Imaginary Friend (song)

"Imaginary Friend" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Itzy for their ninth extended play Gold. It was released as the EP's second single by JYP Entertainment on October 15, 2024.

Background and release

On July 9, 2024, JYP Entertainment announced that Itzy would be releasing a new record in October 2024. On September 13, the agency confirmed that the group's ninth extended play Gold would be released on October 15. The track listing and promotional schedule were also released on the same day, with "Gold" and "Imaginary Friend" announced as the lead singles. On October 7, together with five tracks from the EP, the preview for "Imaginary Friend" was released. The song was released alongside the extended play on October 15. The music video teasers for "Imaginary Friend" were later released on October 23 and 25. The English version of the song was released on October 25. On October 28, the music video was released.

Composition

"Imaginary Friend" was produced by Ryan S. Jhun alongside James Daniel Lewis who contributed to the composition and arrangement, with Sorana Pacurar participating in the composition, and Jun Seo and Hwan Yang participating in the arrangement. It was described as a pop-dance song that combines vintage pop guitar, acoustic band sound, and vocal harmonies with mellow tones.

Promotion

Following two weeks of promotion for "Gold" on music programs, promotion for "Imaginary Friend" began. Itzy performed on two music programs in the first week of promotion: KBS's Music Bank on November 1, and SBS's Inkigayo on November 3.