YUQI of i-dle has announced the release of her second EP, ‘27,’ scheduled for October 8, 2026.

A teaser image accompanied the news, depicting the number 27 painted across a set of false nails. Alongside it is text introducing the album’s narrative: “Twenty-seven- the age when the brightest smiles often hide the deepest worries, like a sunflower growing toward the sun while leaving its shadow behind.” September 23, the date of the announcement, marks YUQI’s 27th birthday – implying a personal, anecdotal element.

Consisting of six songs, the EP will be her first solo music project since the release of the single “Motivation” in September 2025. According to CUBE Entertainment, it will capture the various contrasting emotions and experiences of being 27, alternating between “smiles” and “worries” as the teaser image suggests.

The announcement is the second to be made this week regarding YUQI’s activities as a solo artist. On Tuesday, CUBE Entertainment unveiled the 2026 YUQI Fan-Con ‘27,’ which will take YUQI across China to the cities of Guangzhou, Chengdu, Beijing, and Shanghai. No dates have been listed at present, but official social media posts state that information is coming soon via Tencent Music’s TMElive.

YUQI is one of the most popular soloists in her home country. In 2024, “FREAK,” the English-language title track of her debut mini album YUQ1, made history on China’s largest music platform. It became the first song by a K-pop act to spend 100 consecutive weeks on the Tencent Music Korean Chart. Her solo digital single “Radio (Dum-Dum),” released a year later, spent 79 weeks among the top 10 on the platform. Even her recent feature, NOWZ’s “Fly Freely,” reached number one on QQ Music’s new song chart in China.

Combined with the promotions expected for her first fan-con series ‘27’ and the promise of performances itself, a new associated mini album is likely to match or even outperform her previous releases. It positions YUQI as focussing fully on her presence in China for the remainder of the year, with this EP explicitly linked to the China-exclusive fan-con as opposed to only falling alongside it. Whether further promotional activities will see YUQI performing outside of China is currently unclear, but it seems that her audience in the country are taking priority on this occasion.

As a collective, i-dle concluded their World Tour [SYNCOPATION] in August. Since then, leader SOYEON has pursued her own solo endeavours with the release of What a Wonderful Life on September 7 and subsequent music show appearances. As YUQI follows suit, it seems the members are taking a break from group activities for now.

More teasers for ‘27’ are expected prior to October 8, with information regarding the schedule of the ‘27’ fan-con yet to come.