Rise as Godis a Korean studio album (unofficially the eighth release) by South Korean pop duoTVXQ.It was released on July 20, 2015 byS.M. Entertainment.[1]Released as a special album, it is the duo's last musical release before taking their two-year hiatus to complete theirmandatory military service.
| Rise as God | ||||
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| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | July 20, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2013–15 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Language | Korean | |||
| Label | S.M. | |||
| Producer |
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| TVXQchronology | ||||
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| SinglesfromRise as God | ||||
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Unlike TVXQ's previous albums,Rise as Godreceived little promotion. Nonetheless, the album received positive reviews from music critics,[2]and debuted at number one on theGaon Album Chart,selling 150,000 copies by the end of 2015.[3]
Background and composition
editIn November 2013, S.M. Entertainment announced that TVXQ had recorded over twenty songs for their new album. The duo contemplated about releasing their new record in two parts.[4]On January 6, 2014, TVXQ released their special tenth-anniversary albumTense,which included 12 songs. In late 2014, rumors began circulating among fansites that TVXQ were planning to release a special mini-album in the summer of 2015, but those rumors were never materialized.
In April 2015, S.M. confirmed that U-Know Yunho would be enlisting in theRepublic of Korea Armed Forcesas part of the mandatory military service imposed on all South Korean men aged 18 to 35.[5]In July, S.M. announced that Max Changmin was accepted into a special unit for conscripted policemen, and will be enlisting at the end of the year.[6]Due to their mandatory draft, TVXQ announced that they would be on hiatus for the next two years. At theTistory: Special Live Tourencore shows held on June 13 and 14, the duo said they have recorded some new material and would release it sometime during their hiatus.
Rise as Godwas announced on July 15, one week before its release date. According to S.M.'s press release, the title of the album is inspired by TVXQ'sHanjaname Dong Bang Shin Ki (Hanja:Đông phương thần khởi ), which roughly translates to "rising gods of the east." Its two lead singles were announced to be "Rise as One", anEDMsong sung by Changmin; and "Champagne", apop dancetrack performed by Yunho. "Champagne" was first revealed at the Tistory encore concerts that were held a month earlier, when Yunho performed "Champagne" during his solo segment.[1]While "Rise as One" was described as a song that represented Yunho and Changmin's journey through the years, "Champagne" was described as a fun party song. Yunho chose "Champagne" as his last single before enlistment because he wanted to leave the fans with a happy note. Yunho was drafted as an active duty soldier on July 21, the day after the album's release.[7]
Release and performance
editDue to the duo's unavailability,Rise as Godreceived little promotion. Introducing it as a parting gift for fans, S.M. only usedsocial mediato promote the album. TVXQ's fans were alerted of the album's release on July 15, one week before its official release date. Online pre-orders were made available, and it topped South Korea's Synarra Record charts and Japan's Tower Records charts soon after pre-orders were announced. A sneak peek of the album's digital cover was released to Korean media agencies on July 15, followed by two black-and-white teaser photos featuring Yunho and Changmin the next day. The ten track set was revealed on July 16.
On the midnight of July 17, S.M.'s officialYouTubechannel released a teaser video of the album, which featured snippets of the singles' separate music videos. Individual teaser videos for "Rise as One" and "Champagne" were unveiled on July 18 and 19 respectively. The two music videos premiered in full on the evening of July 20, the day of the album's release. The physical copy ofRise as Godwas released by traditional mediums on July 21. It was made available in two versions–black or white–with two different photobooks that featured solo shots of the duo.
Commercial performance
editOn the first day of sales in South Korea, Hanteo Album Charts, which tracks real-time sales from affiliated retailers, reported thatRise as Godwas behindSuper Junior'sDevilon the first day of release. It jumped to number one on the second day but dropped back to number two on the third day. It finished the week at number two and sold approximately 30,000 physical copies, making it TVXQ's slowest opening-week sales since their debut withTri-Anglein 2004.
On South Korea's weeklyGaon Album Chart,Rise as Goddebuted at number one, making it TVXQ's fourth consecutive number one since the chart's establishment in 2010. According to Gaon, 148,155 copies were shipped in the first month, outperforming Super Junior by 12,000 units.[8]
In Japan,Rise as Godentered the weeklyOricon Albums Chartat number six, with sales of 18,093 imported copies.
The album's two singles, "Champagne" and "Rise as One", failed to chart on South Korea's weekly digital charts. However, "Champagne" and "Rise as One" topped China's Baidu King weekly charts upon its first week, taking first and second place, respectively. Other songs from the album, including Yunho's "Komplikated", Changmin's "Apology," and the duet "Top of the World," peaked in the top ten.[9]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Vertigo" (현기증) |
|
| Outer Earth Productions | 3:45 |
| 2. | "Champagne" (샴페인;sung byU-Know) |
|
| 3:43 | |
| 3. | "Rise as One" (sung byMax) | Kenzie |
|
| 3:01 |
| 4. | "Everyday It Rains" (비를 타고…) | Hwang Hyun (Monotree) |
|
| 4:41 |
| 5. | "Smile" (웨딩드레스) | Jo Yoon-kyung |
|
| 3:46 |
| 6. | "Top of the World" (너는 내꺼) |
| Yoo Y. | Yoo Y. | 3:57 |
| 7. | "Apology" (sung by Max) | Kim Min-ji |
| 3:55 | |
| 8. | "Komplikated" (sung by U-Know) |
|
| 2:49 | |
| 9. | "Dominus" |
|
|
| 3:11 |
| 10. | "Lucky Star" | Kim Bu-min | Hitchhiker | Hitchhiker | 3:53 |
| Total length: | 36:41 | ||||
Credits and personnel
editCredits adapted from the liner notes ofRise as God.[10]
- Lee Soo-man– producer
- Lee Sung-soo, Yoo Jeh-ni, Heo Min-young – A&R Director & Coordination
- TVXQ (U-Know Yunho,Max Changmin) – vocals, background vocals
- Lee Jae-myung – vocal director(tracks 1, 5)
- Jung Eun-kyung – recording, vocal editing(tracks 1–3, 5, 7, 10)
- Nam Kung-jin – mixing(track 1)
- Kim Tae-woo – background vocals(track 1)
- MonoTree – vocal directors, protocols, digital editing, vocal editing(tracks 2–4, 8–9)
- Kye Bum-joo – background vocals(tracks 2, 4)
- Byun Jang-mun – background vocals(track 2)
- Peter Tambakis – background vocals(track 2)
- August Rigo – background vocals(track 2)
- Goo Jong-pil of BeatBurger – mixing, bass(track 3)
- Jessica Sanchez – background vocals(track 3)
- Kim Chul-soon – recording, mixing(tracks 4, 7)
- Jamie Jones – background vocals(track 4)
- Lee Sung-ho – recording(track 5)
- Jung Wi-suk – mixing(tracks 5, 10)
- Kang Tae-woo – background vocals(track 5)
- Yoo Young-jin– directing, recording, mixing, background vocals(track 6)
- Jun Seung-woo – vocal director, background vocals(track 7)
- Tay Jasper – background vocals(track 8)
- Kim Su-chang – background vocals(track 9)
- Hitchhiker – directing, guitar, keyboard, bass(track 10
- Beat Burger (Jae Sim, Greg Hwang) – choreography director
- Mihawk Back – choreographer
- Kim Ye-min – art director
- Jung Go-woon – design
- Lee Yeong-hak – photographer
- Jung Bo-yun, Lee Ji-hye, Song Myung-hee, Lee Ji-eun, Oh Hyun-jung – jacket styling
- Lee Ji – Jacket Hair Styling
- Choi Hee-seon – Jacket Make-up
- Kim Jong-gun – "Rise as One" MV director
- Hong Wong-ki – "Champagne" MV director
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South KoreanGaon Weekly Album Chart[11] | 1 |
| South Korean Gaon Monthly Album Chart[12] | 1 |
| South Korean Gaon Year-End Album Chart | 10 |
| JapaneseOricon Weekly Album Chart[13] | 6 |
Sales
edit| Region | Chart | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | Gaon Album Chart | 151,625 |
| Japan | Oricon Albums Chart | 34,396 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | July 20, 2015 | Digital download | S.M. Entertainment |
| South Korea |
|
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ab"동방신기, 유노윤호 입대 하루 전 스페셜 앨범 발표"[TVXQ to release special album before U-Know Yunho's enlistment].News 1(in Korean). 2015-07-15.Retrieved2015-07-15.
- ^Benjamin, Jeff (2015-12-30)."The 10 Best K-Pop Albums of 2015".Billboard.Retrieved2015-12-30.
- ^"GIRLS & BOYS, 여기 다 모였다".International BNT News(in Korean). 2015-12-28.Retrieved2015-12-29.
- ^Dong-jin, Im (2013-11-22)."TVXQ to release 10th anniversary album"(in Korean).Retrieved2015-07-15.
- ^"동방신기 유노윤호, 8월 군입대"[TVXQ U-Know Yunho to enlist in August].Hankooki(in Korean). 2015-05-01.Retrieved2015-07-14.
- ^"'우리는 한배' 유노윤호-최강창민, 같은 해 입대·제대 "[Unbreakable bond: U-Know Yunho and Max Changmim to enlist in the same year].E Daily(in Korean). 2015-07-07.Retrieved2015-07-14.
- ^"유노윤호, 오는 7월 21일 입대 '조용한 입대 희망'"[U-Know Yunho's military enlistment confirmed for July 21].Ilgan Sports(in Korean). 2015-06-09.Retrieved2015-06-10.
- ^"2015 July Gaon Album Chart"(in Korean).Gaon Music Chart.Retrieved2015-07-06.
- ^"TVXQ Tops Charts in Korea, China, and Japan with" RISE AS GOD "".30 July 2015.
- ^Rise as God(CD liner notes).TVXQ.S.M. Entertainment.2015. SMK0547.
{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^"Gaon Album Chart: 2015.07.19 – 2015.07.25".Gaon Album Chart(in Korean).Retrieved2015-08-01.
- ^"Gaon Album Chart: 2015.07.19 – 2015.07.25".Gaon Album Chart(in Korean).Retrieved2015-11-08.
- ^"Oricon Albums Chart: 2015-07-20～2015-07-26".Oricon Albums Chart(in Japanese).Retrieved2015-08-01.