''Kill My Doubt'' (stylized in all caps) is the seventh

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) by South Korean girl group

Itzy Itzy (; Japanese language, Japanese: イッチ; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group consists of five members: Yeji (singer), Yeji, Lia (South Korean singer), Lia, Ryujin (rapper), Ryujin, Chae ...

, released on July 31, 2023, through

JYP Entertainment JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1997 by Park Jin-young, J. Y. Park. Operating as a record label, talent ...

, 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 ...

, eight months following the release of ''

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

'' (2022). Inspired by the conversations shared by the members and their company following the release of ''Cheshire'', ''Kill My Doubt'' lyrically revolves around the message of overcoming adversity and self-doubt. The EP comprises six tracks and is supported by the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

Cake Cake is a flour confection usually made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elabor ...

". The release of the EP was preceded by

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 ...

s for album tracks "Bet on Me" and "None of My Business". Commercially, ''Kill My Doubt'' debuted at number one on South Korea's

Circle 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, ...

with 1,299,329 copies sold in the first week of release, becoming Itzy's sixth number-one album on the chart. In October 2023, the EP was certified

Million 1,000,000 (one million), or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian ''millione'' (''milione'' in modern Italian), from ''mille'', "thousand", plus the ...

by the

Korea Music Content Association The Korea Music Content Association (KMCA; ) is a non‐profit organization representing major music content producers and distributors in South Korea. History The KMCA was established on December 9, 2008, and registered with the Ministry of ...

(KMCA) for surpassing 1,000,000 copies sold, the group's third million-seller album.

Background

In 2022, Itzy released their fifth and sixth extended plays. ''Checkmate'', their fifth EP, was released on July 15 and was accompanied by a world tour of the same name, which ran from August 2022 to April 2023. While on tour, Itzy released their sixth EP, ''Cheshire'', on November 30. While both releases were met with commercial success, "

Sneakers Sneakers (American English, US) or trainers (British English, UK), also known by a #Names, wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but are also widely used for everyday casual ...

", the lead single of ''Checkmate'', was subject to criticism and contention, in contrast to positive reception received by the album's

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

tracks. Meanwhile, ''Cheshire'' was seen as a "mature update" to the quintet's sound, though the pre-release single " Boys Like You" was criticized by media outlets such as ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'', for having "painfully juvenile" lyrics. Following the release of ''Cheshire'', the quintet began working on their next release. Such plans were first revealed by member Chaeryeong in an interview with the American morning program ''

Good Day New York ''Good Day New York'' is a morning show airing on WNYW Fox 5 (channel 5), hosted by Rosanna Scotto and Curt Menefee. It is a Fox owned-and-operated television station in New York City, owned by the Fox Television Stations subsidiary of Fox C ...

'' on May 22, 2023. On June 18, ''

Sports Chosun ''The Chosun Ilbo'' (, ), also known as ''The Chosun Daily,'' is a Korean-language newspaper of record for South Korea and among the oldest active newspapers in the country. With a daily circulation of more than 1,800,000, ''The'' ''Chosun Ilbo ...

'' reported that Itzy would release new music in the summer, which would mark their first release in over seven months. The following day, fans sent trucks bearing protest messages to the headquarters of

demanding better treatment and promotion of the group. Soon thereafter,

announced the group's seventh extended play, titled ''Kill My Doubt'', through a teaser trailer. The trailer was followed by the release of the EP's track list and details of the promotion schedule. Amid the promotions for the EP, the protests continued.

Music and lyrics

''Kill My Doubt'' has runtime of 17 minutes and 41 seconds and consists of six tracks. Thematically, the album revolves around the message of overcoming adversity. In an interview with '' W Korea'', member

Lia Lia is a feminine given name. In the Spanish-speaking world, it is accented Lía. In English-speaking countries, the name may be a variant of Leah or Lea. Lia may be a diminutive of various names including Julia, Cecilia, Amelia, Talia, Cornel ...

explained that the EP was derived on conversations from the one-on-one interviews between the members and the company's production team during the post-production phase of ''Cheshire''. Member Yuna added that the EP intends to "deliver the message that we should overcome and regain our confidence". A variety of songwriters were involved in the writing of the extended play, including

Black Eyed Pilseung Black Eyed Pilseung () is a South Korean music production and songwriting duo made up of Rado (Song Joo-young) and Choi Kyu-sung, formed in 2014. They have produced hit K-pop songs such as Sistar's " Touch My Body"; Miss A's " Only You"; Twi ...

, who had previously worked with

Twice Twice (; Japanese language, Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ''Tuwaisu''; commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon ...

, and

Park Jin-young Park Jin-young (; born December 13, 1971), also known by his stage names J. Y. Park and The Asiansoul or the initials JYP, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, record executive, and reality television show judge. Park rose to s ...

Songs

The opening track, "Bet on Me", is a pop song inspired by Park's conversations with the members. The song departs from the quintet's characteristic powerful style and delves into a vulnerable approach, exploring themes of anxiety, confidence, and empowerment. "Cake", the second track, serves as the EP's lead single, and is characterized by the use of energetic brass and drum sounds, expressing the members' confidence. The third track, "None of My Business", is a pop song that expresses apathy towards a former lover characterized a mellow, rhythmic sound.

Release and promotion

Marketing

An "album spoiler" video with audio snippets of the EP's songs and their corresponding choreographies was released online on July 16. Featuring only

Yeji Yeji is a town in the centre of Ghana and the capital of the Pru East District of the Bono East Region in Ghana. Yeji is adjacent to Lake Volta. Yeji is connected by highway to Ejura and Kwadjokrom. It had a population of 29,515 at the censu ...

and Ryujin, the video prompted online debate regarding the absence of the remaining three members. The music for the lead single, "Cake", was promoted through teaser trailers released on July 26 and 28. The EP was released on July 31, in conjunction with the music video for the "Cake". The quintet held a showcase at the

SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium () is an indoor arena, indoor sporting arena located at the Olympic Park, Seoul, Olympic Park in Bangi-dong, Songpa District, Seoul, South Korea. The arena was built from September 1984 to April 1986. History It ...

in support of ''Kill My Doubt'' on the day of the EP's release. A pop-up store at the Hyundai Seoul was opened in support of the EP from July 27 to August 9, where visitors were given pre-access to the EP's six tracks. The production of the EP was chronicled in three "album documentaries" released on

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 ...

; the first was released on July 19.

Music videos

In addition to the lead single, "Cake",

tracks "Bet on Me" and "None of My Business" also received music videos, serving as pre-releases. In a media interview, member Ryujin explained that "Bet on Me" received a music video as the song "best interprets the meaning of the album", while "None of My Business" received a music video as the song's characteristic rhythmic sound was suited for a summer release. The music video was for "Bet on Me" was released online on July 3, with concept art preceding its release, while the music video for "None of My Business" followed on July 24. The video for "Bet on Me" aimed to capture the feeling of being alone, depicting the members in everyday settings, wearing clothing contrasting with their usual bold outfits. It ends with the members running through a dark tunnel, towards a bright light. In the summer-themed video for "None of My Business", the members perform choreography created by Lachica. The final music video, for the lead single "Cake", was released alongside the EP on July 31.

Concept art

Multiple trailers and concept art were released to promote the EP. The EP's first teaser trailer saw the members pose confidently in streetwear on multiple sets to an ominous instrumental. In concept art released on July 11, Itzy was in a space with a "mysterious purple light" and punching bags, showcasing outfits with a "flashy sporty look". More concept art followed the next day, in which the members were seen in

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

inspired outfits. Concept art released on July 13 depicted them in a locker room. Cho Sung-woon of '' Sports Donga'' compared the concept photos for "Bet on Me" to a movie poster, describing them as having a "melancholic tone". The first teaser trailer for "Cake" showcased the members in matching red and white outfits with the text "cake", performing choreography on their hands. In the second teaser trailer, the members were outdoors, where they spilled glitter and balloons from a truck.

Accolades

Commercial performance

On August 1, the Hanteo Chart reported that the album sold over 318,000 units on the day of its release.

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Personnel *

– vocals * J.Y. Park “The Asiansoul" – lyrics, vocal direction,

digital editing In mass communication, digital media is any communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, and preserved on a digital electronic d ...

* 12h51m (VeryGoods) – lyrics * David (Mickey) Karbal – composition * Philip von Boch Scully – composition, arrangement, copyright control programming sessions * Ben Samana – composition * Eli Tepin – composition, keyboard * Lauren Dyson – composition * Kendall Bryson Brower – composition * Aryay (Ascap) – arrangement, original publishing, copyright control programming sessions * Perrie – vocal direction, , background vocals * Lee Sang-yeop – digital editing, recording * Koo Hye-jin – recording * Tony Maserati – mixing * David K. Younghyun – mixing * Kwon Nam-woo – mastering * B.E.P. – lyrics, composition * FLYT – composition, arrangement, sessions guitar, bass, digital editing * Rado (B.E.P.) – arrangement, string, vocal direction, background vocals, digital editing * Ashley Alisha – background vocals * Eom Sae-hee – recording * Kim Min-hee – recording * Curtis Douglas – mixing * Chris Gehringer – mastering * Lee Seu-ran – lyrics * Rachel West – lyrics, composition * Barry Cohen – lyrics, composition * Gingerbread – arrangement, copyright control sessions, programming, guitar, drums, synthesizer, drums, data analysis * Lim Hong-jin – digital editing * Lim Chan-mi – digital editing , recording * Lee Tae-seop – mixing * Kwon Nam-moo – mastering * Ellie Suh (153/Joombas) – lyrics * Liljune (153/Joombas) – lyrics * Ben Haim – lyrics, composition * Adrienne – lyrics, composition * Larus Arnarson – lyrics, composition * Michael Ojike McHenry – lyrics, composition * Daysof1993 – arrangement * Camo – vocal direction * Lee Sang-yeop – digital editing * Danke (La La La Studio) – lyrics, composition * Christian Fast – composition * Gusten Dahlqvist – composition * Sofia Quinn – composition * Noémie Legrand – composition * Gusten Dahlqvist – arrangement, copyright control sessions, computer programming, keyboard * Yue – digital editing * Seo Eun-il – recording * Kang Eun-jang – lyrics * David Burris – composition, arrangement, copyright control sessions, computer programming, keyboard * Young Chance – vocal direction Locations *

JYP Publishing JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1997 by Park Jin-young, J. Y. Park. Operating as a record label, talent ...

(

KOMCA The Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) is a South Korean non-profit copyright collective for musical works, administering public performance and broadcasting rights, and mechanical recording and reproduction rights. Founded in 1964, it ...

) – original publishing, sub-publishing * VeryGoods – original publishing * BellaBella Publishing (BMI) – original publishing * Spirit Two Music – original publishing * BeachBreak Publishing (BMI) – original publishing * THG Publishing / Sony Music (BMI) – original publishing * EKKO Music Rights (powered by CTGA) – sub-publishing , original publishing * Kobalt/EKKO – sub-publishing * JYPE Studio – digital editing, recording , mixing * Chapel Swing Studios – mixing * 821 Sound Mastering – mastering * Universal Music Publishing – original publishing * Music Cube Inc. – original publishing * 821 Sound – recording * Sterling Sound – mixing * Call Me Lisa – original publishing * Songs For Jude & Elle – original publishing * There Are Songs of Pulse (ASCAP) – original publishing * That Ginger Dude (BMI) – original publishing * 153/Joombas Publishing – original publishing, sub-publisher * House of Borealis Publishing/Big Chune Music/Where Da Kasz At (BMI) – original publishing * Beats N Ballads/Honua Music (ASCAP) – original publishing * Ekko (kobalt admin) – original publishing * Emits Son Songs (BMI) – original publishing * Lalala Studio – original publishing * Fast Cut Music Publishing – original publishing * Cosmos Music Publishing – original publishing * Seven Summits Music / Sofia Since 96 Publishing – original publishing * Seven Peaks Music / Bébé Dior – original publishing * Iconic Sounds – sub-publishing * Admin by Sony Music Publishing Worldwide – sub-publishing * Music Cube – sub-publishing * UMPG – sub-publishing

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Itzy 2023 EPs Itzy EPs Korean-language EPs 2020s Korean-language albums JYP Entertainment EPs