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Choi Yena Makes Days Brighter in Third EP GOOD MORNING

On January 15, soloist Choi Yena released her third EP GOOD MORNING. The title track of the same name brings a pop-rock punch and a can-do attitude. Still sporting pink hair like in her HATE XX material, Yena goes back to uplifting people’s moods. Many of Yena’s title tracks have reflected a peppy, youthful image established from her IZ*ONE days. The GOOD MORNING B-sides, however, diversify into themes such as bitterness and heartbreak.  

Tracklist: 

  1. “Good Morning” 

  2. “Good Girls in the Dark” 

  3. “Damn U” 

  4. “The Ugly Duckling”

“Good Morning” 

In “Good Morning,” Yena sees each morning as a fresh start. “We don’t need to think about another day / Yesterday is yesterday, let it go,” the chorus says, telling listeners to keep looking ahead.* Alongside being the performer, Yena also features as a composer and as a lyricist for the song. Other composers include Pollock, Jonathan Sim, Mayu Wakisaka, Drew Louis, Jayelle Gerber, and TWLV; the last of whom helped write the lyrics. 

The “Good Morning” music video is weird, but that’s what makes it enjoyable. Yena goes from dreading the morning to becoming a fantasy hero, sword in hand. She fends off the unknown, surrounded by businessmen wearing yarn masks. Yena is in her element within the video’s colorful and goofy world. It’s reminiscent of her debut “SMILEY,” where Yena portrays a hero determined to replace worries with joy.  

The B-Sides 

The B-sides of GOOD MORNING explore resilience, heartbreak, and comfort. “Good Girls in the Dark” features a speaker navigating a crush who disregards their feelings. After multiple painful moments of disrespect, they decide to move on powerfully. “Baby, do you even care at all / Won’t let you make me feel so damn small,” the lyrics say with resolve. It switches to a softer acoustic guitar instrumental, composed by Maria Marcus, Tobias Näslund, and Lisa Desmond

Maria Marcus and Tobias Näslund also composed the third track, “Damn U.” “Damn U” draws on aggressive emotions from Yena. The chorus gets straight to the point: “I wish I didn’t fall in love, it’s so damn painful / When I want you like that, baby.” Narratively, it feels like the story of “Damn U” precedes “Good Girls in the Dark.” The EP’s final track, “Ugly Duckling,” is a hopeful song. This rock ballad was composed by Choi Yena, her fellow Yuehua soloist WOODZ, Nathan, and Hoho

Note: lyrics taken from English captions in the official music video.