Leader Soyeon composed and arranged the title track and heavily participated in the writing process of every song on the project.

[10] To express the concept of this album visually, Soyeon explained the necessity of the (platinum blonde, red-lipped, lingerie-clad) look to convey the theme to Shuhua properly.

"[12] In an interview with SBS Originals Hanbam, the group revealed that I Love's preparation was completed before they began the Just Me ( )I-dle World Tour, which they held between June 17 – October 1, 2022.

It simply featured an animation of a red beating heart with sound effects and counted down 10 minutes before breaking to reveal the album title I Love.

[14] The agency also shared an artwork teaser image of a heart cushion on the cover of the magazine across all the group's social media accounts, and that I Love would be released on October 17, 2022.

[17] On September 30, the artwork was unveiled for the lead single to be titled "Nxde" ('x' replacing 'u' in 'nude') on the group's official SNS accounts and website.

The single cover consists of all five members, presumably topless, wearing red lipstick and dyed blonde hair.

[19] It draws attention by foretelling a new challenge for the group with an unconventional and daring direction projecting the concept of power, confidence, freedom, and body autonomy.

[24] Alongside the announcement, "Dark (X-File)" track video was scheduled to be released on October 12, five days before their full EP came out.

[26][1] All tracks were mainly produced and written by the members, especially Soyeon, while Minnie and Yuqi worked on "Change" and "Sculpture" as well as "Reset" and "Dark (X-File)" respectively.

[3][32] Hours before the official release of I Love, the group held a media showcase named 'X-LOVE-SHOW' to discuss the making of the album.

"[33][34] The opening track of the album, "Nxde", featuring an alternative pop genre that samples an aria from Georges Bizet's 1875 opéra comique Carmen, "Habanera".

"[38] Writing for Genius, Sofia E. Gomez regarded the album as "impressive" as it contains the "thoughtfulness and authenticity" found in its lyrics " giving listeners a glimpse into the harsh realities of breaking away or succumbing to outside stereotypes and judgment.

Touching on themes of self-love, toxic relationships, and destructive behaviours" she thanked (G)I-dle for their "authentic and baring" for everyone to see as "they're no longer tied down to society’s outdated beliefs and are ready to reveal what makes them one-of-a-kind — especially as they stand by their confident nature to be – bold, raw, and evocative with no fear.

[22][48] This version portrays the double-sidedness of love, and the Born concept shows the visuals inspired by Hollywood figure Marilyn Monroe.

[51] To commemorate the release of the album, the group partnered up with Ktown4u,[52] AppleMusic,[53] Dearmymuse,[54] Withmuu,[55] and Namil Music[56] to open a one-on-one video call event page.

On October 4, Cube launched the (G)I-dle's I Love exclusive emoji for using the promotional hashtags "여자아이들", "GIDLE", "I_love", and "Nxde".

[59] (G)I-dle held an offline event X-Love Show Private Premiere, on the release date of the EP, Friday, October 17 at CGV Cheongdam Cine City, Seoul.