I-DLE YUQI Goes Old-School: Drops 'M.O.' and Says, "I Want Everyone to Think of Me"

I-DLE’s YUQI has officially kicked off her first single era ― and she brought bandmate MIYEON along for the reveal.

On the Sept. 16 episode of MIYEON’s web show “MIYEONzip MIYEON,” the singer walked fans through the making of her debut single “Motivation.”

Celebrating the drop, MIYEON praised her teammate, saying YUQI’s solo releases are always must-hears and that she’s grown more than anyone she’s seen. YUQI then broke down the title track: “‘M.O.’ ― short for ‘Motivation’ ― leans hip-hop, it’s old-school, and it hits hard emotionally,” she said, before delivering a live performance.

“I want ‘old-school girl idol’ in this era to make people think of YUQI,” she added, noting that she wrote, composed and produced the record herself. As for the B-side “It Hurts,” YUQI said she made it during a late-night romance-film binge, tailoring the lyrics to a music video concept after brainstorming with the director.

The video also came with a tear-jerking behind-the-scenes moment. Worried she wouldn’t be able to cry on cue, YUQI discovered that a blank page in a letter-reading scene had been swapped ― on set ― for a real letter from her mom. “My manager had prepared it a month in advance,” she shared. “I burst into tears.”

YUQI and MIYEON capped the episode with a duet medley, singing YUQI’s March digital single “Radio (Dum-Dum)” and Bruno Mars’ “Treasure.”

With “Motivation” out now, YUQI will kick off music-show promos on Sept. 18 with Mnet’s "M Countdown," followed by additional stages in the coming days.

Photo: MIYEONzip MIYEON

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)