Palette (album)

Palette (Korean: 팔레트; RR: Palleteu) is the fourth studio album by South Korean singer-songwriter IU. It was released on April 21, 2017, by LOEN Entertainment under its imprint FAVE Entertainment. Palette is IU's first album since Chat-Shire (2015), and her first full-length release since Modern Times (2013).^[1]

Palette
Studio album by IU
Released	April 21, 2017
Recorded	2016–2017
Genre	K-pop
Length	39:56
Language	Korean
Label	LOEN FAVE
Producer	IU Lee Jong-hoon
IU chronology
Chat-Shire (2015) Palette (2017) A Flower Bookmark 2 (2017)
Singles from Palette
"Through the Night" Released: March 24, 2017 "Can't Love You Anymore" Released: April 7, 2017 "Palette" Released: April 21, 2017

The album was successful both commercially and critically. It spawned three singles; "Through the Night" was released as the album's lead single on March 24, 2017, followed by "Can't Love You Anymore" on April 7, and the title track, "Palette", released on April 21.^[2][3] All three singles from Palette reached number one on South Korean Gaon Digital Chart, becoming only one of the few albums to contain three or more number-one singles.

Palette was met with critical acclaim upon its release. Billboard magazine listed the album at number one on their list of the best K-pop albums of 2017, and was named amongst the 100 best Korean albums since 2004 by EBS. The album earned IU a Melon Music Award for Album of the Year, and a nomination for Artist of the Year and won Best Album Award in the 27th Seoul Music Awards. Palette also won "Best Pop Album" award at the 15th Korean Music Awards.^[4]

Title and artwork

While IU's previous album, Chat-Shire, deliberated the confusion and anxieties of a twenty-three year old, Palette offers the perspective of someone at a more mature stage in life. A body of work that tells the story of self-actualization, the album reads similarly to the final chapters of a bildungsroman where the main character embraces adulthood.^[5] In a Naver V-Live, IU stated that:

"The reason why it's titled 'Palette' is that palette caught my attention more than the art itself during art class. It contains various colors and it's beautifully packed in its own unique ways and that became the start of this album." "Palette is considered as a tool but I believe it could be an art itself. Palette is also similar to me right now. That's also why I put the most effort in the title track 'Palette'."^{[citation needed]}

As such, Palette can be taken to refer to the various people in life that one comes across, and their different aspects—appreciating them in a celebratory way. It also refers to the flaws, the accomplishments and the feelings of oneself—and how despite their various "colors" on a palette, they are a work of art all in their own right. This is mentioned in her JTBC interview, where she explains that despite talking about herself, she is also talking about people in general.^[6]

The shooting for the album jacket was an extensive process, with IU stating that she had "15 sets" of clothing in one day of shooting.^[7] For some of the photos, IU decided to have her in similar poses and shots were taken to that of her previous album Last Fantasy, to highlight the differences in maturity that have developed. Mok Jungwook was the main photographer for the album jacket. He also worked on her previous albums Modern Times and Chat-Shire. Longtime stylist Noh Juhee was also involved, as well as hair stylist Seo Yun, and makeup artist Shin Ae—all of whom have worked with IU since her debut.^[8]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The 405	8.5/10[9]
IZM[10]
The Star	9/10[11]

Palette received acclaim from music critics. Billboard's Jeff Benjamin wrote, "Since her 2008 debut EP Lost and Found that was fully written and composed by hit producers, IU has been on a gradual mission to taking full artistic control of her music. Plus, Palette is proving to be not only a creative accomplishment with it almost entirely written by the young star, but a body of work that reveals what's going on in her head and has rewarded her with new levels of success."^[12]

The album topped Billboard's "20 Best K-Pop Albums 2017" list. Billboard branded the album "the year's shining example of the power in personal K-pop with a release that employed loads of different sounds and stories to share insight about the star beneath the gorgeous gowns and pristine makeup", and furthermore praises IU for "showcas[ing] the moments of self-doubt, worry and gloom, and then explain[ing] them in the music styles and genres she sees most appropriate."^[5]

Fuse also listed Palette at number 9 on their list of the "20 Best Albums of 2017", becoming the only Korean release to make the list, and praising her stunning album as making a "major case for the power of personal K-pop".^[13] In a review for The 405, Chase McMullen declared, "...the best moments here are when she unburdens the music of others, and simply allows her quest for self-actualization to shine through. This is very much an album of a young adult finding herself, former doubts cast aside for a newfound comfort."^[9]

Listicles

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Billboard	The 20 Best K-Pop Albums of 2017	1	[5]
EBS	Top 100 Korean Albums (2004–2023)	No order	[14]
Fuse	The 20 Best Albums of 2017	9	[13]
Paste	The 30 Greatest K-pop Albums of All Time	4	[15]

Accolades

Awards and nominations for Palette

Year	Organization	Award	Result	Ref.
2017	Melon Music Awards	Album of the Year	Won	[16]
2018	Golden Disc Awards	Best Album (Bonsang)	Nominated	[17]
	Korean Music Awards	Album of the Year	Nominated	[18]
		Best Pop Album	Won	[19]
	Seoul Music Awards	Best Album Award	Won	[20]

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arrangement	Length
1.	"Dlwlrma" (이 지금; I jigeum)	IU	Kim Je-hwi	Kim Je-hwi	3:02
2.	"Palette" (팔레트; Palleteu; featuring G-Dragon)	IU, G-Dragon (Rap Making)	IU	Lee Jong-hoon	3:37
3.	"Ending Scene" (이런 엔딩; Ireon ending)	IU	Sam Kim	Lee Jong-hoon	4:09
4.	"Can't Love You Anymore" (사랑이 잘; Sarangi jal; with Oh Hyuk)	IU, Oh Hyuk	IU, Oh Hyuk, Lee Jong-hoon	Lee Jong-hoon	3:15
5.	"Jam Jam" (잼잼; Jaemjaem)	Sunwoo Jungah, IU	Sunwoo Jungah	Sunwoo Jungah, Yoon Suk-chul	3:38
6.	"Black Out"	IU	Lee Jong-hoon	Lee Jong-hoon	3:47
7.	"Full Stop" (마침표; Machimpyo)	IU	Son Sung-je	Son Sung-je	3:56
8.	"Through the Night" (밤편지; Bampyeonji)	IU	Kim Je-hwi, Kim Hee-won	Kim Je-hwi, Kim Hee-won	4:13
9.	"Love Alone" (그렇게 사랑은; Geureoke sarangeun)	Lee Byung-woo	Lee Byung-woo	Lee Byung-woo	4:41
10.	"Dear Name" (이름에게; Ireumege)	IU, Kim Eana	Lee Jong-hoon	Lee Jong-hoon, Hong So-jin	4:49
Total length:					39:56

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[21]	96
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[22]	1
Taiwanese Albums (Five Music)[23]	1
US World Albums (Billboard)[24]	1

Sales

Region	Sales amount
Japan	1,303[21]
South Korea	145,911[25]

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
South Korea	April 21, 2017	Digital download	LOEN Entertainment	[26]
Various				[27]
South Korea	April 24, 2017	CD		[28]

References

1. Tamar, Herman (April 5, 2017). "Female Soloists Set to Dominate K-Pop In April". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
2. 아이유 측 "3월 24일 선공개곡 발표…4월 중 컴백 목표"(공식) (in Korean). News Nate. March 9, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
3. 아이유, 4월 21일 4집 컴백 확정..1년 6개월만 활동 재개 (in Korean). Naver. March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
4. "'대중음악상' 아이유 '팔레트', 최우수 팝 음반 수상". Naver. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
5. Tamar, Herman (December 14, 2017). "The 20 Best K-pop Albums of 2017: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
6. "[인터뷰] 아이유 "대상 영광스러워…10주년 앨범, 사람·시간 담을 것"" (in Korean). January 17, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
7. "[IU TV] 'Palette' Album Making #1". Retrieved January 30, 2018 – via YouTube.
8. "[IU TV] 'Palette' Epilogue #2". YouTube. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
9. McMullen, Chase. "Review: IU – Palette". thefourohfive.com. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
10. "Palette" (in Korean). IZM. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
11. Chester, Chin. "Review: Palette by IU". Star2.com. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
12. Jeff, Benjamin (May 18, 2017). "IU's 'Palette' Proves the Power of Personal K-Pop". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
13. "The 20 Best Albums of 2017". Fuse. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
14. "2000년대 한국 대중음악 명반 100 (2004–2023)" [Top 100 Korean pop music albums of the 2000s (2004–2023)] (in Korean). Educational Broadcasting System. April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
15. Perez, Cielo (September 11, 2023). "The 30 Greatest K-Pop Albums of All Time". Paste Magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
16. "BTS, EXO, IU win big at 2017 Melon Music Awards". Kpop Herald. December 3, 2017.
17. "BTS and IU cap off 'unbelievable' year: Exo, Wanna One and more were big winners at the 32nd Golden Disc Awards". Korea JoongAng Daily. January 13, 2018.
18. 아이유·방탄소년단·레드벨벳, 한국대중음악상 후보 노미네이트(종합) [IU, BTS, Red Velvet, Korean Music Awards Nominations]. The Korea Herald (in Korean). February 6, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
19. 스타뉴스 (February 28, 2018). 혁오·강태구, 韓대중음악상 3관왕 달성..BTS 올해의 음악상(종합). StarNews (in Korean). Retrieved February 28, 2018.
20. "27th Seoul Music Awards Winners". seoulmusicawards.com. January 26, 2018. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
21. オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」 －CD・ブルーレイ・DVD・書籍・コミック－. Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
22. "2017 Gaon Album Chart – Week 17 (See #1)". gaonchart.co.kr. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
23. "Five-Music Korea-Japan Album Chart" (in Chinese). Five-Music. 2017 [17th Week]. Retrieved May 5, 2017. To access, select the indicated week and year in the bottom-left corner
24. "Billboard World Albums – Week of May 13, 2017". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
25. • "Year-end 2017 Album Chart (see #51)". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
    • "2018년 12월 Album Chart (#83)". Gaon (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
    • 2019년 11월 Album Chart [November 2019 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved December 12, 2019.
    • 2020년 05월 Album Chart [May 2020 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved June 11, 2020.
26. "'아이유' 4집 [Palette]" (in Korean). MelOn. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
27. "Palette – The 4th Album by IU". iTunes Store. April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
28. "IU Vol. 4 – Palette" (in Korean). Hanteo. Retrieved April 24, 2017.

External links

• "Through the Night" music video on YouTube
• "Palette" music video on YouTube
• "Ending Scene" music video on YouTube