IU to unveil 6th EP ‘The Winning’ next month

Singer-songwriter and actress IU will release her sixth mini album, “The Winning,” on Feb. 20, according to Edam Entertainment.

The artist’s new album is the first in two years and two months after the release of her special extended play, “Pieces," in December 2021.

The teaser clip of IU’s upcoming album uploaded to her official YouTube channel shows the artist with long bleached hair, wearing a red outfit.

IU is seen spraying a red-colored spray at the camera and gazing into the camera against a light green background.

The artist had hinted when she starred in Suga of BTS’ show, “Suchwita,” that her mini album is likely to carry five to six tracks that she will continue to infuse with stories about her age.

Prior to the official release of her new album, IU dropped a single from the upcoming album, “Love Wins All,” on Jan. 24.

The single shot to No. 1 on major local music charts such as Melon, Genie and Bugs, within just an hour of its release, which is the fastest achievement recorded by a female artist since August 2021.

The much-anticipated music video for “Love Wins All,” featuring V of BTS, has surpassed 30 million views on YouTube as of Tuesday.

However, the music video faced controversy as some argued that it demeaned those with disabilities.

In the music video, IU is depicted as having a hearing impairment and V a visual impairment.

They both run away from a cube-shaped spacecraft that symbolizes oppression and discrimination.

IU and V then find a camcorder, through the filter of which they are able to view each other as people without disabilities.

Some argued that these scenes are based on discriminatory views that people with disabilities necessarily admire and fantasize about being people without disabilities.