The group IVE (Ahn Yu-jin, Ga-eul, Lay, Jang Won-young, Liz, Lee Seo) has added a new record of their own ahead of their comeback in January next year.

According to their agency Starship Entertainment, the music video for the title song ‘After Like’ of IVE‘s third single album, released on August 22, 2022, has surpassed 300 million views on YouTube (as of December 2).

‘After Like’, released on August 22, 2022, is a mega hit song by IVE that combines various genres such as EDM, pop, and house based on a kick rhythm. Immediately after its release, it topped various music charts on music platforms such as Melon, Genie, Bugs, Flo, Vibe, Spotify Korea, and YouTube Music Korea, achieving a ‘Perfect All-Kill (PAK)’, and also performed on various music broadcasts. He won the first place trophy and set a record of 14 crowns. In addition, it has proven its global popularity both domestically and internationally by ranking on Billboard’s Billboard Global 200 chart for 17 weeks and Billboard Global Excl. US chart for 25 consecutive weeks (Billboard Global Excl. US chart for 9th place).

The music video for ‘After Like’ features director Noh Sang-yoon, who is loved for his unique visual beauty and concept, and Pasikum, who has the best directing skills in Korea, participating in the music video‘s fireworks directing, capturing attention with an extraordinary scale reminiscent of CG. Ive, who boasts splendid visuals through the music video as much as the fireworks directing, styled himself with his signature colors and presented colorful images that are hard to take your eyes off of, drawing a response from fans around the world.

Even after two years since its release, it is still receiving steady love, As much as the addictive melody, the lyrics containing the bold message of Generation Z also garnered attention, and lyrics such as ‘Do you know what my strength is? It’s honesty’ became trendy among the public, spawning numerous parodies and challenges through various broadcast programs and social media.

The lyrics of ‘After Like’ were also covered intensively by Billboard, a famous American music media outlet, and foreign media at the time, and there was rave reviews for the way the lyrics of ‘After Like’ combined IVE with ‘LOVE’ and the confident lyrics based on confidence and ‘self-love’ that spanned all generations helped emphasize the group‘s unique identity and team color, helping build a solid fandom.

Ive successfully completed a 37-date world tour in 28 cities in 19 countries this year, and is scheduled to make a comeback in January next year.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com