IVE Returns with New Album “IVE EMPATHY,” Setting Historic Record with One Million Units Sold in First Week

The six-member girl group IVE, under Starship Entertainment, has achieved a historic milestone with their new album. At 6 p.m. KST on February 3, IVE returned after a long hiatus with their new EP “IVE EMPATHY” and title track “ATTITUDE.” Starting with the lyrics “You'll fall in love by the end of the song,” “ATTITUDE” is an empowering pop track characterized by the chorus “I'm that, I'm that girl.” Composed of Yujin, Ga-eul, Lay, Won-young, Liz, and Leeseo, the group has been recognized as K-pop’s top trendsetter for four years, and this song reflects that status perfectly. “ATTITUDE” is included alongside the album’s pre-release track “Rebel Heart,” with both songs achieving massive success in South Korea. Since their Debut in December 2021 with “Eleven,” IVE has maintained an exceptionally dominant presence on K-pop music charts. To date, a total of five of their songs have achieved the All-Kill record. PAK is an honorary title given only to tracks that simultaneously top real-time, daily, and weekly charts across major South Korean music platforms. As of now, IVE ranks third as the artist with the most PAK-certified songs. “IVE EMPATHY” is IVE’s third EP, representing a natural musical evolution from their previous release “IVE SWITCH.” Leader Yujin mentioned in an interview that the album was prepared during a very cold winter, adding that many scenes had to be filmed outdoors in snowy mountains. Among the six tracks on the album, each member had their favorite song, with Won-young stating that “ATTITUDE” is her favorite and revealing that she contributed to writing part of its lyrics. Just five days after the album’s release, Hankook reported that “IVE EMPATHY” had sold over one million copies. This marks the fourth consecutive album by IVE to reach this milestone, following “IVE IVE,” “I’VE MINE,” and “IVE SWITCH.” With this achievement, IVE became the second girl group to have four different albums each sell over one million copies within a single week. The only other group to achieve such a record is aespa.