IU Drops MV Shoot Photos for First Single in a Year, and the Bob Is Doing a Lot

IU posted a batch of behind-the-scenes photos from the music video shoot for From This Star on the 16th, and the image fans latched onto immediately was not the floral dress or the spaceship set piece, it was the bob.

The short haircut is a noticeable departure for the singer-actress, and the close-up selfies she included make the most of it. Shot between takes and during downtime on set, the photos show IU in a vintage-style floral dress for the formal shoot and comfortable casualwear, a white tee, a grey knit, during breaks. The caption was just the song title, no further explanation needed.

A year in the making

The single arrived on the 10th, IU's first new music since Bye Summer in September of last year. From This Star is a double-title release, pairing the title track with Dear My Crazy Soulmate; IU wrote the lyrics to both songs herself. Both tracks are being released as pre-drops ahead of her upcoming sixth full-length album, which had its schedule adjusted earlier this year after IU's agency cited a worsening of her patulous Eustachian tube condition as the reason for postponing concerts and other commitments.

The behind-the-scenes set also gives the clearest look yet at what the music video's visual world involves. One photo shows IU lying on the floor between takes, resting. Another appears to place her in a spacesuit, gazing out a window as though looking down at Earth, a striking enough image that fans immediately started speculating about the video's narrative. The most talked-about frame, though, is one where IU and Chilean actor Jorge Lopez sit close together on set, both facing the camera. A second photo catches them turned toward each other, close enough that the mood reads as unmistakably warm.

Lopez's presence in the video had not been announced before the photos went up, which added an extra layer of surprise to an already anticipated release. For a single that IU framed so quietly, a caption with just a song title, a small stack of candid images, it generated a lot of conversation very quickly.