K-pop collab showdown: BTS’ Suga and IU vs Exo’s Baekhyun and Bol4, as 2 epic Korean idol duet releases drop in May
As coronavirus calms down in South Korea, top K-pop idols are joining forces with new singles – to the delight of the world’s BTS, Exo and IU fans who are still stuck at home during the global pandemic
May will be a treat for many K-pop fans worldwide – other than the usual round of comebacks made by various groups, two iconic collaborative tracks have dropped, just a day shy of each other, gearing up for another battle on the charts.
IU x BTS’ Suga drops Eight
Lee Ji-eun, better known as her stage name, IU, surprised fans last week when news of her upcoming collaboration with BTS’ Suga was released on Korean portal site, Naver. The songstress dropped the upbeat spring song Eight on the May 6, through various music streaming sites, and also treated fans to a music video.
The track was produced and co-written by Suga member himself, who also lent a smooth rap to complement the sweet melody. The song can be considered a follow-up to her “age” series, following the tunes Twenty-three and Palette which discuss the emotions she felt when she was that age. Both singers are 28 in Korean age this year, and IU describes the song as a “self-reflection”. The song entered at No 1 across music sites including Genie, Soribada, Melon and Bugs, effectively achieving an all-kill.
Bol4’s first ever collaborative track is with Exo’s Baekhyun
Fans of K-pop will be further delighted as crowd pleaser Bol4 has also announced a collaborative track with Exo’s Baekhyun. The acoustic singer recently stepped back into the foray as a solo singer. Bol4 was originally a duo consisting of Ahn Ji-young and Woo Ji-yoon, but Shofar Music announced Woo was leaving the group on April 2. Ahn has retained the original band name, Bol4, to continue her promotions alone.
On April 29, Bol4 released a timeline image of her upcoming album. Eagle-eye fans noticed a pre-release track from the album “Leo’” contains a feature by the baby-faced boy band member. The pre-release track was released on May 7 on various music streaming sites.