[Review] IU - Celebrity

Well this is eerily similar to how last year started, as this early release from a female solo act is the most exciting thing I've heard so far. Granted, I definitely have not heard much but that's what star power does for ya. IU is coming back with an album and released "Celebrity" ahead of time. Will this song hold up at the end of the year, like Younha's "Winter Flower" before it?

Truth be told, despite my lack of interest in Kpop, I have my doubts that this will be #1 by December. There are a few cautions I have with "Celebrity." For starters, it's a very safe track. There really isn't anything spectacular that IU does here, outside of her usual soothing voice. I like the dips into her lower range during the verses, and the bridge is naturally gorgeous. The chorus is definitely the least inspired part of the entire song, maybe because it was supposed to showcase IU's dancing or something? It just seems so...odd and lacking compared to past greats like "Good Day" and "Palette," or even last year's "Eight."

Speaking of IU dance, it's been a hot minute since we've seen her dancing. And while I'm happy to see it, the choreography itself is uh, for the lack of a better word, dull? It's very, very simple and there's not much else to see. So it'll be nice if and when this gets performed on stage, I'm sure all the fans will appreciate that, but ain't nobody jumping out of their seats to learn this dance haha. It's all good though, IU's voice is her best weapon and it frames the pop nature of "Celebrity" very well. Finally, here is a sentence about the music video: IU looks beautiful and the video exists.

"Celebrity" is a good appetizer, but ultimately the song doesn't bring any new flavors to the table so I'm hoping the main course of the album will deliver something more special. Oh, IU vs. Chungha perhaps on the horizon? That could be something interesting to write about.