Mahjabin Rahman
A couple running in the forest, fear in their eyes, looking for a safe shelter … this is how the MV of IU’s new single Love Wins All starts. A highly anticipated comeback by the celebrity singer, and who do we get to see beside her in the cast? Kim Taehyung in his actor avatar.
The first collaboration between IU and V of BTS was the highlight of January 2024. The fans of both fandoms were eagerly waiting when they heard their favorites were about to work together.
The news of IU’s comeback is already exciting for the fans but when news broke that they can see the glimpse of actor V in this comeback, the two fandoms could barely contain themselves, as both stars have k-drama credits in their portfolio through which they have already shown their acting calibre.
“Dearest, darling, my universe” with these sweet words, the narrator of the song addresses her beloved, in an invitation to an imagined escape. This song, written as a simple ballad, showcases IU’s heart-wrenching vocals by keeping the instrumentals simple, swelling to a full orchestra during the emotional climax.
Without taking away from the incredible work by IU, it is the music video for the track that elevates the work into another level. It was directed by Uhm Tae-hwa, who has returned with his marvellous work on Concrete Utopia. In interviews, he has expressed his delight at being able to work with IU after five years. This MV reminded him of the joy of being on set and working again. He further explained: The way they planned it was that the universe was an alien itself, the way everything was not “so realistic,” it made the art of this MV more fascinating. It also inspired him to come up with different perspectives, to be diverse with his imagination and work on this MV.
The video shows a dystopian world where IU plays the role of a deaf girl and V as her partially blind love interest. They are being pursued by a large malevolent cube-shaped entity. In one of their hideouts, they find a camera, and through that they are able to see the happy versions of themselves. Through the lens of that camera, they steal some time for themselves in that post-apocalyptic world where they are living the life they always dreamt of.
The cinematography packs a whole movie’s worth of story in one MV. The romantic lyrics and emotional vocals of the song only intensify the emotions of the story within the MV, packing a punch right at the story’s intense, possibly tragic end.
There is a segment in the shelter scenes that focuses on a large pile of clothes, which to the average ARMY would seem like a reference to the BTS MV for Spring Day. When the deeper meaning of the clothes is revealed towards the end, as a Bangladeshi, I could not help but think of the Rana Plaza tragedy in 2013, and the Bongo Bazar fire. There were a thousand emotions for me, and I am certain fans from other cultures with other histories would find their own meaning.
But this is not to say that the song or the MV are sad and heavy. There are plenty of jokes and memes on the Internet featuring the cube entity from the video as a special guest on variety shows, as a character on Suga’s Suchitwa to suggest that ultimately, how one feels about this masterpiece by IU is a matter of interpretation.
All BTS members are serving in the military at this moment. Before leaving for mandatory service, V had promised his fans that he would shoot something that would show his acting skills. So with this MV, that promise has been kept and we got to see the chemistry between these two phenomenal artists.
Right after the release, this song has received the All-Kill certification, setting new records and being the first song released in 2024 to do so. IU also saw an increase in her reputation ranking in the most recent January list. Right now, the song is popular on almost all streaming platforms.
