i-dle’s Yuqi releases self-written second EP ‘27’

Yuqi, a Chinese member of girl group i-dle, is celebrating her life at age 27 with her new EP filled entirely with her self-composed and written songs.

Her second EP “27,” which was released on Thursday, conveys the message of always loving herself no matter what challenges she encounters with. The album contains six tracks, including the main track, “Stay.”

“This album is especially meaningful to me because I get to tell my own story at age 27 in Chinese lyrics [my native language],” Yuqi said in a press release marking the EP's release on Thursday. “I wanted to send a message about ‘loving myself no matter what.’”

The reason she chose “Stay” as the lead track is because, according to the singer, it tells the raw story of her 27-year-old self.

“The song was chosen as the main track as it conveys the message that ‘there is always a better tomorrow,” the singer said. “I hope the listeners pay close attention to the lyrics written in both Chinese and English.”

The music video for one of the tracks, “I Like You,” was prereleased on YouTube on Friday. The video swept the music video charts on China’s QQ Music following its release, according to her agency, Cube Entertainment, on Thursday.

The new EP comes approximately two years after the singer’s first solo EP, “Yuq1,” released in 2024.

The project reportedly helped her push her musical boundaries. 

“I experimented with genres I previously wouldn’t have tried [composing],” the singer said. “It’s not perfect, but I tried my best to tell my story at age 27 in the lyrics. I hope you take time to read the lyrics of all six tracks.”

Yuqi debuted as a member of girl group i-dle, then known as (G)I-DLE, in May 2018 with EP “I am.” In May 2025, the group officially rebranded as i-dle.

The group currently consists of Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua. The group is known for hits such as “Tomboy” (2022), “Nxde” (2022) and “Queencard” (2023).

BY LEE JI-WON [[email protected]]