War Of Digital Queens: IU vs BIBI, aka Dark IU
The competition between IU and BIBI on digital charts are gathering attention from the public.
Singers IU and BIBI have dominated the top spots of various charts. BIBI took over IU’s No. 1, while IU has been making consecutive hits with pre-release songs and title songs.
Based on Melon, Korea’s largest music streaming site, IU has two songs in the top 10 amid the fierce competition. Her pre-release song “Love Wins All” from the album “The Winning,” which was pre-released on Feb. 20, and “Holssi,” one of the double title songs, rank third and seventh, respectively.
Released in January, “Love Wins All” is a ballad song with a minimal and vintage piano sound. It is a song in IU’s ballad series, including “Secret,” “Dear Name,” “Love Poem,” and “My Sea.” Even before the release, its music video featuring group BTS member V and directed by Seo Tae-hwa was already the talk of the town. And all of a sudden, it topped the music charts.
“Love Wins All” was loved by music fans who liked IU’s ballads. The song was well received by fans who enjoyed IU’s delicate sensibility and explosive singing skills. She then tried to change the mood with “Holssi.” The song has a unique hip-hop and R&B-based structure, showing IU’s cheerfulness and lightness. Especially, its Tiktok challenge is becoming more and more popular.
IU is showing the power of the original digital queen, with “Holssi” also topping the music charts following “Love Wins All.” IU’s influence can be seen with two songs from different genres dominating the charts.
However, “Love Wins All,” which had been No. 1 since its release, has lost its No. 1 spot to BIBI’s “Bam Yang Gang” since the 26th of last month. Interestingly, BIBI was nicknamed the “Dark IU” these days. “Bam Yang Gang” topped the charts 13 days after its release and BIBI became the star of the craze.
“Bam Yang Gang” is a song written and composed by singer Jang Ki-ha, with a sweet and soft tone and meaningful lyrics. It shows the transformation of BIBI, who had mainly performed music with unconventional styling and clear colors. And it was a success, proving the perfect synergy between BIBI’s new charm and her strangely addictive music style.
Above all, “Bam Yang Gang” proved the power of good music by ranking No. 1 thanks to word of mouth, and is expected to have a long run until spring with its sweet and lyrical melody and lyrics. Attention is also focusing on how far the sensation of “Dark IU” will continue in the future.
