i-dle's Yuqi Returns With Self-Written Solo EP '27'

i-dle member Yuqi is back with a solo project built entirely from songs she wrote herself. Her second mini-album, "27," drops at 1 p.m. KST on Wednesday across global streaming platforms.

The six-track EP centers on the questions and feelings Yuqi is facing at age 27, framed through the image of a sunflower. The through-line is a decision to keep believing in herself no matter the circumstances.

Yuqi wrote the lyrics and melodies for every song on the record. The tracklist includes title track "Stay," "快乐," "Chamomile Tea," "I Like You," "Feels Right" and "银河之舞." "Stay" is about moving forward with the people who have stayed by her side, even when the road ahead is uncertain.

The rollout has already drawn attention overseas. A teaser for the "Stay" music video posted to Yuqi's official social accounts on Tuesday showed her surrounded by close friends in nature, paired with the lyric "You gotta stay with me." The music video for pre-release track "I Like You" climbed to the top of the overall music video chart on China's QQ Music and hit No. 1 on YouTube's daily trending music video chart in Singapore and Hong Kong. It also reached No. 10 in South Korea and No. 88 globally, with chart entries in Canada, Norway, Malaysia, Sweden, Australia and Russia.

The release marks Yuqi's return to solo activity after roughly one year and one month. Speaking through her agency, Cube Entertainment, she shared the story behind the album.

"I've been working on this album steadily," Yuqi said. "I hope it feels like a gift to the fans. I made it as a Mandarin album to tell the story of me at 27, which makes it especially meaningful."

On the core message of the record, she said, "I wanted to say, 'No matter who I am, I'll love myself.'"

She described "Stay" as the youth story of 27-year-old Yuqi in its purest form. "I chose it as the title because it's about facing the sun like a sunflower and keeping going, believing tomorrow will be better," she said. "I hope people pay attention to how the lyrics move between Mandarin and English."

Yuqi said she focused most on the lyrics while making the album. "I tried genres I hadn't shown before," she said. "I may still be rough around the edges, but I really wanted to tell my story at 27, so I poured a lot into the words. I hope people read the lyrics on all six songs at least once."

She also explained why "I Like You" came out ahead of the full project. "I thought it connected best with the theme of the album," she said. "It's a song I personally love, so I wanted Neverland to hear it first." Neverland is the official name of the i-dle fandom.

She closed with a message to listeners. "I put my honest story at 27 into this album, so please give it a lot of love."