IU and Suga's collaboration for her comeback received tremendous support from fans all over the globe, as they catapulted Eight to the No. 1 spot on iTunes in 59 countries, including the US.
According to a report by Soompi, IU's digital comeback Eight, a collaboration between talented singer-songwriters IU and BTS' Suga, dominated the charts both locally and abroad as soon as it dropped on May 6. Suga was tapped as the featured artist and producer for the song.
On Korea's largest real time chart Melon, Eight broke the record for most unique listeners for the first hour of the song's release. On May 7, IU broke the record on iTunes for being the first Korean soloist to take the No. 1 spot in 59 countries.
Apart from the US, Eight also reached the top of the charts in counties like France, Singapore, New Zealand, Finland, Malaysia, and the Philippines.With her new song, IU also became the second Korean female solo act to reach the top of the US iTunes chart, next to Younha for her collaboration with another BTS member, RM for the song Winter Flower, released last January.
It came as no surprise for most fans that IU and Suga's collaboration became a huge success. Both artists are known for writing and producing evocative and engaging music that featured unique flavors, which made their partnership even more interesting.
However, what intrigued fans the most about the song Eight was its hidden meaning. Fans of IU were not only impressed by the song and the melody but were also curious about the lyrics of the song, which hinted at the singer's deep longing for someone who was already far away.
Some fans theorized that she wanted to dedicate Eight to her good friends Sulli and Jonghyun who both took their own lives after suffering from depression, SoMag reported.
In the song, fans took note of one of the scenes wherein IU stared outside her window, crying as she observed a girl who was riding a dragon. Some wondered if the dragon was a reference to SHINEE's Jonghyun who was a big fan of Pokemon's Charmander and the girl was Sulli. In the video, the girl stared back at Sulli and they shared a meaningful glance as they headed to opposite directions.
In honor of the two artists, Sulli and Jonghyun's Instagram accounts have been memorialized by the social media platform so that fans can remember them and share their love for them even if they have already passed away.
