It has been a decade since they first came together for the one-year project group.
On Tuesday, May 19, members of the Korean pop girl group I.O.I have reunited after nine years and released their third mini-album I.O.I: LOOP.
Serving as lead single of the special extended play, which is issued on the occasion of the team’s 10th anniversary, is the synth-pop track Suddenly.
Member Jeon Somi participated in writing the lyrics of the song that captures longing and memories, the sincerity of the time spent together and the poignancy of a rekindled relationship.
“Amidst the fast-paced daily life, emotions that suddenly appear without warning lead us back to those days through the repeated lyric ‘suddenly’,” the official description read.
The outro also fills the latter part of the song with intensity, with the sound leaving a “complex afterglow,” which tells as if dormant emotions are awakening again and delivers a deep, lingering resonance.
“Like an emotion that arrives suddenly, a story of time that had stopped and reconnects” is the central theme of the three-and-a-half-minute-long video.
It featured nine members that reunited for this comeback — Im Na-young, Chungha, Kim Se-jeong, Jung Chae-yeon, Kim So-hye, Yoo Yeon-jung, Choi Yoo-jung, Kim Do-yeon and Jeon So-mi.
As of this writing, it has been viewed more than 60,000 times on YouTube.
Meanwhile, another song included in this comeback mini-album is IOI (Where My Girls At), which features lyrics and composition by member Jeon Somi.
“It fully captures the energy of I.O.I, is a pop dance track based on an upbeat house rhythm. The addictive synth sound blends with the members’ refreshing vocals, delivering the overwhelming excitement of erasing a 10-year hiatus and the vibrant energy unique to us that has been reconnected.“
As for SPF 100+ (Summer Pop Fantasy), it tells the story that leads listeners back to the dazzling season of our memories and delivers upbeat groove and refreshing sound as an Afrobeats track.
“It cleverly portrays the passionate emotions of reuniting after a long time by likening them to sunblock,” the description further noted. “Beyond a simple summer song, it reconnects us to the season of those days that suddenly come to mind, presenting a brilliant and refreshing fantasy to create together amidst our weary daily lives.”
In IF I, member Yoo Yeon-jung participated in writing and composing the said rock-based track that sings of the realization that although there were moments when people drifted apart in our respective timelines, they will still ultimately always meet each other in the same place.
“It captures the moment of reunion faced after skipping a 10-year hiatus, portraying a relationship that remains unchanged and continues even as time passes, like a movie,” it furthered.
Meanwhile, Then, Now, and Foreover is a ballad written and composed by member Chungha and it captures the “sincere hope” that their time will move again, much like a music box where a melody begins when the spring is wound, even in moments that felt like they had already stopped.
Notably, it is also a follow-up to their title track Shower, which depicts the moment of reunion.
Lastly, the archive track from 2016, Goodbye With A Smile, which was also produced by singer-producer Park Jinyoung, who is also behind the group’s previous hit title track Very Very Very.
“The voices from 10 years ago instantly turn back the stopped time, signaling the beginning of a ‘story that continues,’” the description read.
This song captures a mature greeting that bids farewell with smiles and support for the future, understanding each other’s sincerity as the joyful “hello” that turns into a “hello” of a farewell.
“Like lovers choosing smiles over tears for one another, it is a promise from those days to leave even a painful parting beautiful,” it continued.
Following the end of the first season of Produce 101 in 2016, the group went on to become a powerful force in the scene throughout their year-long promotions.
Some of the hit singles that they have released include Whatta Man, Downpour, and When the Cherry Blossoms Fade.