Epik High has taken flight again. The representative song ‘Love Love Love‘, released 20 years ago, is currently being rediscovered mainly on music charts and SNS, creating a reverse trend that transcends generations.
Epik High’s representative song ‘Love Love Love’ has recently shown a marked upward trend on various music platforms. As of the 11th, it ranked 3rd on Apple Music’s ‘Today’s Top 100 Korea’ chart, 9th on Spotify’s ‘Top 50 Korea’ chart, and 42nd on YouTube Music’s weekly chart. 19 years after its release, it entered the top charts again and revealed its presence.
At the center of this turnaround is SNS. The ‘Love Love Love’ challenge, which spread around TikTok, Shorts, and Lil’s, led to re-consumption of the song. The point choreography, which involves drawing a heart shape according to the lyrics, is intuitive and light, making it easy for even those who are new to the song to participate. Epik High members also directly participated in the challenge, adding to the topic.
‘Love Love Love’ is a song that combines a cheerful yet dreamy melody with lyrical lyrics, and was evaluated as an emotional hip-hop track representing Epik High even at the time of its release. Recently, it was sampled in Sik-K and Lil Moshpit‘s ‘LOV3’ and was first brought to the spotlight among hip-hop fans.
Popular culture critic Kim Seong-soo pointed out, “There are an increasing number of hip-hop classics from the 2000s being revived in the recent SNS environment, and ‘Love Love Love’ has intuitive melody and lyrics, so it fits well with short-form content.” He went on to explain, “Another strength is that the emotional lines of the song are not excessive, allowing for different interpretations and participation by different generations.”
This trend is also noteworthy in that the existing fan base who remembers the time of release and the younger generation who have recently encountered Epik High are responding simultaneously. It is meaningful in that it is not only consumed as a song of memories, but is also accepted as music that is encountered for the first time. In fact, there are quite a few people who participate in the challenge without knowing that this song is ‘Epik High’s representative song.’ For fans who remember the time of release, it is consumed with nostalgic emotions, and for those in their teens and 20s, it is consumed as fresh music that suits their current tastes.
Tablo told Daily Sports, “It’s been 20 years since I wrote ‘Love Love Love,’ and now, in 2026, I’m amazed and grateful to see people younger than this song enjoying the dance challenge.” He added, “Seeing old songs like ‘Umbrella’, ‘FLY’, and ‘ONE’ being used as drama OSTs or covered by younger artists, I think that the lifespan of a song is ultimately determined by the listeners.”
YouTube was also of great help in this trend. Epik High’s YouTube channel has surpassed 1.5 million subscribers, securing as much influence as their music activities. The channel introduces itself as “a comprehensive entertainment that includes 100% realistic daily life of best friends, restaurant tours, and special guests.” Contents such as ‘New Year’s Workshop’, ‘Dating Counseling’, ’22nd Anniversary Trip’, and ‘Drunken Discussion’ bring to the fore the daily lives of three friends that you might see around you, rather than the artists on stage. The cumulative number of views is approximately 900 million, and is on the verge of exceeding 1 billion.
Analysis suggests that Epik High’s YouTube content goes beyond a simple music promotion tool and operates as an independent brand. A virtuous cycle is being created where the intimacy formed through daily life-centered content leads to music consumption, which in turn flows into content through music. In this trend, past hit songs are expanded again through new platforms, and the comeback of ‘Love Love Love’ is also interpreted as a phenomenon that appeared within this structure.
The members also said that they are feeling a different response through YouTube. Tukutz cited “friendliness” as the reason why Epik High is loved on YouTube, and explained, “It seems like the unfiltered, honest side of people who are probably around at least one person is gaining sympathy.” Mithra said, “The age group of people who say, ‘I’m enjoying Epic Casse’ has become very diverse. From young students to people whose parents are older, just a word of support in passing is of great help.” Tablo also pointed out, “Besides being a singer and everything else, it’s just an ordinary story of three friends, so it seems like people of all ages can sympathize with it.”
Epik High, which is based on YouTube, is expected to continue its parallel communication and music activities for the time being. Regarding the future direction, Tablo said, “I want to make many people smile for a long time,” and Tukutz humorously said, “Even if I make a plan, it never works out the way it is.” Mithra promised, “This year, I will not miss a week and will bring a little laughter at 7:30 on Thursday.”
Reporter Yoo Ji-hee yjhh@edaily.co.kr