If I Say, I Love You

BoyNextDoor released their third extended play (EP) 19.99 in September 2024, which focused on self-expression and introspection, drawing from the group's experiences in their transition to adulthood.^[1][2] The EP was fronted by the singles "Dangerous" and "Nice Guy", which presented themes of rebellion and self-confidence respectively.^[3] In support of 19.99 and its preceding releases, BoyNextDoor embarked on their debut world tour, Knock On Vol.1 Tour. During their first show at the Inspire Arena in Incheon, the group announced their first digital single "If I Say, I Love You".^[4][5]

Although the theme is about breakups, since it has a cheerful aspect, we focused on vocally expressing a middle ground — not too excited but not too depressed either.

"If I Say, I Love You" is an upbeat dance-pop song with a runtime of two minutes and 41 seconds. Taesan and Woonhak wrote the song's lyrics, with Kako and Woonhak credited as co-writers. Frequent collaborators Pop Time, Kako, Ryo, and Zico composed the track with Pop Time, Daily, and Likely assisting with the song's arrangement.^[6]

Aiming for a "fresh new narrative" after the "confident and bold" themes of 19.99, the members explored the emotion of "patheticness" in the track.^[6][7] The lyrics narrate the aftermath of a breakup in a self-deprecating light from the perspective of the "younger generation".^[7] Member Riwoo noted that given the lyrical themes, the upbeat production commanded a vocal performance that balanced excitement and depression.^[6][7]

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IZM	[8]

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Writing a 1.5-star review for the online magazine IZM, So Seung-geun opined that the track shares similarities with Choi Ye-na's 2024 single "Nemonemo".^[8] So added that KOZ's characteristic production styles and the track's "contrived melodies and unreasonable progressions" erode the members' vocals, describing the end product as a "slump".^[8]

The music video for "If I Say, I Love You" follows a narrative structure, depicting the six members as different personalities of the same boy dealing with the aftermath of a rejection.^[10] With a length of four minutes and eight seconds, the video follows a slice of life plot set in the backdrop of winter.^[7][10]

"If I Say, I Love You" won its first music program win in the January 16, 2025, episode of M Countdown and its second on the January 19, 2025, episode of Inkigayo.^[11][12][13]

"If I Say, I Love You", alongside its music video, was released on January 6, 2025.^[6] The single was promoted with a winter concept, with accompanying promotional images released on December 27 and 28.^[4] The band collaborated with the department store franchise Shinsegae to screen the release of the music video on the landmark digital billboard of its flagship store in the Myeong-dong neighborhood in Seoul.^[14] A Japanese version of the song followed as a digital single on January 31.^[15]

The inclusion of the Japanese phrase for "I love you" (愛してる, aishiteru) in the chorus prompted KOZ to change the line in English to "I want you" in some promotions for terrestrial television.^[16] A broadcasting official interviewed by The Dong-a Ilbo attributed the change to the ambiguity of regulations on the use of the Japanese language in Korean songs following the January 2004 lifting of the Japanese pop culture instituted by former President Kim Dae-jung.^[16]