Soyeon, leader of (G)I-DLE. [Newsis]
Soyeon, leader of (G)I-DLE. [Newsis]

"I'll Quit," the title track from (G)I-DLE leader Soyeon's first full-length solo album, has swept to the top of South Korea's major music charts.

According to streaming platforms including Melon, Genie, Bugs and Vibe, the song has held the No. 1 spot on their daily charts from Saturday through Monday, demonstrating commanding streaming power.

Cube Entertainment said the song had "once again cemented Soyeon's status as a streaming powerhouse, with its relatable subject matter of quitting a job and lyrics that speak to the emotions of office workers."

The track pays homage to "Please Take Care of Me," a 2007 song by the band EX, pairing realistic lyrics about leaving a job with an upbeat band sound. Broadcaster Kian84 contributed narration to the track.

Lyrics such as "I'll quit — there's nothing to regret. I never planned to work this hard in the first place … ultimately we'll all become grandmothers, and looking back, that Monday was a romantic day" have struck a chord with many working people.

Since its release, a wave of celebrity cover videos has gone viral, featuring EX's Lee Sang-mi, Kian84, Jaurim's Kim Yoon-ah, comedian Heo Kyung-hwan, BTOB's Yook Sung-jae, Pentagon, CLASS:y's Park Bo-eun and rapper Woo Won-jae, among others.

The song also climbed to No. 1 on Instagram's "trending audio" chart, and the number of Reels featuring it approached 10,000 as of Sunday.

"I am grateful to everyone who has loved my music, and to 'Neverland' as well," Soyeon said, using the name of her fandom. "I will continue to make music that offers a small breath of fresh air in people's lives."

Soyeon first made her name appearing on survival programs including Mnet's "Produce 101" and "Unpretty Rapstar Season 3" in 2016. After making her debut with (G)I-DLE in 2018, she has built a distinctive musical identity by writing, composing and producing the group's major title tracks, including the debut single "LATATA."


betterj@heraldcorp.com