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''I Burn'' (stylized in
sentence case Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing systems ...
) is the fourth Korean
extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
(sixth overall) by South Korean girl group
(G)I-dle I-dle (; stylized in all lowercase), formerly known as (G)I-dle (), is a South Korean girl group formed by Cube Entertainment in 2018. The group consists of five members: Miyeon, Minnie (singer), Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi, and Shuhua. Originally a se ...
. It was released on January 11, 2021, by
Cube Entertainment Cube Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean entertainment company. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and music publishing house. Cube are known for h ...
and
Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...
. The EP consists of three physical versions: Winter, Flower and Fire, and contains six tracks, including the lead single " Hwaa". The album contains various emotions felt in the process of regaining happiness after separation. ''I Burn'' is the fourth of the 'I' series, which started from the debut album, ''
I Am I Am or I'm may refer to: Language and literature * "I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name ** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible * "I Am" ( ...
'' (2018). Commercially, the EP surpassed 200,000 copies, making it the group's first project to do so. ''I Burn'' is the group's final release as a sextet, before Soojin's hiatus and subsequent departure from the group in August 2021.


Background and promotion

On December 9, Newsen reported that
(G)I-dle I-dle (; stylized in all lowercase), formerly known as (G)I-dle (), is a South Korean girl group formed by Cube Entertainment in 2018. The group consists of five members: Miyeon, Minnie (singer), Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi, and Shuhua. Originally a se ...
would be making a comeback in mid-January.
Cube Entertainment Cube Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean entertainment company. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and music publishing house. Cube are known for h ...
confirmed the news, stating, "(G)I-dle is preparing for a comeback with goals for release in mid-January. Please look forward to their return." On December 27, Cube released a visual film announcing their comeback through the official
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel of the group. The video features various elements of nature such as rain, fire, flowers, and butterflies. On December 28, the group confirmed the album title in a post across all the group's
social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...
accounts, and that ''I Burn'' would be released on January 11, 2021. On December 31, (G)I-dle revealed the album's track-list on their social media. On January 2, 2021, the concept preview video of the album was released. On January 6, the group released the highlight medley for their new album. On January 11, the group held an online media showcase for the release of ''I Burn'' hosted by broadcaster Oh Jung-yeon, who appeared in ''I'm a Survivor'' with Yuqi. During the showcase, Yuqi described the intro song "Hann (Alone in Winter)" as a song that connects with the digital single " Hann (Alone)" and the title song "Hwaa". "It's similar to "Hann" but it gives a different feel to it."


Music and lyrics

Members
Minnie As a first name, Minnie is a feminine given name. It can be a diminutive (hypocorism) of Minerva, Winifred, Wilhelmina, Willemina, Winona, Margaret, Hermione, Jasmine, Mary, Miriam, Maria, Marie, Naomi, Miranda, Clementine, Dominique, Dom ...
,
Soyeon Jeon So-yeon (; born August 26, 1998), known mononymously as Soyeon, is a South Korean rapper and record producer under Cube Entertainment. She first gained attention for competing in the television shows ''Produce 101'' and ''Unpretty Rapstar ...
and
Yuqi Song Yuqi (, ; born September 23, 1999), known mononymously as Yuqi, is a Chinese singer-songwriter, dancer and record producer. She is a member of the South Korean girl group I-dle, which debuted as (G)I-dle under Cube Entertainment in May 201 ...
participated in the composing and writing of ''I Burn''.
(G)I-dle I-dle (; stylized in all lowercase), formerly known as (G)I-dle (), is a South Korean girl group formed by Cube Entertainment in 2018. The group consists of five members: Miyeon, Minnie (singer), Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi, and Shuhua. Originally a se ...
explained that ''I Burn'' is about various emotions felt in the process of regaining happiness after separation. "Hann (Alone in Winter)" represents the cold aftermath of a breakup; "Hwaa" is about getting over a heartbreaking farewell; "Moon" touches on the desire to hide one's feelings; and "Where is Love" explores the emptiness of love. "Hann (Alone in Winter)" is a song composed, written and arranged by Soyeon and Ahn Ye-eun. It tells the change of feelings as winter comes from the lonely being alone through betrayal and separation. Minnie, who is in charge of composing "
Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
" described that the song contains honest feelings that cannot be shown to others. "I personally cherish it so much." The song was composed by Minnie with the thought of the Moon. Regarding "Dahlia", Minnie explained that the song depicts two opposite meanings; greed and attraction. "It's a song that I studied hard and wrote the lyrics to see if I can express the flowers beautifully." The songs were arranged based on the stories in the lyrics. Minnie explained, "there is a sense of connectivity from the first track through the last track. That's why the story of getting burned by a breakup and then growing into something stronger is easy to follow throughout I burn. It begins with "Hann (Alone in Winter)" — a song about separation — and ends with "Dahlia" — an uplifting track named after a flower."


Songs

The opening track, "Hann (Alone in Winter)" is a medium-tempo
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
that connects the group's 2018 single " Hann (Alone)" with the album's title track "Hwaa". The second song, " Hwaa" is a
moombahton Moombahton (, ) is an electronic dance music genre, derived from house music and reggaeton, that was created by American DJ and producer Dave Nada in Washington, D.C., in 2009. Nada coined the name as a portmanteau of "Moombah" (a track by Sur ...
song that adds a cool sensibility to an oriental musical instrument. "
Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
", the third song is a
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
track about honest feelings. "Where is love" is a disco retro styled dance song with a
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
y bass. The song is about feelings after parting. "Lost", the fifth song, is an R&B song. The closing track, "Dahlia", is a medium pop genre song with the theme of a
Dahlia ''Dahlia'' ( , ) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. Dahlias are members of the Asteraceae (synonym name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its relatives include the sun ...
flower.


Critical reception

Gab Ginsberg and Jason Lipshutz writing for ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' describe "Dahlia" as " riveting garden that is "Dahlia", where Miyeon, Minnie, Soojin, Soyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua sing about a love that can't be tainted by outsider critics. Oh Jung-yeon praised (G)I-dle for their songwriting and stated, "Listening to the explanation of the philosophy and emotions of the six members melted into each song, I suddenly wanted to call them 'teachers'." Heran Mamo from ''Billboard'', regarded the album as, "together musical arrangements and Eastern instrumentation to collect the pieces of a broken heart, as I burn describes the aftermath of a painful breakup through the motif of a blazing fire and the sequential triumph like a blooming flower." Michele Mendez of ''
Elite Daily ''Elite Daily'' is an American online news platform founded by David Arabov, Jonathon Francis, and Gerard Adams. The site describes its target audience as millennials. In addition to general news and trending topics, the site offers feature st ...
'' affirmed that ''I Burn'' is "the breakup album everyone needs to hear because it's a reminder something beautiful can emerge from darkness." Writing for ''
The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...
'' online publication, Verónica A. Bastardo remarked: "A theatrical extended player, flooded with grandiloquent orchestral instrumentals mixed with pop structures and EDM drops, that explores in a metaphorical way the path of regaining happiness and strength after the separation from a loved one." Writing for ''
Beats Per Minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...
'', JT Early gave the album a score of 75/100, describing the material as "surprising and emotional project from a girl-group who have sheathed their sharpness to start repairing their internal hurt" .."further established them as one of the most versatile girl-groups in the industry". In the review, the author emphasize that "these songs are self-produced and self-written by the members themselves, as their output has been for years." and concluded "by wholly committing to this concept of defeat and resurrection, they have created a project that is not only relatable and inspiring to listeners, but also an exercise in transparency from the group itself." ''The Kraze magazine'' gave the album a rating of 7.5/10 points and overall score including lead single and music video of 8.6/10 points, praising the production work by Soyeon, Minnie and Yuqi and the member's unique vocal colours.


Commercial performance

According to Hanteo Chart, ''I Burn'' debuted at No. 1 on the daily album chart with 75,510 copies sold. This is higher by 19,147 copies compared to (G)I-dle's '' Dumdi Dumdi'' album released on August 3, 2020, which recorded 56,363 copies in first-day sales. The album also debuted at No.1 on Gaon Retail Album Chart with 59,086 copies sold. On January 13, it was reported that the album charted on
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
Top Album charts in 52 regions around the world, including the Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada, Russia, Brazil, Italy and Finland. Moreover, on
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
''I Burn'' spent 3 days atop the summit of the iTunes Worldwide Albums Chart, beating out the record of their previous EP, ''
I Trust ''I Trust'' (stylized in Letter case#Sentence case, sentence case) is the third Korean extended play (fourth overall) by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle. It was released digitally on April 6, 2020 and physically on April 7, 2020 by Cube Entertai ...
''. In
Melon A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. It can also specifically refer to ''Cucumis melo'', commonly known as the "true melon" or simply "melon". The term "melon" can apply to both the p ...
chart, (G)I-dle not only charted "Hwaa", but also all the songs from ''I Burn''. This is the first time that the group has made such achievement since its debut in 2018. On the chart issued January 10–16, 2021, ''I Burn'' debuted at number 3 on South Korea's
Gaon Album Chart The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Koreabased on their Record sales, physical sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, ...
, and Gaon Weekly Retail Album Chart. It also scored their best one-week sales with 115,500 copies. Moreover, all songs in the EP entered the
Gaon Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...
. The US-released on April 30, 2021, the album debuted at number 10 on the US Billboard World Album, number 20 on the US Billboard
Heatseekers Albums The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...
, and rank at number 22 on the Billboard Top Current Album Sales chart. They also charted at number 54 on Billboard
Top Album Sales The Top Album Sales is a music chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine listing each week's top-selling albums in the United States. The chart has been published since December 13, 2014, although the magazine also retrospectively recognize ...
chart, making it their first entry on the chart, and peaked at number 20 on the Billboard
Emerging Artists The Emerging Artists is a music chart released weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine listing the most popular developing musician, music artists. The chart uses the same formula as the all-encompassing Artist 100, ''Billboard'' Art ...
Chart since the released of ''
I Trust ''I Trust'' (stylized in Letter case#Sentence case, sentence case) is the third Korean extended play (fourth overall) by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle. It was released digitally on April 6, 2020 and physically on April 7, 2020 by Cube Entertai ...
'' (2020).


Artwork and packaging

(G)I-dle released three physical album versions for ''I Burn''. In Winter version (), the group showed a cold and lonely winter atmosphere wearing white dresses in a space full of antique props, lace fabrics, and lit candles. In Flower version (), the group showed in dresses with colourful patterns that contrast with the cold blue background. In Fire version (), the group shows their charms through shaking images that expressed as the fire is spreading while holding props reminiscent of a blazing flame in the pitch-black darkness and emit vivid light. Every version of the EP contains a sleeve, a booklet, a lyric paper, a CD, a CD package, a mini-poster, a postcard with a message on the card, a photo card, a lucky card and a sticker paper.


Track listing

Notes * "Hann (Alone in Winter)" stylized as "HANN (Alone in winter)". * "Hwaa", "Moon", "Lost", and "Dahlia" stylized in
all caps In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...
. * "Where Is Love" stylized in
sentence case Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing systems ...
.


Accolades

''I Burn'' was included in the mid-year list of ''
South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remaine ...
'' Best K-pop albums of 2021, calling it "short and sweet" and an "intense, impassioned show of the band’s dynamic vocals, offering up the ultimate take on getting over a fiery love affair and its resulting break-up. ..The cinematic album ..incorporates elements of moombahton, nu-disco, R&B, and pop, blending with traditional Eastern musical elements to create something that is very 2021 and yet timeless."


Charts


Weekly charts


Monthly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications and sales


Release history


References


External links

* * {{Authority control 2021 EPs Cube Entertainment EPs (G)I-dle EPs Korean-language EPs 2020s Korean-language albums Universal Music Group EPs Kakao M EPs Republic Records EPs Albums produced by Soyeon Albums produced by Minnie (singer) Albums produced by Yuqi