ITZY '마.피.아. In the morning' (2021)

What is In the Morning (ITZY Song)?

In the morning is a song by South Korean girl group ITZY, serving as the title track from their fourth mini album GUESS WHO. The Korean title 마.피.아. (pronounced ma.pi.a.) translates to "Mafia," reflecting the song's thematic foundation inspired by the popular Mafia game. This track marked ITZY's first comeback since their August 2020 release Not Shy, positioning it as a significant return for the group in their discography.

The song draws its creative inspiration directly from the Mafia game, incorporating the game's mechanics of concealment and revelation into its narrative structure. According to member Ryujin, the concept involves concealing feelings during daytime and revealing true emotions at nighttime, presenting two contrasting sides. The lyrical content delivers a confident message about approaching a loved one while maintaining emotional mystery, using the mafia role-playing metaphor to convey the strategic pursuit of stealing someone's heart. This dual nature permeates both the lyrics and performance, creating a narrative where vulnerability remains hidden until the decisive moment arrives.

Park Jin-young, JYP Entertainment's representative producer, led the creative development by handling writing, composing, arranging, instrument sessions, and vocal directing. Foreign composer LYRE collaborated with ITZY for the first time on this project, bringing additional creative synergy to the production. The song further benefited from contributions by established writers including KASS, danke, earattack, and Lee Hae-sol, who have previously worked with prominent K-pop artists such as Twice, BTS, IU, and EXO.

The track achieved notable commercial milestones, with its music video reaching 100 million views on May 23, 2021, becoming the fastest ITZY title track to accomplish this feat in just 22 days. The music video subsequently reached 200 million views on February 23, 2022. The song earned five wins on Korean music shows, including victories on M!Countdown, Show Champion, Music Bank, and Inkigayo during May 2021. In addition to the original Korean version, ITZY released an English version as a digital single. BTS member Jin recommended the song as an enjoyable track to listen to while showering.

Background and Release

Initial announcement and teasers

JYP Entertainment unveiled the track listing for GUESS WHO on April 12, 2021, through the group's official social media accounts and website, confirming the song as the EP's lead single. Starting from April 13, the label initiated a promotional campaign by uploading individual member teasers across social media platforms. The teaser content featured concept imagery aligned with the song's James Bond-inspired aesthetic, presenting each member through visual framing that referenced spy cinema conventions.

The music video preview rollout commenced on April 26 with the first teaser. On the next day, the second teaser was published, followed by the third and final teaser on April 28. The 30-second preview showcased all five members viewed through a gun barrel perspective, establishing the mafia game concept central to the track's narrative framework. Multiple concept photographs accompanied the teaser releases, presenting both night and day versions that visualized the song's thematic duality.

Korean version release

The Korean version received its official release on April 30, 2021, at 1PM KST (12AM EST) through digital download and streaming platforms via JYP Entertainment. The release marked the group's fourth mini-album and first comeback since Trust Me (Midzy) in March 2021. GUESS WHO contained six tracks in addition to the title song, including "Sorry Not Sorry," "Kidding Me," "Wild Wild West," "Shoot!" and "Tennis (0:0)".

The EP achieved significant commercial benchmarks, debuting at number 148 on the Billboard 200 chart. This placement represented ITZY's first entrance on the chart since their 2019 debut. The album broke the group's previous sales records by accumulating over 200,000 copies sold during its first week.

English version release

The English adaptation was released as a digital single on May 14, 2021. The release included a lyric video that premiered at 1PM KST (12PM SGT/12AM EST). Identically timed, a dedicated stage video showcasing the English version's choreography was published on May 15 at 1PM KST. This English language adaptation followed the group's previous English release strategy established with their NOT SHY (ENGLISH VER.) album in January 2021.

Song Composition and Lyrics

Musical style and production

Park Jin-young crafted the track alongside KASS, Danke, and LYRE, developing a hip hop composition characterized by its dance-trap elements. The song operates in the key of B minor with a tempo of 140 beats per minute. The production heightens concepts of ambiguity and suspense through its addictive rhythmic structure. The chorus incorporates trippy synthesizer arrangements that support the group's exploration of various vocal styles. Notably, the instrumental features punchy beats, brass stabs, and rhythmic interruptions designed to mimic the suspense and sudden reveals characteristic of accusatory moments in party games.

Producer Alina Smith, who worked on the track, demonstrated ITZY's production style approach in educational content about their musical methodology. The arrangement employs accusation and interrogation language within its musical framework, translating game mechanics into sonic elements. The composition balances powerful vocal delivery with electronic production techniques, creating a sonic landscape that supports the track's theatrical narrative structure.

Lyrical themes and meaning

The lyrics center on the act of secretly stealing someone's heart while maintaining emotional concealment. The narrative presents a protagonist who feigns innocence while strategically capturing their target's affection, deliberately sending mixed signals to create confusion. Member Ryujin explained that the concept involves concealing feelings during daytime and revealing true emotions at nighttime, presenting two contrasting sides. The opening lines exemplify this duality: "Guess who loves you/ It's me, me/ Do I show you/ No, It's a no".

The lyrical framework employs deception as a central motif, with the protagonist comparing their power to a mafia organization while vowing to win their future partner over. The lyrics reference "looking innocent, but I'm a wolf" and being "oscar worthy, got you fooled," reinforcing the performance aspect of hidden attraction. This strategic approach to courtship positions the relationship pursuit as a psychological game where control and revelation timing become paramount elements.

Mafia game inspiration

The title directly references the Mafia party game, also known as Werewolf, where participants must hide their true roles while deducing others' identities. Member Yeji described how the game's main character must hide their emotions and act differently, relating this mechanic to capturing someone's heart. The game's structure involves a mafia convincing the group of their innocence while secretly eliminating participants until discovery. Accordingly, the song translates these deception mechanics into a relationship metaphor where the protagonist aims to be caught, making "in the morning" represent the moment when their true feelings become revealed and their target becomes theirs.

Music Video and Performance

Director Bang Jae-yeob crafted the accompanying music video with a dark atmosphere showcasing fierce choreography across multiple glamorous sets. The video premiered on JYP Entertainment's YouTube channel on April 30, 2021. The visual narrative opens with Ryujin positioned among mannequins in a fashion shop, wearing a cropped jacket and pleated skirt. This opening sequence establishes the mafia theme of blending into surroundings, as the members effortlessly camouflage themselves among sharply dressed mannequins while singing the opening lines.

The video progresses through several distinct visual environments. One scene features the group dressed entirely in black while performing synchronized choreography on streets in a small town. Another segment takes place in a quaint floral greenhouse where Lia appears in a floral gown, with the group wearing elegant clothing. A particularly striking set displays the members executing choreography surrounded by samurai swords. Yuna appears in a neon green draped dress paired with a black bodysuit, positioned next to a mirror. The climactic sequence shows the group dancing while surrounded by flames.

The music video achieved rapid commercial success, reaching 50 million views within three days of release. After one week, viewership surpassed 70 million. On May 22, 2021, the video reached 100 million views in just 22 days and 12 hours, establishing the fastest milestone achievement among all ITZY music videos.

To promote the track, ITZY appeared on several South Korean music programs including M! Countdown, Music Bank, and Show! Music Core. The group released multiple dance practice versions to showcase the choreography, including a Moving Version and a Day Version. These practice videos allowed audiences to focus specifically on the intricate footwork and formations without the narrative elements of the music video. The synchronized movements and formation changes demonstrated the technical complexity underlying the performance, reinforcing the song's themes of calculated precision and strategic execution that mirror the mafia game concept.

Commercial Performance and Charts

South Korea chart performance

The track peaked at number 10 on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart for the chart issue dated May 9-15, 2021, marking ITZY's fifth top ten single on the chart. On the K-pop Hot 100, the song reached number 7. The monthly Gaon chart positioned the track at number 11, while the year-end Gaon chart placed it at number 89.

Real-time Korean music charts showed strong initial performance, with the track reaching number 1 on both Bugs and Genie platforms. On Melon, the song climbed to number 24 after steadily rising from its initial position. The track entered Flo's Top 10, demonstrating sustained growth across multiple domestic streaming services. Additionally, Spotify Korea positioned the song at number 2.

International chart performance

Billboard's Global 200 chart saw the track debut and peak at number 34 with 36.2 million streams, becoming ITZY's highest entry on the chart. The song simultaneously debuted at number 22 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart. This dual appearance made ITZY the second South Korean girl group to chart on the Global 200 multiple times by doubling their total appearances.

Regional chart positions included number 97 on Canada's Hot 100, number 36 on Japan's Hot 100, number 39 on Japan's Combined Singles chart, number 8 in Malaysia, number 21 on the Netherlands Dutch Global Top 40, number 12 on New Zealand Hot Singles, number 2 in Singapore, and number 49 on the UK Indie chart. The track reached number 3 on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart. On the LyricFind Global chart, the song debuted at number 13 on May 8, 2021.

Streaming milestones

Spotify Global initially positioned the track at number 79, representing ITZY's highest debut rank on the platform. The song subsequently rose to number 59. By year-end 2021, Spotify recognized the track as the number 2 entry on their '10 Best K-Pop Songs of 2021' list.

Critical Reception and Reviews

Music critics delivered mixed assessments of the track, with opinions ranging from praise for experimental elements to criticism of derivative production choices. Jeff Benjamin, writing for Forbes, characterized the song as a "sinister" hip hop track representing "one of their boldest and most experimental sounds yet". Correspondingly, Divyansha Dongre from Rolling Stone India observed that the release "sees the group explore various new vocal styles".

Negative critiques centered primarily on the track's perceived lack of originality within the contemporary K-pop landscape. Sofiana Ramli of NME delivered a mixed assessment, stating the track "sounds like almost every other EDM-oriented song that's been churned out in K-pop today". The review further described mafia in the morning as "arguably the group's most uninspired single since 2019's 'Icy,'" noting that both tracks were co-written and co-produced by label head J.Y. Park, who "has a penchant for pop clichés". Be that as it may, the NME review acknowledged the song as "ridiculously addictive" while simultaneously labeling it "woefully uncreative".

Joshua Minsoo Kim of Pitchfork positioned the track as "the biggest offender from Guess Who," observing that "there's a Cardi B lilt in the verses, but it otherwise feels like Blackpink without the stadium-sized grandeur". The Bias List published particularly harsh criticism, describing the composition as "largely hookless, with a vacuum of melody and noisy production that borrows familiar K-pop sounds and samples without bringing anything new to the table". The review expressed shock that such a high-profile release from JYP could emerge "this dull".

Critics identified specific redeeming elements despite broader reservations. The NME review singled out Lia's bridge as the primary saving element, describing it as "a smouldering solo that oozes confidence". Multiple reviewers credited ITZY's performance charisma with elevating the material, with The Bias List noting the members' "megawatt charisma" as pulling the track "over the finish line – but just barely".