"Celebrity" is a song by South Korean singer-songwriter IU. It was released on January 27, 2021, through EDAM Entertainment via Kakao M, and serves as the lead single from her fifth Korean-language studio album, Lilac. A dance-pop and electropop track, "Celebrity" was written by IU, with additional composition by Chloe Latimer and Celine Svanback, and Ryan S. Jhun, Jeppe London Bilsby, Lauritz Emil Christiansen, —the last three also handled arrangement.
Background IU first teased that a new single was in the works while onstage at the 35th Golden Disc Awards on January 9, 2021. As she accepted the Digital Daesang award for "Blueming", she stated that the new song would be "refreshing" and "gives people strength". On January 11, her label, Edam Entertainment, announced that she would return with a pre-release single titled "Celebrity" on January 27, 2021. The label hinted that the new song would be a cheerful pop sound with energetic music genre.
"Celebrity" was subsequently released on January 27 for digital download and streaming as the lead single off of IU's fifth Korean-language studio album, Lilac. The single marked her first offering following the release of the chart-topping single "Eight"—a collaboration with BTS' Suga—in May 2020. The track was written and composed by IU, Ryan S. Jhun, Jeppe London Bilsby, Lauritz Emil Christiansen, Chloe Latimer and Celine Svanback, with arrangement conducted by Bilsby, Christiansen and Jhun.
Composition Musically, "Celebrity" is described as a dance-pop track that incorporates a variety of genres, including pop, electronic music and tropical house, and signals a shift from much of IU's previous discography. Regarding the musicality of the single, EDAM Entertainment stated that "the song has a bright and cheerful pop sound that can energize those listening to it. It's a genre of music that IU is trying for the first time". Furthermore, the agency commented about the upcoming album's musical direction, saying "it will be her venture into more energetic and pop beat genres". Lyrically, the song explores the themes of fame, identity, insecurities, loss and the notion of living as a celebrity. The song was composed in the key of A major with a tempo of 100 beats per minute, and run for 3 minutes and 16 seconds.
Commercial performance Upon release, "Celebrity" debuted atop the Gaon Digital Chart, becoming IU's 17th number one single and 25th number-one overall when including featured appearances and OSTs. The song remained atop the chart for six consecutive weeks, becoming one of the longest songs in the chart's history to remain at number one. Internationally, "Celebrity" debuted and peaked at number 2 and number 13 in Singapore and New Zealand respectively. The song placed at number 3 in its opening week on the World Digital Song Sales chart, where it peaked. On the Billboard Global Excl. US chart, the song debuted at number 190 before entering at number 78 on the standard Billboard Global 200 the following week, marking her first appearance on the global chart.
Music video and promotion On January 25, 2021, a music video teaser for "Celebrity" was released on Kakao M's official YouTube channel. The music video, directed by Paranoid Paradigm and produced by VM Project Architecture, was subsequently uploaded on January 27, in conjunction with the release of the single.
Accolades + Awards and nominations Year Organization Award Result 2021 Melon Music Awards Song of the Year Mnet Asian Music Awards Best Vocal Performance – Solo Song of the Year 2022 Gaon Chart Music Awards Digital Song Bonsang Golden Disc Awards Digital Daesang
+ Music program awards (11 total) Program Date Inkigayo February 7, 2021 February 21, 2021 February 28, 2021 Music Bank February 5, 2021 February 12, 2021 March 12, 2021 April 2, 2021 Show Champion February 10, 2021 Show! Music Core February 6, 2021 February 20, 2021 March 13, 2021
Credits and personnel Credits adapted from Melon.
IU — vocals, lyricist, composer, chorus Ryan S. Jhun — composer, arranger Jeppe London Bilsby — composer, arranger Lauritz Emil Christiansen — composer, arranger Chloe Latimer — composer Celine Svanback — composer Son Myung-gap — recording Jongpil Koo — mixing Kang Seon-young — assisted Jung Yu-ra — assisted
Charts
Weekly charts + "Celebrity" weekly chart performance Chart (2021) Peakposition Malaysia (RIM) 3 New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) 13 Singapore (RIAS) 2 South Korea (Gaon) 1 South Korea (K-pop Hot 100) 1 US World Digital Songs (Billboard) 3
Monthly charts +"Celebrity" monthly chart performance Chart (2021) Position South Korea (Gaon) 1 South Korea (K-pop Hot 100) 1
Yearly charts +"Celebrity" year-end chart performance Chart (2021) Position South Korea (Gaon) 1 Chart (2022) Position South Korea (Circle) 52 Chart (2023) Position South Korea (Circle) 182
Certifications
Release history + Release dates and formats Region Date Format Label Various January 27, 2021
See also List of Inkigayo Chart winners (2021) List of Music Bank Chart winners (2021) List of Show Champion Chart winners (2021) List of Show! Music Core Chart winners (2021)
References