IU - Mini Album 6 [The Winning] (I WIN Version)

* The outer box is made for shock prevention to protect the product, and scratches, creases, discoloration, etc., may occur during the packaging/shipping process, which cannot be a reason for exchange.

IU
6th Mini Album [The Winning] (I WIN Ver.)
*If the first press is out of stock, the 2nd press can be shipped out.

*Album Specifications

- SLEEVE : 176.5*242*19.5(mm)

- PHOTO BOOK : 172*242*17(mm) / 148p

- CD-R (DISC1) : 120*120(mm)

- ACCORDION PHOTO CARD : 99*107(mm) / spread 528*107(mm) / 1 type included (images vary by version)

- MUGSHOT PHOTO CARD : 100*148(mm) / 1 type included (images vary by version)

- CROSSWORD PUZZLE POSTCARD : 120*120(mm) / 1 type included (images vary by version)

- LOGO STICKER : 3 types included (images vary by version)

- HIDDEN MESSAGE CARD : 128*182(mm) / 1 type included (images vary by version)

- PHOTO CARD : 55*85(mm) / 3 types included (images vary by version)

# PRE-ORDER ONLY

- PHOTO CARD : 55*85(mm) / Randomly included 1 out of 2 types (images vary by version)

TRACK LIST1. Shopper (*Title)
2. Holssi (*Title)
3. Shh.. (Feat. HYEIN, Jo Won-seon & Special Narr. Patti Kim)
4. Love wins all
5. I stan U

IU's 6th Mini Album [The Winning]

This is the first album of my thirties.
The conclusions and details are different, but the energy is the same as when I was twenty-three. I have become an adult with different desires than those I had back then, but the essence of being a ‘greedy person’ remains the same. I erased the questions that troubled me and drew an exclamation mark in their place. The first item on my new list of desires to write in my thirties is ‘victory.’ Now, I am not confused about what I want. I find this version of myself amusing again after a long time.

1. Shopper

A story of shoppers who gather what they want in a store that never closes, based on their own tastes and standards.
The items they put in their carts are very personal. They may seem trivial, excessive, or perhaps strange or not valuable at all according to others' or the world's standards. But shoppers do not care. They listen carefully to realize what they truly want and choose items that will make them happy, filling their carts with their desires and tastes, feeling satisfied.
In this shop, the price tag on the value of one's desires is set only by the shopper themselves. Whether that choice is valuable or not is solely judged by them.

What I have gathered in my cart as a shopper are the emotions and moments I encountered during the 2022 performance ‘The Golden Hour: Under the Orange Sun.’ I felt strong desires that were somewhat unfamiliar to me during that performance.
The two days of performances I faced while feeling a bit of burnout at work completely turned over the theme, atmosphere, and my energy towards this album that I had been preparing. I wanted to challenge myself again, putting aside what was easy and comfortable. The audience on that hot night clarified my mind, which had been spinning in place, delaying the completion of the album.
The voices of tens of thousands entered me clearly like one voice, awakening new desires. I poured the courage and excitement I felt into this song. This time, I hope my voice becomes the ‘courage to have confidence in what you want’ for those who listen to this song. /

An intense Electro-Pop Rock track.
Based on refreshing guitar sounds, various transitions continuously stimulate the ears.
IU's vocals alternate between restraint and expression throughout the song, providing a fun experience as if carbonation is bursting in the mind.
The lively FX sources added here and there enhance the exciting feeling as if shopping in a market.

2. Holssi

In my twenties, I compared my age to a single flower in the album I produced for the first time, ‘CHAT-SHIRE.’
Whether it was a splendid flower or a small flower, I believed back then that I would bloom when the time came.
Now in my thirties, having realized that not everyone in the world has a reason to become a flower or needs to become one, I want to live as a seed floating in the sky. Like an unwearied shopper, I want to wander aimlessly, looking around, and put various options displayed throughout my world into my cart. /

A track with a unique composition based on Hip-Hop/R&B.
On a heavy Drum & Bass foundation, IU's voice expresses various charms, sometimes with the fluidity of an R&B singer, sometimes with the ease of a confident rapper, and sometimes with the cheerfulness and simplicity of a child singing a nursery rhyme.

3. Shh.. (Feat. HYEIN, Jo Won-seon & Special Narr. Patti Kim)

'This is not just a story of friendship.
It is not just a story of love.
There was something more complicated between her and me.'

Names that always win against me.
Names that do not go out of style in my heart.
Names that have guided me to who I am now.
To those who have been special and complicated for a long time. /

Based on a deep Blues sensibility, this song requires attention to the genre changes according to the vocalist.
The IU part has a Soul Blues feel, the HYEIN part has an R&B tone, and the Jo Won-seon part is varied with Rock sounds, optimizing the sound for each artist's timbre.
The unique and seasoned interpretations of the same melody by each vocalist, the top-notch play of IU's band members, and the voice of ‘master’ Patti Kim, who closes this charmingly chaotic song, evoke a sense of diversity in generations and genres, while also creating harmony that encompasses all those layers.

4. Love wins all

Some say we are in an era of great hatred.
It certainly does not seem to be a time filled with love.
In a gray world that is getting colder with visible hostility and indifference,
hoping for victory with invisible love sometimes feels absurd.
However, from my own experience, hatred is always alone, even in moments of great momentum.
On the other hand, love is painfully together, even while running away, breaking, and fading away.
Love has enough chance of winning.

This song tells the story of those who strive to love until the end in a world that hinders love.

As a side note, this album containing five songs has two songs dedicated to the people I love, especially my fans, one of which is this song, Love wins all.
Since I was eighteen, when my life changed overnight with immense love, I have not imagined a day without the setting sun. I vaguely felt lonely, scared, and thought it was natural.
But after thinking about it every day for over ten years, my attitude towards it has gradually changed.
Now, I am not very scared. I do not feel that the moment will be more regrettable or lonely.
Above all, it does not seem that close.
The reason I, who used to be a pessimistic and worried child, could change so much in the meantime is that there were those who continuously reassured me throughout those years.
Thanks to them, I realize that I have never been alone while living as IU.
To my diligent fans who have never left me alone.
Perhaps I want to say thank you for nurturing endless love in my heart, which was born to be pessimistic.
Also, I want to say thank you for choosing to be by my side for reasons I still do not know.
Just as you have done for me, I want to be someone who shares in your moments of rising and setting.
I want to be someone who says, “It’s not scary. Let’s fade away in the most wonderful way.” /

Starting with a minimal and vintage piano intro, this ballad song leads to a maximum outro with a clear structure. It continues IU's series of grand ballads that have received great love from fans, such as ‘Secret,’ ‘To My Name,’ ‘Love Poem,’ and ‘The Sea of Me and You.’ As it progresses to the latter half, the vocals that whirl like a battle and the orchestration reminiscent of a splendid symphony maximize the emotions.
The rhythm feels like soaring through the sky, and the harmony themes that build on top enhance the charm of the 6/8 time signature, while the strings that spread widely gently envelop the overall sound, adding width and depth to the song.
Following IU's delicate vocal techniques and the harmony of a wide-range melody, as you chase the unending build-up, you will soon find yourself focused on IU's final breath at the very end.

5. I stan U

Saying ‘I will be your enthusiastic audience’ is perhaps the most romantic expression I can make to others right now. That is what the meaning of an audience is to me.
I want to sincerely repay the love to those who agreed with my music and words, sparkling with eyes without showing signs of fatigue until the end of a long performance. I want to be a support in your lives as well. I want to live more diligently to preserve the meaning of what we shared. Thank you is too little. Saying I love you is not enough.
Standing face to face, sending affection with our eyes and voices,
I will be your audience. /

Starting with a melodic guitar riff and fresh vocals, passing through a dreamy B-part, breathing together in the chorus, and rushing dynamically through a bridge that plays like a child, this song feels like IU's concert encapsulated in three minutes.
The electric guitar and strings create a harmonious blend, leading the song into an overall Pop rock sound. It is a song where the singer, audience, and band all become each other's audience, breathing together with overflowing emotions.

Product Information Notice

• Product Name : IU (IU) - Mini Album 6th [The Winning] (I WIN Ver.)
• Country of Origin : Korea
• Manufactured/Imported : Kakao Entertainment
• Quality Assurance Standards : According to relevant laws and consumer dispute resolution regulations.
• After-Sales Service Contact Number : ALLKMAG, 070-8065-4645