IOI Suddenly MV Link – Released May 19, 2026
CLASSy Tear Drop MV Link – Released June 23, 2026
When Suddenly was released to massive domestic success earlier this summer I remember a few posts on here wondering if it would start any kind of trends musically or in terms of the reunion format. I was really interested when, just a little over a month later CLASSy released Tear Drop, which I noticed immediately hit a lot of similar musical and emotional beats and also had some very interesting overlap in what they represent for each group. (and in case it needs to be said, i don’t think anyone was copying anything, Tear Drop would have already been selected as the tt before suddenly released, the similarities i am talking about are coincidental or because of more base level musical and emotional DNA)
Some interesting convergences and contrasts between the two releases:
In terms of how the songs operate within the canon of the groups, both groups were formed on survival shows IOI on Produce 101 in 2016 and CLASSy on My Teenage Girl in 2022. Both tracks operate as “reunion” songs in a sense, IOI’s being a full blown reunion for their 10 year anniversary after having only operating as a group for less than a year and all the members separating to different companies and careers, this song represented bringing many disparate parts back together for the first (and possibly only) time. CLASSy’s is a little different but they very unexpectedly left their (literally evil) former company Pocketdol in 2025 and then, to most peoples’ surprise including mine, announced they had reformed in their entirety under the label K-Tiger Zero with Tear Drop as the representative song for this new start.
Both groups have experienced immense hardship through the years, many of the IOI girls experienced issues with their companies or wholesale disbandment of their groups and many struggled to find the type of success I think they probably wanted, CLASSy suffered under a terrible company, regularly had long hiatuses and has struggled to find their footing as a group. Additionally both groups debuted with extremely young members, and both Suddenly and Tear Drop are the first releases where all the members are over 18 and both groups feature some of the strongest lineups of their respective eras.
Musically the overall feeling of both songs is one of melancholy and pain but with a certain unimpeachable brightness peaking through. Suddenly is much more a synthpop while Tear Drop much more rock based but they share a similar BPM and some definite overlap in arrangement. the bass at start of second verse of Suddenly in particular ties the two songs together. There’s also a similar sense of catharsis in the “Du du du” postchorus in Tear Drop and the “La la la” final chorus/outro of Suddenly.
Lyrically the songs cover different ground but they both circle around this idea of a sudden strong sensation of sadness and longing that demands to be felt, while IOI sings about falling into that feeling and letting it sweep them away CLASSy sings about feeling that pain and choosing to smile through it even while the tears continue to fall.
I think there’s something here that parallels the two groups positions, like you can see them feeling the same emotion but processing it in different ways, IOI is never going to be a permanent group, (though I do think given their success we might see another release from them in the future) the longing for them to be a permanent is something that hits painfully, washes over you and has to be dealt with the way grief and longing often are, not by fixing it but by simply experiencing it, moving through it, and coming out the other side with a better understanding of yourself. CLASSy on the other hand intends to be a permanent group, the song is about resilience and making a commitment to each other and their fans to keep trying in what they hope to be a new beginning.
This difference is most clearly seen in the two bridges. Suddenly’s bridge ends with:
Just when I think I’m about to forget, memories cast their shadow again
Our memories keep flickering before my eyes
While Tear Drop’s bridge ends with
Say it loud, say it all
I’m still standing, I won’t fall
I don’t think one is better than the other, just that different, both are experiencing pain but IOI’s version is filled with a certain maturity, understanding and nostalgia whereas CLASSy is filled with more eagerness, optimism and naivety, Suddenly feels like the older sister, Tear Drop feels like the younger sister, both very beautiful and honest, and both making for really excellent songs.
submitted by /u/betchugonlikeme
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