Super One (album)

Super One
Digital cover
Studio album by
SuperM
ReleasedSeptember 25, 2020 (2020-09-25)
Recorded2019–2020
Studio
  • Doobdoob (Seoul)
  • SM Big Shot (Seoul)
  • SM Blue Cup (Seoul)
  • SM Blue Ocean (Seoul)
  • SM Concert Hall (Seoul)
  • SM Booming System (Seoul)
  • SM LVYIN (Seoul)
  • SM SSAM (Seoul)
  • Sound POOL (Seoul)
  • SM Yellow Tail (Seoul)
GenreK-pop
Length50:57
Language
Label
ProducerLee Soo-man
SuperM chronology
SuperM
(2019) 		Super One
(2020)
Singles from Super One
  1. "With You"
    Released: April 19, 2020
  2. "100"
    Released: August 14, 2020
  3. "Tiger Inside"
    Released: September 1, 2020
  4. "One (Monster & Infinity)"
    Released: September 25, 2020

Super One is the first studio album by South Korean supergroup SuperM. It was released on September 25, 2020 by SM Entertainment, Capitol Records and Dreamus. The album was preceded by the singles "With You", "100" and "Tiger Inside" and was released alongside the lead single, "One (Monster & Infinity)".[1][2] The physical edition of the album comes in five versions: two group and three unit versions.[3] The Asia ver. was released on October 26, 2020.

Background and release

[edit]

Following up promotions for the group's self-titled debut EP, SuperM performed an unreleased song titled "Dangerous Woman" on their concert tour SuperM: We Are the Future Live and during their appearance on The Jimmy Kimmel Show on February 11, 2020.[4] SuperM participated in the Global Citizen event One World: Together at Home on April 18, 2020, during which they performed another new song titled "With You". The song was included in the concert playlist album that was released exclusively for streaming on Spotify on April 19, 2020.[1]

On August 5, 2020, SM Entertainment announced that the group would make their comeback with two digital singles and their first studio album. The album's first single, "100", was released on August 14, 2020. Its follow-up, "Tiger Inside", was released on September 1, 2020. Super One was released on September 25, 2020, along with the music video for the lead single, "One (Monster & Infinity)".[2]

Composition

[edit]

The album opens with "One (Monster & Infinity)", a so-called "hybrid remix", which is a combination of two different songs.[5] With lyrics full of confidence and the will of overcoming the hardships in front of them without fear, the song showcases SuperM's intense and energetic performance. The second track "Infinity" is described as a song with a grand introduction which begins with a magnificent brass orchestration. The highlight of the song is the immersive introduction from the speedy rapping of members Mark and Taeyong, and the chorus that conveys the ambition of "to go to infinity" with energetic vocals. The album continues with "Monster", a song with an intense energy of distorted percussive bass riffs with a motive reminiscent of a "monster", thus fitting the title of the song. The fourth track "Wish You Were Here" is a song with an addictive chorus melody on top of the reggae rhythm and dub sound. Its lyrics express the feelings of a lover's sorrow caused by being unable to be together due to unavoidable circumstances. "Big Chance", the fifth track of the album, is described as a tropical house song, which conveys the sincere feelings of young people toward their loves ones, saying, "a big mistake we make can be a big opportunity". The next track, "100", is characterized as a song with a fast base line and dynamic rhythms that expresses SuperM's unique and powerful energy. The song was co-written and co-produced by member Mark.[6][7] The seventh track "Tiger Inside" is the conceptual extension to "I Can’t Stand The Rain". It features traditional Asian elements and futuristic electronic beats.[8]

"We believe that it is very appropriate for the situation that the whole world is going through, the message that we have. Not only are we trying to say that we can overcome all of our problems and all these difficulties as we work together, we also believe that. We just want to spread positivity around the world and really bring hope to the listeners."

—Mark about the meaning of the group's first studio album.[9]

The next half of Super One starts with "Better Days", a song with the message of warm comfort and empathy from SuperM in the current difficult situationexpressed through flexible rap flows and warm vocals, led by a vintage upright piano and contrabass. Vocal group Heritage participated as choir. The ninth track "Together At Home" is described as an R&B disco song driven by a funky bass line, with lyrics that create a good time uniting one another in a new way, not a physical space. The next track, "Drip", is a trendy "ratchet" trap hip-hop genre with a sexy and provocative atmosphere. The lyrics are a visual depiction gradually depicting the increasing tension of the opposite sex. The tenth track "Line 'Em Up" is a rhythmic pop-dance song that is uniquely translated by interpreting reggaeton in the style of SuperM. It expresses the ambition to capture the hearts of fans around the world and make them feel "one". "Dangerous Woman", the eleventh track of the album", again a trap hip-hop song, has an "impressive" reversal from the rich harmonies and ad-lip intro acappella to a completely different atmosphere. Its lyrics convey the feelings of a man who fell in love with a woman with the fatal charms of both extremes. It is followed by "Step Up" is a song with witty lyrics that express one's desire to take one step further. The fourteenth track "So Long" is a slow jam number that describes the feelings of a man who claims to be a villain by informing about a heartbreaking breakup for the other person. The final track "With You" is described as an up-tempo electropop song that stands out with a rhythmic cut-out guitar. The lyrics express the desire of wanting to be with your loved ones are also directed to the fans, and are characterized by an easy melody that can be enjoyed with the fans in performances.[10][5][11]

Reception

[edit]

Super One received generally positive reviews from critics. Tamar Herman from The Recording Academy opined that the album, which came out during the global COVID-19 pandemic, "spends its length motivating listeners through a freewheeling medley of energetic, vibrant electro-pop anthems and mellowing out to offer up lackadaisical, breezy moments on hopeful tracks".[12] Vandana Pawa from Teen Vogue described Super One as "a monster of a debut full-length album that takes a jaunt through a new era of music and brings the group to the next level".[13]

Year-end lists
Critic/Publication List Work Rank Ref.
Young Post The Top 15 K-pop Albums of 2020 Super One 6 [14]
Time 10 Albums That Defined K-Pop's Monumental Year in 2020 — [15]
Dazed The 40 Best K-pop Songs of 2020 "Tiger Inside" 10 [16]
Paper The 40 Best K-pop Songs of 2020 26 [17]
Metro The Best K-pop Comeback Songs of 2020 15 [18]
BuzzFeed Best K-Pop Songs of 2020 "One (Monster & Infinity)" 19 [19]
MTV The Best K-Pop B-sides of 2020 "Wish You Were Here" 13 [20]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Super One debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 104,000 album-equivalent units (of which 101,000 were in album sales), becoming the group's second top three entry on the chart.[21] Additionally, the album earned the top spot on the Billboard World Albums Chart, making it the group second chart-topper after their debut EP SuperM.[22] SuperM also achieved their first number one on the Billboard Independent Albums Chart.[23]

In Japan, SuperM claimed the number one spot in five major charts on Line Music. Shortly after its release, Super One topped the realtime/daily Line Music Album Chart. The title song "One (Monster & Infinity)" also topped the realtime/daily Line Music Song Chart as well as the daily Line Music K-Pop Chart.[24] "One (Monster & Infinity)" earned the group's its third number one song on the Line Music chart this year, after "100" and "Tiger Inside".[25][26]

Track listing

[edit]
Super One track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."One (Monster & Infinity)"
  • Kenzie
  • Adrian McKinnon
  • Wilbart "Vedo" McCoy III
  • Bobii Lewis
  • Kenzie
  • Jonatan Gusmark (Moonshine)
  • Ludvig Evers (Moonshine)
  • Adrian McKinnon
  • Wilbart "Vedo" McCoy III
  • Bobii Lewis
3:41
2."Infinity"
  • Adrian McKinnon
  • Bobii Lewis
  • Kenzie
  • Jonatan Gusmark (Moonshine)
  • Ludvig Evers (Moonshine)
  • Adrian McKinnon
  • Bobii Lewis
3:54
3."Monster"
  • Kenzie
  • Adrian McKinnon
  • Wilbart "Vedo" McCoy III
  • Kenzie
  • Jonatan Gusmark (Moonshine)
  • Ludvig Evers (Moonshine)
  • Wilbart "Vedo" McCoy III
3:42
4."Wish You Were Here"
  • Bram Inscore
3:12
5."Big Chance"
  • Andrew "BullySongs" Bullimore
  • James Norton
  • Jeremy "Tay" Jasper
2:52
6."100"
3:27
7."Tiger Inside" (Korean: 호랑이; RR: Horang-i; lit. Tiger)
  • Hwang Yoo-bin
  • Jonatan Gusmark (Moonshine)
  • Ludvig Evers (Moonshine)
  • Alex Karlsson (JeL)
  • Moonshine
3:29
8."Better Days"
3:55
9."Together at Home"
  • Sylvester "Sly" Willy Sivertsen (Makeumine Works)
  • Samuel Preston
  • Carl Lehmann
  • Sylvester "Sly" Willy Sivertsen (Makeumine Works)
  • Samuel Preston
  • Carl Lehmann
3:26
10."Drip"
  • LDN Noise
  • Keynon "KC" Moore (3Sixty)
  • Jeremy "Tay" Jasper
  • Zachary Chicoine
2:38
11."Line 'Em Up"
  • Cheon Song-yi (Joombas)
3:24
12."Dangerous Woman"
  • Danke (lalala studio)
3:09
13."Step Up"
  • Danke (lalala studio)
2:56
14."So Long"
  • Mok Ji-min (lalala Studio)
3:50
15."With You"
  • Johnny West
  • Benjamin Roberts
  • Jonny West
  • Gaelen Whittemore
  • Victor Manzano
  • Benjamin Roberts
  • Jonny West
  • Gaelen Whittemore
  • Victor Manzano
3:23
Total length:50:57
Super One extended version track listing[27]
No.TitleLength
16."100" (Music video) (Performance video)3:37
17."Tiger Inside" (Music video) (Performance video)3:32
18."100" (Music video)3:36
19."Tiger Inside" (Music video)3:40
Total length:65:22

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from Tidal and Naver.[28]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications and sales figures

[edit]
Sales certifications for Super One
Region Certification Certified units/sales
South Korea (KMCA)[50] 2× Platinum 504,232[49]

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Label(s) Format
Various September 25, 2020
United States CD
South Korea October 26, 2020
United States November 20, 2020
  • SM
  • Capitol
 cassette

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "One World: Together At Home". © 2020 Global Poverty Project, Inc. DBA Global Citizen / Spotify. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "K-Pop Stars SuperM Announce Their Comeback With New Single '100' And Debut Album 'Super One' (by Hugh McIntyre)". Forbes. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  3. ^ "SuperM Official Store". shop.supermofficial.com. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  4. ^ "SuperM Fans Flip Out Over Band's Debut on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live': 'They Nailed It' (by Glenn Rowley)". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "SuperM makes big return with hybrid remix to deliver hope amid pandemic". koreatimes. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  6. ^ Bailey, Alyssa (2020-09-30). "SuperM on the Message of their New Album, Friendship & Their Group Halloween Costume". ELLE. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  7. ^ "Review: SuperM supercharges dance floors with super album". The Day. 2020-10-02. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  8. ^ "Tigers Unleased: The Unstoppable Rise Of SuperM". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  9. ^ "SuperM Talk 'Super One' & Finding Unity In The Covid Era". Grammys. 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  10. ^ "[종합] SuperM, '글로벌 희망을 모으는 에너제틱 SMP 시너지'(Super One 간담회)". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  11. ^ "Key Tracks: SuperM's 'Super One'". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  12. ^ "K-Pop Mega-Stars SuperM Talk 'Super One'". GRAMMY.com. 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  13. ^ Pawa, Vandana. "On "Super One," SuperM Skyrockets Into a New Era". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  14. ^ "The 15 best K-pop albums of 2020, from BTS and Twice to NCT 127's near-perfect offering". Young Post. December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  15. ^ Moon, Kat (December 11, 2020). "The Songs and Albums That Defined K-Pop's Monumental Year in 2020". Time. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  16. ^ Glasby, Taylor (December 19, 2020). "The 40 best K-pop songs of 2020". Dazed. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  17. ^ Bell, Crystal (December 19, 2020). "The 40 Best K-pop Songs of 2020". Paper. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  18. ^ "From BTS to GOT7 and BLACKPINK – the best K-Pop comebacks of 2020 ranked". Metro. December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  19. ^ Travis, Emlyn (31 December 2020). "Best K-pop Songs of 2020". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  20. ^ "The Best K-Pop B-sides of 2020". MTV. 30 December 2020. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  21. ^ "Machine Gun Kelly Earns First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With Tickets to My Downfall". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  22. ^ "SuperM Billboard Chart History: World Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  23. ^ "SuperM Billboard Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  24. ^ "SuperM Japan Twitter". Twitter (in Japanese). 2020-09-28. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  25. ^ "SuperM Japan Twitter". Twitter (in Japanese). 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  26. ^ "SuperM Japan Twitter". Twitter (in Japanese). 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  27. ^ "Supper One -The 1st Album (Extended Ver.) by SuperM on Apple Music". Apple Music. United States: Apple. September 25, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  28. ^ "Super One - The 1st Album / Credits". Retrieved October 2, 2020 – via Tidal.
  29. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 5 October 2020". The ARIA Report. No. 1596. Australian Recording Industry Association. October 5, 2020. p. 6.
  30. ^ "Austriancharts.at – SuperM – Super One - The 1st Album" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  31. ^ "Ultratop.be – SuperM – Super One - The 1st Album" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  32. ^ "Ultratop.be – SuperM – Super One - The 1st Album" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  33. ^ "SuperM Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  34. ^ "Lescharts.com – SuperM – Super One - The 1st Album". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  35. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – SuperM – Super One - The First Album" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  36. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2020. 41. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  37. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2020-11-09" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  38. ^ "Charts.nz – SuperM – Super One - The 1st Album". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  39. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  40. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  41. ^ "Gaon Album Chart – Week 44, 2020". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  42. ^ "Swisscharts.com – SuperM – Super One - The 1st Album". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  43. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  44. ^ "SuperM Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  45. ^ "SuperM Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  46. ^ "SuperM Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  47. ^ "Independent Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  48. ^ "World Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  49. ^ "2020년 Album Chart". Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  50. ^ "South Korean album certifications – SuperM – Super One" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association (KMCA).
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