I Trust

On February 18, 2020, it was reported that (G)I-dle were set to comeback in mid-March ahead of their world tour I-Land: Who Am I. It was also reported that the group were filming a music video on the same day.[7] The release, however, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

On March 19, 2020, Cube Entertainment announced that (G)I-dle would be making a comeback with an extended play in early April. They had already completed their album jacket photoshoot, filming of the music video and were in the final stages of comeback preparations.[9] Later the same month, Cube officially announced their comeback with the released artwork teaser image of the third mini-album I Trust through their official social network service. The teaser contains the album name and release date.[10][11]

I Trust is (G)I-dle's third 'I' series following I Am and I Made. I Trust comes from setting the subject of belief as "myself". The theme of the album is 'I trust = I trust myself' and through this (G)I-dle showcases their own unique confidence.[12] Soyeon revealed she got inspired by watching isekai anime, KonoSuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World! Legend of Crimson for the whole album concept.[13][14]

(G)I-dle released two album versions for I Trust containing different colour themes which conveys a "collision with reality—meeting halfway between their reality and what society expects from them". In a white-colour theme, Lie version represents how the group see themselves as innocence, pure and trust in oneself. The black-colour theme, True is to represent how the society views them "even though we try to stick to our original goals".[15]

Soyeon wrote and co-produced all of the songs on "I Trust".

I Trust is an album that contains the personalities of (G)I-dle starting with 'I' and 'Trust' derived from believing in one self. The opening track of the album, "Oh my god" is an urban hip-hop track with a bold rhythm that changes with every development of the song, expressing the theme 'I can be confident just by believing in myself' while experiencing feelings of rejection and confusion.[16][17]

"Luv U" is a trap song which combines heavy 808 bass, hard drum beats, and tongue-clicking sounds recorded by member Soyeon which creates a playful yet serious, bright but dark atmosphere.[18] The lyrics express a strong energy of love and revolve around a situation when you have to believe in yourself.[19] Soulbeats called it "borderline industrial, with pops, clicks, riffs that read more like sounds than music, but composed so deftly that they form a clear melody and rhythm".[20]

"Maybe" is a dream-like dance-pop song that combines slow chord progression and minimalist electronic instrumentation, though the rubbery synths and staccato drums play against the scratched strings for a spectacular drop.[18][20] It represents the confusion one faces when coming to believe in themselves.[19]

On March 26, 2020, Cube Entertainment released a time table for (G)I-dle's third extended play through their official homepage and SNS, which showed the group's promotion schedule beginning March 27 until the release of their album on April 7.[21][22] The following day, the first official concept trailer for the album was released. The trailer contained the whispering of someone but it was difficult to interpret its meaning.[23][24] On March 28, the first teaser photo was revealed,[25] and followed with second teaser photo and concept video on March 29.[26][27] On April 1, Cube launched the (G)I-dle's chic violet exclusive emoji for using hashtags #여자아이들, #GIDLE, #아이들_오마이갓, #GIDLE_OMG and #I_trust.[28] These emojis were effective until April 30, 2020.[29][30] Subsequently, the group released individual and group jacket album photos. The photos feature the members wearing dark dresses with snake-shaped props and accessories, creating a mysterious and fascinating atmosphere for the True version on April 1, and wearing white dresses with light feathers and flowers to add a pure and light atmosphere for the Lie version on April 2.[31][32]

The group held an online live media showcase before the song's digital release with Jo Kwon as the MC.[17]

(G)I-dle continue their promotion activities with follow-up song "Luv U" starting April 28, on SBS MTV The Show to repay the love sent from their fans for I Trust.[33] The promotions of the song ended on May 3.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
IZM	[38]

Writing for IZM, Kim Do-heon described the EP as "it avoids the trap of self-reproduction or boredom through various variations". He continued and praised Soyeon's designing the song by grasping the individuality and the breath of her team members.[38]

Pop music critic Seo Jeong Min-gap included (G)I-dle's I Trust in the list of albums 'If You Don't Listen, You Will Regret It'.[39] Lee Jeong-beom of XSports News included "Luv U" on his list of the "10 K-pop Girl groups' B-Sides that left an impression and helped improve the quality of my life this year". In his article, he wrote that the song expressed a cute side to a strong character and saying "it takes risks to show a side that is not customary for a certain field of creation." He concluded, "The song received high marks for expressing a character that was strong outside but soft inside through a fun, energetic and charming way."[40]

According to Hanteo, the album sold 91,311 physical copies on the first day of availability, becoming their fastest and best-selling album to date,[48] demonstrating a growth rate of 495%,[49] and the second-highest (behind Iz*One's Bloom*Iz) first day sales by a girl group on Hanteo.[50] In under three days of its release, the album recorded 100,000 physical copies sold,[51] and later, it topped the album charts in 15 retail stores.[52] I Trust debuted at number one on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart, becoming (G)-I-dle's first number one album in their home country. It is also their first album to have all tracks debut on the Gaon Download Chart.[53]

I Trust debuted at number 7 on the KKBOX Hong Kong Korean Album Weekly Chart.[54] Later, it peaked and charted at number 3 for week 16 and 18 of 2020.[55][56]

It was reported that I Trust set the highest record for a South Korean girl group to topped iTunes Top Albums chart in 62 countries worldwide.[57][58][59] The album also ranked first in the United States on iTunes Pop Album Chart, K-Pop Album Chart, and K-Pop Song Chart.[60] The album scored their best one-week sales with 1,000 copies and a total of 2,000 album-equivalent units in the week ending April 9, debuting at number 4 on Billboard's World Albums Chart.[61]

On May 6, (G)I-dle debuted at Rolling Stone's Top 25 Breakthrough chart as the only K-Pop group to chart for the month of April at the top 20 spot with a unit growth of 3.3 million and over 5.5 million total on demand audio streams in the U.S.[62][63]

On July 13, it reported that I Trust rank in the Top 20 albums for Gaon's Mid Year Album Sale Chart, with 151,108 album sales. (G)I-dle remains one of two 2018 rookie female groups and only female artists to come from a "non big three" company in the top 20.[64]

• (G)I-dle — vocals (All tracks)
  • Soyeon — production, lyricist (All tracks), composition (All tracks), arrangement (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5)

• Big Sancho — composition (All tracks), arrangement (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5)
• Woomin Lee "collapsedone" — composition (track 3), arrangement (tracks 3)

Additional personnel

• Simon Hong – production[2]
• Lauren Kaori – English translation on "Oh My God" (English Ver.)

• List of Gaon Album Chart number ones of 2020
• List of K-pop albums on the Billboard charts

• "Oh My God" music video on YouTube
• I Trust playlist on YouTube