drawing attention. Meanwhile, despite the musical experimentation, some evaluations suggest there has been little change in IU’s vocals. Opinions were raised that the dreamy synth sound and IU’s clear vocals did not fully blend into a single atmosphere.