On January 29, (G)I-DLE made a glorious return with their second full-length album ‘2’. The album recorded over 1.8 million pre-orders, and sold another 1.18 million copies within the first four days of its release, setting new pre-order and first-week sales records for the quintet. The album has also garnered immense success overseas. Not only did it top iTunes Top Album Chart in 24 countries globally, it even clinched No.1 on the US iTunes Top 100 Chart, making it the first time for (G)I-DLE to achieve so.
As we celebrate the incredible success of this album, let’s get to know more about this record-breaking masterpiece that is taking the girl crush queens to new career heights!
2=5, a brand new chapter
The title of most of (G)I-DLE’s previous Korean albums are in the form of “I + verb” such as their latest mini album ‘I feel’. However, this time the title is the number ‘2’, which encompasses several meanings. Not only does it tell that this is the second studio album of (G)I-DLE, but also the inverted image of 2 is 5, which is the number of members in the group. This implies the group’s duality and all the members’ participation in the album-making process. The change in the format of the album title also signifies (G)I-DLE moving on to a new stage of their musical journey.
An empowering anthem dedicated to every “Super Lady”
Being one of the girl crush representatives in K-pop, (G)I-DLE has released various global hits on women empowerment such as “Tomboy”, “Nxde”, and “Queencard”. The title track of this album “Super Lady” is another song that demonstrates the power of women. “Super Lady” dedicates a powerful track to every “Super Lady” around the world, celebrating their beauty and strength within. It showcases the group’s confidence and strength as the members crown themselves as super ladies, and encourage fellow female listeners to follow them to overcome challenges and move forward fearlessly.
In line with the theme of the song, the music video of “Super Lady” celebrates women’s power and charisma as each member acts as a representative female figure around the world. For example, Yuqi plays Cruella de Vil in The Hundred and One Dalmatians, Minnie as Medusa in Greek mythology, and Miyeon as Egyptian queen Cleopatra. By paying tribute to these legendary female figures, the members show their support to female listeners around the world and encourage them to be confident and brave in pursuing their goals.
To bring out the power of the song, the music video for “Super Lady” features grand crowd dance scenes where the members dance along to the intense choreography with the backup dancers on a huge concert stage. World-renowned choreographer Kirsten, who previously choreographed BLACKPINK’s “Lovesick Girls”, notably created the dance. You can probably tell that (G)I-DLE invested heavily in the music video production from the large-scale dance scenes, sophisticated sets, and the members’ glamorous outfits. Soyeon revealed on Knowing Brothers that they spent 11 billion won on the music video!
An album born from the collaborative efforts of the members
Same as (G)I-DLE’s previous title tracks, the group’s leader and in-house producer Soyeon continued to participate in writing and composing “Super Lady”. Apart from the title track, Soyeon was also involved in producing several other B-side tracks including “Revenge”, “Fate” and “Wife”.
Other members also showcase their musical talent by actively participating in the album-making process. Yuqi took part in composing and lyric-making for “Doll” and “Rollie”, and Minnie worked on “Vision” alongside Miyeon in addition to “7 Days”. As Soyeon stated in an interview before the comeback, ‘2’ is an album completed by the collective effort of all (G)I-DLE members.
Exploring different facets of womanhood and breaking the boundaries
Since their debut in 2018, (G)I-DLE has been constantly pushing the boundary of K-pop and girl crush in every album, and this time is no exception. ‘2’ consists of a total of 8 tracks, and each of them dives into different emotions and statuses of women. “Super Lady” demonstrates the strong and confident image of women, and “Doll” sings about the pain of being hurt by the former partner, and the determination not to be taken advantage of anymore, which implies women are not subordinates to men in a romantic relationship, and “7 Days” talks about the feeling of falling in love and their desire to be with their partner, portraying a soft and gentle side of female. This album is a fascinating journey that takes the listener to uncover the diverse images and inner world of women.
Notably, the last song of the album, which is also a pre-released track “Wife”, contests society’s definition of being a good wife. While the song was criticized by some Korean netizens for containing suggestive lyrics, it carries a hidden meaning of women’s emancipation, while women are capable of doing housework and satisfying the sexual needs of men, they have the autonomy of choosing whether or not to do so and the right to express their sexual desire. The bold theme and lyrics of the song once again prove (G)I-DLE as a forerunner of the girl crush concept and a remarkable feminist icon in the K-pop industry.
“Super Lady” Pop-Up Store
To celebrate the comeback with Neverland, (G)I-DLE has opened a “Super Lady” pop-up store in collaboration with Line Friends Square Sinsa in Seoul. The store runs from February 2 to 19, which exhibits the album’s concept photos and members’ outfits in the “Super Lady” music video, as well as features (G)I-DLE’s new album and various merchandise including postcard set, keyring, mini poster, light stick strap, and more. Fans will even be given a photocard of a random member by purchasing an album or for every 30,000 won spent on merchandise.
Do you like ‘2’, and what is your favorite track in the album? Share your thoughts with us on Instagram and Twitter, and let’s continue to show our love and support to the five talented super ladies!
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Featured Image Credit: (G)I-DLE Official Twitter
