Throwback Thursday: Growing Pains

Growing old can be rough. Whether you’re going through your mid-life crisis, your quarter-life crisis, or just taking it day by day, your favorite K-Pop artists are here for you as life goes on.

“Palette” - IU feat. G-DRAGON

In 2017, IU paired up with G-DRAGON to release the title track off her fourth full album of the same name. The entirety of the Palette album illustrates IU coming to terms with her maturity, and this idea is reflected no better than in the lead single. The track is just as calming as it is hopeful, with IU finding peace in her older self that’s learned to not take life so seriously.

“Time Machine” - VIXX

Off their 2014 mini-album Error, VIXX’s song “Time Machine” is pure nostalgia in musical form. In the track, the boys reminisce on childhood by way of going through old belongings in a dusty attic. It’s a song about fondly looking back on those rose-colored, simpler times of younger years—something that anyone can relate to no matter how good things may be in the present.

“Goodbye 20” - Lim Kim

Soloist Lim Kim released her track “Goodbye 20” as the lead single of her album of the same name in 2013. The song demonstrates the peculiar time between the ages of 19 and 21, when you’re no longer a kid but not quite an adult. Filled with despair as endless as the opportunities of adulthood, many of us go into our 20s with overly high hopes that distract us from the enjoyable journey along the way. “Goodbye 20” is a quirky take on the highs, lows, and common misconceptions of this puzzling time.

“Kidult” - SEVENTEEN

Released just last year on their mini-album Heng:garae, SEVENTEEN’s “Kidult” is a song about embracing one’s inner child. It’s a heartfelt song that truly showcases the vocals of all 13 members that only too easily resonantes with anyone struggling to keep up that “tough adult” front. Growing up doesn’t mean becoming invincible, and with “Kidult,” SEVENTEEN remind us that it’s okay to cry just like a child.