IU adds her own definition of ‘winning’ into 6th EP 'The Winning'

Teaser image for IU's 6th EP, "The Winning" (Edam Entertainment)

Singer-songwriter and actor IU thinks living a successful life, or "winning" as she calls it, does not always have to be about making a lot of money or living a life everyone looks up to.

Instead, through her sixth EP, "The Winning," the artist shares her own definition of “winning,” which she says is accepting the fact that not everyone blooms into a flower. The new EP was released Tuesday.

On the day of her new album release, IU posted a video on her official YouTube channel in which, sitting down on a couch, she introduces her album as if talking to a friend.

“I decided to live as a spore. I was inspired by the word 'spore' when making this album,” said IU.

"Holssi" is spore in Korean, and also the title for one of the two lead tracks in her new album.

“When I was young, I thought I would bloom into a flower. But now that I’m 30 years old, I rather accept the fact that I could live as a spore, but do my best to live an awesome life as a spore. I continuously asked myself what is a successful life for a spore in this album,” the artist explained.

“Shopper,” the other lead track on the album, is about dreaming big even when the goal seems impossible.

“(Through this track) I wanted to tell people to aspire (for their dreams) with confidence. Even though others might judge your dream as weird, there is no reason for you to limit your aspiration,” IU said.

IU’s sixth EP carries a total of five tracks, with IU herself writing the lyrics for the songs, adding in her own thoughts and experiences.

“This album could have been delayed even more because the drama I've been shooting is taking longer than expected. But I wanted to push myself. My fans have been waiting for so long and I also thought it was time for me to release a new album,” she said.

The album is IU's first comeback in more than two years.

By Hong Yoo(yoohong@heraldcorp.com)