Maps of Music
Palette (2017)
Where the lyrics of Palette take you, and where it was really made.
Palette is the album where IU stopped writing about her twenties and started writing about herself as an adult, and it went number one on three singles.
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Overview
- Palette: fourth studio album by South Korean singer-songwriter IU
- Released 21 April 2017 by LOEN Entertainment under its imprint FAVE Entertainment
- First album since Chat-Shire (2015)
- First full-length release since Modern Times (2013)
- Album reads like the final chapters of a bildungsroman, with the main character embracing adulthood
Background
- Predecessor Chat-Shire dealt with the confusion and anxieties of a twenty-three-year-old
- Palette offers the perspective of someone at a more mature stage in life
- Three singles: "Through the Night" (lead, 24 March 2017), "Can't Love You Anymore" (7 April), title track "Palette" (21 April)
- Title comes from an art-class moment: the palette caught IU's attention more than the artwork itself
Cover
- Shoot took one day, with IU wearing "15 sets" of clothing
- Some photos repeat poses and shots from her previous album Last Fantasy, to show the growth in maturity
- Photographer Mok Jungwook also worked on Modern Times and Chat-Shire
- Stylist Noh Juhee, hair stylist Seo Yun and makeup artist Shin Ae have worked with IU since her debut
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Tracklist
| 1 | 이 지금 | 2:58 |
| 2 | 팔레트 | 3:40 |
| 3 | 이런 엔딩 | 4:12 |
| 4 | 사랑이 잘 | 3:15 |
| 5 | 잼잼 | 3:41 |
| 6 | Black Out | 3:50 |
| 7 | 마침표 | 3:59 |
| 8 | 밤편지 | 4:13 |
| 9 | 그렇게 사랑은 | 4:44 |
| 10 | 이름에게 | 4:52 |
Sources: musicbrainz.org
Artist
Formation
- Lee Ji-eun (born May 16, 1993), known by stage name IU, is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actress.
- Signed with LOEN Entertainment (now Kakao Entertainment) in 2007 as a trainee.
- Debuted as a singer in 2008 at age fifteen with the EP Lost and Found.
- Achieved national stardom with "Good Day" from the 2010 EP Real.
Career
- "Good Day" spent five consecutive weeks at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart.
- Her 2011 albums Real+ and Last Fantasy established her as a major force in South Korean music.
- Her musical style matured over time, moving beyond mainstream K-pop and increasing her creative control as lyricist and producer.
- Her 2020 single "Eight" (prod. by Suga) was her first to reach number one on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart.
- Has released five studio albums and twelve EPs, with thirty-one number-one singles.
- Gained acting recognition with roles in Dream High (2011), My Mister (2018), and When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025).
- Held a solo concert, The Golden Hour, at Seoul Olympic Stadium in September 2022, the first Korean female artist to do so.
- Known as the "Queen of K-pop" by NME and Billboard in 2024.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Reception
At release
- Billboard (Jeff Benjamin): wrote that IU has gradually taken full artistic control of her music since her 2008 debut EP Lost and Found, and that Palette is almost entirely written by her and reveals what is going on in her head
- Billboard: called the album "the year's shining example of the power in personal K-pop", praising the varied sounds and stories that show the star beneath the gowns and makeup
- Fuse: listed Palette at number 9 on its 20 Best Albums of 2017, the only Korean release on the list, calling it a major case for the power of personal K-pop
- The 405 (Chase McMullen): said the best moments come when she lets her own quest for self-actualization shine through, describing it as the album of a young adult finding herself
Reappraisal
- Billboard named the album number one on its 20 Best K-Pop Albums of 2017 list
- EBS named it among the 100 best Korean albums since 2004
Records
- Melon Music Award: Album of the Year; Artist of the Year nomination
- 27th Seoul Music Awards: Best Album Award
- 15th Korean Music Awards: Best Pop Album
- All three singles reached number one on the Gaon Digital Chart, one of few albums with three or more number-one singles
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- Palette is the album on which IU first handled most of the writing herself, according to Billboard's account of her gradual move toward full artistic control.
- The lead single "Through the Night" came out on 24 March 2017, about four weeks before the album.
- The title track "Palette" features G-DRAGON.
- The single "Can't Love You Anymore" came out on 7 April 2017.
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org