"If I Say, I Love You" () is a song recorded by South Korean boy band

BoyNextDoor BoyNextDoor (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by KOZ Entertainment in 2023. The group consists of six members: Sungho, Riwoo, Jaehyun, Taesan, Leehan, and Woonhak. Characterized by its eponymous 'wikt:boy next door, boy ...

KOZ Entertainment Hybe Co., Ltd. (; stylized as Hybe Corporation; commonly known as simply Hybe) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment company established in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk as Big Hit Entertainment Co., Ltd. The compan ...

released the song as the group's first

digital single In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

on January 6, 2025. Members Taesan and Woonhak wrote the song with co-writer Kako. Described as a

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

song, "If I Say, I Love You" revolves around the emotion of "patheticness", narrating the aftermath of a breakup in a

self-deprecating Self-deprecation is the act of reprimanding oneself by belittling, undervaluing, disparaging oneself, or being excessively modest. It can be used as a way to make complaints, express modesty, invoke optimal reactions or add humour. It may also be ...

fashion. The single was accompanied with a winter-themed music video with elements of a

slice of life Slice of life is a depiction of mundane experiences in art and entertainment. In theater, slice of life refers to Naturalism (theatre), naturalism, while in literary parlance it is a narrative technique in which a seemingly arbitrary sequence ...

plot. Although critical reception was lukewarm, "If I Say, I Love You" received awards during its promotion in the

music programs of South Korea Music programs of South Korea are broadcast weekly, with different artists performing on the shows to promote their music. South Korea's largest broadcasting companies each have their own show, which are broadcast on different channels. SBS has ...

. A Japanese version of the song was released as a digital single on January 31, 2025, through

Universal Music Japan , often referred to as just Universal Music Japan or UMJ, is a Japanese subsidiary of the Universal Music Group founded in 1990. It is the largest subsidiary for a foreign company in Japan regarding music distribution. The company is responsible ...

Background

released their third

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 ...

(EP) '' 19.99'' in September 2024, which focused on self-expression and introspection, drawing from the group's experiences in their transition to adulthood. The EP was fronted by the singles "Dangerous" and "Nice Guy", which presented themes of rebellion and self-confidence respectively. In support of ''19.99'' and its preceding releases, BoyNextDoor embarked on their debut world tour,

Knock On Vol.1 Tour The Knock On Vol.1 Tour is the ongoing debut concert tour by South Korean boy band BoyNextDoor, in support of their first four releases—'' Who!'', '' Why..'', '' How?'', and '' 19.99''. The tour began in Incheon, South Korea, on December 14, 20 ...

. During their first show at the Inspire Arena in

Incheon Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...

, the group announced their first digital single "If I Say, I Love You".

Composition

"If I Say, I Love You" is an upbeat

song with a runtime of two minutes and 41 seconds. Taesan and Woonhak wrote the song's lyrics, with Kako and Woonhak credited as co-writers. Frequent collaborators Pop Time, Kako, Ryo, and Zico composed the track with Pop Time, Daily, and Likely assisting with the song's arrangement. Aiming for a "fresh new narrative" after the "confident and bold" themes of ''19.99'', the members explored the emotion of "patheticness" in the track. The lyrics narrate the aftermath of a breakup in a

light from the perspective of the "younger generation". Member Riwoo noted that given the lyrical themes, the upbeat production commanded a vocal performance that balanced excitement and depression.

Critical reception

Writing a 1.5-star review for the online magazine ''

IZM ''IZM'' () is a South Korean online magazine that publishes pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Stre ...

'', So Seung-geun opined that the track shares similarities with

Choi Ye-na Choi Ye-na (, born September 29, 1999), known mononymous person, mononymously as Yena, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is a soloist and actress under Yuehua Entertainment, and a former member of South Korean–Japanese girl group Iz*O ...

's 2024 single "Nemonemo". So added that KOZ's characteristic production styles and the track's "contrived melodies and unreasonable progressions" erode the members' vocals, describing the end product as a "slump".

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for "If I Say, I Love You" follows a narrative structure, depicting the six members as different personalities of the same boy dealing with the aftermath of a rejection. With a length of four minutes and eight seconds, the video follows a

plot set in the backdrop of winter.

Accolades

"If I Say, I Love You" won its first music program win in the January 16, 2025, episode of ''

M Countdown ''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet from the CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul. It features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. First hosted by Leeteuk ...

and its second on the January 19, 2025, episode of

Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' (; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform on stage. ...

''.

Release and promotion

"If I Say, I Love You", alongside its music video, was released on January 6, 2025. The single was promoted with a winter concept, with accompanying promotional images released on December 27 and 28. The band collaborated with the department store franchise

Shinsegae Shinsegae Inc. (, ) is a South Korean department store Franchising, franchise, along with several other businesses, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. The firm is an affiliate of Shinsegae Group, South Korea's leading retail ''chaebol'', and ...

to screen the release of the music video on the landmark digital billboard of its flagship store in the

Myeong-dong Myeong-dong () is a ''dong'' (neighborhood) in Jung District, Seoul, South Korea between Chungmu-ro, Eulji-ro, and Namdaemun-ro. Myeongdong is known for being one of Seoul's main shopping, parade route, and tourism districts. Jung-gu Office, ...

neighborhood in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. A Japanese version of the song followed as a digital single on January 31.

Lyric changes

The inclusion of the Japanese phrase for in the chorus prompted KOZ to change the line in English to "I want you" in some promotions for terrestrial television. A broadcasting official interviewed by '' The Dong-a Ilbo'' noted that while the blanket ban on Japanese pop culture instituted by former President

Kim Dae-jung Kim Dae-jung (, ; 6 January 192418 August 2009) was a South Korean politician, activist and statesman who served as the eighth president of South Korea from 1998 to 2003. Kim entered politics as a member of the new wing of the Democratic Pa ...

was lifted in January 2004, regulations on the use of the Japanese language in Korean songs remains ambiguous, being left to producers who "take into account

anti-Japanese sentiment Anti-Japanese sentiment (also called Japanophobia, Nipponophobia and anti-Japanism) is the fear or dislike of Japan or Japanese culture. Anti-Japanese sentiment can take many forms, from antipathy toward Japan as a country to racist hatr ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Release history

References

{{BoyNextDoor 2025 songs 2025 singles Songs in Korean Hybe Corporation singles BoyNextDoor songs South Korean dance-pop songs