"Strawberry Moon" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by South Korean singer-songwriter IU. It was released on October 19, 2021, through EDAM Entertainment via Kakao M. "Strawberry Moon" was both written and composed by IU, with additional composition credits by Jonghoon Lee and Lee Chae-gyu.
IU's agency EDAM Entertainment unveiled the first teaser for "Strawberry Moon" on October 5, 2021, showing her in a dream-like setting sitting atop a giant ice cream scoop, with its release date set for October 19.[1] She subsequently released a series of teasers, with a lyric teaser for its accompanying music video posted to YouTube on October 15.[2] The song was made available for digital download and streaming at midnight local time four days later, and serves as a followup to her fifth studio-album Lilac, which was released seven months prior.[3] The track was both written and composed by IU, with additional production credits by Jonghoon Lee and Lee Chae-gyu.[4]
"Strawberry Moon"'s composition has been described as that reminiscent of a fairy tale, with its soft piano melody and IU's delicate voice. The lyrics of the song's chorus conveys the feelings of warm comfort in a romantic relationship, with its lyrics translating to: "Scoop of a large strawberry moon / I will entrust you to me eh-oh / The feeling of flying so cool / How is life more perfect ooh".[5] Tamar Herman of South China Morning Post also described "Strawberry Moon" as a "breezy electropop-rock" track that talks about "a fated meeting" and equates it to a scoop of strawberry ice.[6]
Tanu I. Raj of NME said the song is a depiction of "the kind of easy, mature love that is unaffected by the whimsies of the heart or life" and praised IU's lyricism.[7] She noted how the "lightness of being" becomes a "visual, sonic and lyrical theme" throughout the track and how the instrumental emphasizes the lyrics: while IU sings "feeling like floating up/Through the tense darkness/We won't be afraid" the piano "segues into atmospheric beats on the pre-chorus, as if with every word, she defies gravity and reaches a little higher", scene perfectly portrayed in the music video, where IU and her partner drive up in the sky.[7] Tamar Herman of South China Morning Post said the track is "the perfect sonic representation of who she is and where she is in her career" and she included it on her list of Best K-pop releases of October 2021.[6][8] Junhwan Jang of IZM said the song is "a triumph of lyrics" with "unique metaphors" and praised IU's lyricism, saying it "fully showed off in a song" since "Love Poem".[9]
The music video was posted to YouTube in conjunction with the release of the digital single. The visual was directed by Flipevil, who also worked with IU on the video for "Lilac" in March. Lee Jong-won appears as IU's opposite in the video.[5]
^Choo, Seung-hyun (October 15, 2021). "아이유 신곡 '스트로베리 문' 리릭 티저 공개···'마음 편한 곡'" [IU's new song 'Strawberry Moon' lyric teaser released..."Comfortable song"]. Seoul Economy (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021 – via Naver.
^ abLee, Seul (October 18, 2021). "'삶이 어떻게 더 완벽해'…아이유, 동화 같은 위로 '스트로베리 문' (쥬크박스)[종합]" ["How can life be more perfect"... IU, fairy tale-like comfort 'Strawberry Moon' (Jukebox)[Overall]]. X Sports News (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021 – via Naver.
^Lee, Deok-haeng (October 31, 2021). '인기가요' 아이유 'strawberry moon', 세븐틴·에스파 누르고 1위 [★밤TView] ['Inkigayo' IU's 'Strawberry Moon', beats Seventeen and Aespa to take 1st place [★Night TView]]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved October 31, 2021 – via Naver.
^Jeon, Yoon-hye (December 12, 2021). [종합]'인기가요' 아이유, 출연 없이 1위..MINO-NCT U-하하-에이티즈 컴백 [[General] 'Inkigayo' IU, 1st place without appearance..MINO-NCT U-Haha-ATEEZ comeback]. Herald POP (in Korean). Retrieved December 13, 2021 – via Naver.
^Yang, Yu-jin (October 30, 2021). '음악중심' 아이유, '스트로베리 문'으로 1위…NCT 127·박지훈 등 컴백 [종합] ['Music Core' IU wins 1st place with 'Strawberry Moon'... NCT 127·Park Ji-hoon, etc. [Comprehensive]]. My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kim, Ji-hye (November 20, 2021). '음악중심' 아이유, 출연 없이 1위..몬스타엑스·위키미키·윤하 컴백[종합] ['Music Core' IU, 1st place without appearance... Monsta X·Weki Meki·Younha comeback [General]]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Retrieved November 20, 2021 – via Naver.
^Yang, Yu-jin (November 27, 2021). '음악중심' 아이유, '스트로베리 문'으로 1위 등극…화사·SF9 등 컴백 [종합] ['Music Core' IU wins first place with 'Strawberry Moon'... Hwasa·SF9 comeback [Comprehensive]]. My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved November 27, 2021 – via Naver.
^Park, Seo-yoon (December 4, 2021). '음악중심' 아이유, 몬스타엑스-에스파 꺾고 1위..카이 컴백-아이브 데뷔[종합] ['Music Core' IU, beats Monsta X-Aespa to take 1st place... Kai comeback-IVE debut[Comprehensive]]. Herald POP (in Korean). Retrieved December 4, 2021 – via Naver.
^Jeong, Hye-yeon (December 11, 2021). '음악중심' 아이유, 출연 없이 'strawberry moon' 1위..하하·송민호 컴백[종합] ['Music Core' IU, "strawberry moon" 1st place without appearance... Haha·Song Min-ho comeback [Comprehensive]]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Retrieved December 11, 2021 – via Naver.
^Jeon, Hyo-jin (October 28, 2021). "아이유 2관왕·임영웅 4관왕…세븐틴, 앨범 1위 (가온차트)" [IU 2 wins, Lim Young-woong 4 wins... Seventeen, Album 1st (Gaon Chart)]. Sports Dong-a (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021 – via Naver.
^"Billboard K-pop 100". Billboard Korea (in Korean). November 2, 2021. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
