IU Is The Only Asian Artist In New York Times’ Official “25 Songs That Tell Us Where Music Is Going”

IU‘s hit “Palette” featuring G-Dragon has been included in The New York Times Magazine‘s “25 Songs That Tell Us Where Music Is Going” list – and she’s the only Asian artist to appear!

The list includes artists such as Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Lana Del Rey, Camilla Cabello and Willow Smith.

The article specifically talks about pop music and pop culture and defines the songs on the list as reflecting the current generation’s disinterestedness; the editor argues that the drivers of the future are “interested in what it looks like when you don’t care, and nothing matters.”

According to the article, the future of pop music is headed towards exploring the darker parts of the human experience.

IU is on the list because “Palette” it is a “declaration of womanhood, K-Pop style.”

The author likens IU to Britney Spears as she is holding her own against the flood of K-Pop groups and, like the younger Britney, rejected the innocent image mid-career.

“[IU]’s going through the age-old ritual of defining her womanhood in front of millions of fans. I was 16 when Spears released her classic single of pubescent angst [“Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman”]. I, too, was neither a girl nor a woman, just an insecure teenager looking to glom onto someone else’s liminality to make mine less intimidating. So when I heard “Palette” for the first time — and figured out what it meant — it offered the same sort of emotional salve that Spears once did. Not knowing the words only helped — it allowed me to project myself inside her aspirations of maturity.” — New York Times writer Lindsey Weber

Ultimately, “Palette” is about the human fear of growing older and is relatable because of IU’s declaration “I’m truly fine” with aging.

“IU and I are each obsessed about growing older, but I can give her some elderly advice: You’ll cry growing pains all the way there, but when you’re finally an adult, you’ll still feel like your 16-year-old self — no bob haircuts or record players can change that. Either way, we’re each going to be truly fine.” — New York Times writer Lindsey Weber

Watch the “Palette” MV here: