So, the much-teased and highly anticipated single ‘Mono’ from i-dle dropped just now, and I love it. i-dle has been pushing boundaries since the beginning of their career and has done this more and more over the years with songs like ‘Oh my god’, ‘Tomboy’, ’Nxde’, ‘Wife’ and others. But this time, they get even more outspoken. Except for one line, the lyrics to this song are all in English, and the part that really stands out, especially considering that they are K-pop idols, is:
“You’re from the right, or from the left
Whether East or West, whether straight or gay”
They often hinted at what they believe in in their lyrics and have been quite outspoken in interviews, but this time, they put it out there for everyone to hear and read, blunt, no sugarcoating, not whispering. It does not matter if you’re straight or gay, you’re born to love.
Let’s take a look at the one Korean line of Soyeon:
“이제는 머린 뮤트해 심장 박동 노래해”
Which translates to
“Now I mute my head and let my heartbeat sing.”
이제는 — “now / from now on” (a shift, a decision)
ijeneun
머린 뮤트해 — literally “I mute my head,” meaning turning off overthinking / rational noise
meorin myuteuhae
- 머린 – abbreviation for 머리는
심장 박동 노래해 — “my heartbeat sings,” emotional instinct replacing thought
simjang bakdong noraehae
- 심장 – heart
- 박동 – pulse
- 노래하다 – to sing
Stop the thinking, start feeling with your heart, be accepting, tolerant, and open-minded.
I expected a statement in this release, especially as i-dle chose to collaborate with skaiwater, but the directness of this song is a wonderful surprise for me. What do you think?
