IU teases new collaboration with NewJeans’ Hyein

IU has released the tracklist for her upcoming mini-album, ‘The Winning’, which will include a collaboration with NewJeans’ Hyein.

• READ MORE: On ‘Love Wins All’, IU renews our faith in romance

Today (February 5) at midnight KST, IU unveiled the tracklist for her upcoming sixth mini-album ‘The Winning’, due out on February 20, in a clip on YouTube. The five-track record will be led by two title tracks, ‘Shopper’ and ‘Spore’.

Of note, the mini-album will also include a collaboration with NewJeans member Hyein and Cho Won-sun, a singer-songwriter of Korean rock band Roller Coaster, on the B-side ‘Shh…’. Other songs on the project are the previously released single ‘Love Wins All’ and ‘I Stan U’. All five songs on ‘The Winning’ were penned solely by IU.

NewJeans previously made a guest appearance on IU’s online talk show, IU’s Palette. During the episode, which was released in 2023, IU praised Hyein’s vocals after the group performed a medley of song from their mini-album ‘Get Up’, saying that she sang “as if she was in the recording booth”.

Last week, IU explained why she casted BTS’ V in the music video for ‘Love Wins All’ in a behind-the-scenes clip for the visual. The singer and director Um Tae-hwa discussed that the male lead should “possess the mood of a young boy” while giving off “a very cool and reliable feeling”, which led her to offer the role to V.

Meanwhile, IU has been in an upcoming K-drama from Netflix, titled When Life Gives You Tangerines (working title), where she will star opposite Reply 1988 actor Park Bo-gum.