As once said by Socrates, one must “know thyself” to live life to the fullest. However, that’s much easier said than done. Self-discovery is a concept that is heavily emphasized in today’s society, but it’s also something many people struggle to achieve. For many of us, we don’t even fully know ourselves, always striving to find out what we’re truly made of. In her song “Palette (feat. G-Dragon)”, IU embarks on a journey of self-discovery and shares with us the beauty of being true to yourself.

(IU- Palette Album Cover)

“Palette” is one of my favorite songs due to its hopeful/peaceful vibe, along with the meaning behind the title and each lyric. From a musical perspective, the song is very simple, as it is soft and mellow with a moderate bpm. As the cherry on top, IU’s vocals bring the song to life by switching the tone of her voice between different verses and the chorus, ranging from relaxed/laid-back to assured/confident. The song feels as though it’s alive and breathing with the harmony between the instrumentals and IU’s emotion-packed singing. Though the musical aspects of the song are great, the underlying messages are a true work of art that bring the whole song together.

In each verse throughout the song, IU gets very personal and lists out her unique preferences that the mainstream may not agree with, such as preferring deep purple over hot pink, pajamas with buttons, a neat bob cut over long hair, old-fashioned/cheesy things, and a simple diary over an extravagant painting. Each of these verses ends and the chorus starts with the phrase “I like it”. With that one simple phrase, IU throws all judgment and criticism out the window and anchors herself to what she likes and wants, staying true to herself. It doesn’t matter what others may say about her. Each new, bold statement represents a new, firm step toward discovering and accepting herself.

Compared to the more relaxed, peaceful verses, the chorus that follows is much more assertive and full of confidence. IU bounces back and forth between “I know you like me” and “I know you hate me”, acknowledging that while she has thousands of fans that support her and what she wants, she also has that many haters opposing her very essence. However, she ends every chorus with “I got this; I’m truly fine. I think I know myself a little bit now.” In the end, what the world thinks and says of her doesn’t matter, and she’s starting to realize that. All that matters is that she’s slowly starting to discover who she truly is.

Everyone has a palette full of endless, unique colors. Those colors make up who we are and the endless possibilities of who we can be. By living life, we’re simply expressing our unique colors in our own unique ways. However, we’re yet to see the full palette and the potential that we hold. We may not realize it, but a part of it is always grayed out, some more than others. Self-discovery means unveiling the hidden colors on your palette and creating a new set of possibilities for the life you can paint.

“I shine the brightest not when I’m a kid or an adult, but when I’m simply me.”

(IU- Palette MV)