Lion ((G)I-dle song)

"Lion"
Single by (G)I-dle
from the album Queendom Final Comeback and I Trust
ReleasedOctober 25, 2019 (2019-10-25)
GenreDance-pop
Length3:31
LabelCube Entertainment
Songwriter(s)Soyeon
Producer(s)
(G)I-dle singles chronology
"Put It Straight
(Nightmare ver.)"
(2019)
"Lion"
(2019)
"Oh My God"
(2020)
Music video
"Lion" on YouTube

"Lion" (stylized in all caps) is a song recorded by (G)I-dle, a South Korean girl group who participated in the reality girl group survival show, Queendom. It was released digitally on October 25, 2019, as part of the show's extended play Queendom Final Comeback.[1] Its lyrics were written by Jeon So-yeon, who also composed, produced and arranged the song with Big Sancho. (G)I-dle went on to finish third in show.[2]

Though it did not chart high at the time of its release, it later became a sleeper hit in South Korea after gaining popularity on their stage concept of The Queen's Royal Welcome.[3] It reached a peak at number five on the US World Digital Song Sales chart, giving (G)I-dle their fifth top 10 hit. The song was later included in the group's third EP I Trust, which was released on April 6, 2020.

"Lion" received critical acclaim from music critics, calling it "Song of the Year (Female)" and naming them "young lion".[4][5] It was also considered "one of the most visceral tracks of 2019" and became one of the group's signature songs.[6] It was chosen by Idology as number one out of 920 songs released in 2019[7] and was named one of the top 100 K-pop Songs of All Time by Melon and Seoul Shinmun.[8]

  1. ^ Kang Eun-ji (October 25, 2019). "Mnet '퀸덤' 우승자 가릴 싱글 오늘(25)일 낮 공개". News Post.
  2. ^ "['퀸덤'종영] 마마무, 오마이걸 누르고 '걸그룹 퀸' 우뚝". Maeil Business. November 1, 2019.
  3. ^ Jung Ga-young (November 1, 2019). "(여자)아이들, '퀸덤' 효과 톡톡…'LION' 무대 유튜브 조회수 급등" [(G)I-dle 'Queendom' effect 'LION' stage YouTube views soar]. Sports World.
  4. ^ "2019 올해의 가요 싱글". IZM (in Korean). Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  5. ^ "실력파 걸그룹 홍수시대… 그 위엔 방탄 말고 아무도 없었다" (in Korean). Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  6. ^ "The 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2019: Critics' Picks". Billboard. December 29, 2019.
  7. ^ "결산 2019 : 최고의 노래" [Closing 2019: best songs]. Idology. February 11, 2020.
  8. ^ "Top 100 K-pop songs of all time revealed". Manila Bulletin. August 29, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.