Sexy, Free & Single

This article is about Super Junior's album. For the song, see Sexy, Free & Single (song).
Sexy, Free & Single

Sexy, Free & Single version A album cover
Studio album by Super Junior
Released 4 July 2012 (2012-07-04)
(See Release history)
Recorded May–June 2012 at SM Studios, Seoul, South Korea
Genre K-pop, R&B, electropop, dance, rap, Eurohouse
Length 35:38
Language Korean
Label SM Entertainment
KMP Holdings
Producer Lee Soo-man
Super Junior chronology
Mr. Simple
(2011)		 Sexy, Free & Single
(2012)		 Hero
(2013)
Singles from Sexy, Free & Single
  1. "Sexy, Free & Single"
    Released: 4 July 2012
  2. "Spy"
    Released: 7 August 2012

Sexy, Free & Single (reissue name Spy) is the sixth Korean studio album of South Korean boy band Super Junior. It was released on July 4, 2012, by SM Entertainment, distributed by KMP Holdings and available from online music portal sites at midnight on July 1, 2012.[1] It is their first album in 11 months following Mr. Simple released in August 2011. This was followed by the release of Version B on July 16, with a different cover which features the 10 members in their teaser photo makeup. A repackaged edition, re-titled Spy was released on August 6, with four new tracks including follow-up single "Spy".[2]

This album marks the return of member Kangin, who was discharged from his mandatory military service in April 2012, and the first time with Super Junior in three years since October 2009;[3] but the first one without Heechul, who enlisted in September 2011, and the last with leader Leeteuk and Yesung before their military service, enlisting on 30 October 2012 and on 6 May 2013, respectively.[4][5] This is the third album that features ten of the 13 members from the group, following Bonamana in 2010 and their fifth album Mr. Simple.

The album won the "Album of the Year" in the 14th Mnet Asian Music Awards[6] and "Disk Daesang" in 27th Golden Disk Awards.[7] According to Gaon Album Chart, as of the end of December 2012, the album has sold a cumulative total of 510,000+ copies domestically.

Background

Teasers photos of the ten members of Super Junior. (Top row L to R: Leeteuk, Eunhyuk, Siwon, Yesung and Shindong. Second row L to R: Ryewook, Sungmin, Donghae, Kyuhyun and Kangin)

On June 21, 2012, the first teaser photo, showing the theme of 'Beautiful men' was released,[8] showing Eunhyuk in a white shirt, blue jeans, styled with a mullet-like hairstyle and blindfolded with white and pink flowers.[9] This was followed by Donghae's teaser photo on June 22, with him dressed in a black mesh shirt with a white lace veil over his head.[10] On June 23, the teaser photos of Leeteuk, with platinum silver hair, a gold necklace and heavy black eye makeup; and Ryeowook with red hair and feathers, were released.[11] The following day on June 24, Yesung's and Shindong's photos were released, in which Yesung is partially bare chested with a crown of branches on his head and Shindong is frozen with light blue highlights in his hair.[12] The teasers continued on June 25, with the release of Kangin and Sungmin's photos, showing a slim downed Kangin with a frosty look and a net-like veil over his head; and a side-profiled Sungmin with a feminized look and long blonde hair holding a large bouquet of baby’s breath flowers.[13] On the same day Leeteuk also tweeted another version of his teaser photo with the same outfit but in a different pose leaning on his hand looking as he was in a deep contemplation.[14] The final teasers displaying Siwon and Kyuhyun were released on June 26, showing Siwon with long blonde hair under a dip-dyed hat that matches his green eyebrows; and lastly Kyuhyun in a side profile looking upwards with a pale white gold face.[15]

Music and MV

Leeteuk expressed that they had wanted to try out different music and dance styles in this album, as the songs from their third to fifth albums have been similar.[16] Sungmin further explained saying, "The songs on our previous albums mostly featured mechanical sounds effects and catchy rhythms, but this time we tried to diversify into various genres such as ballads, R&B, and covers of old songs, without relying on special audio effects as much".[17]

The title track "Sexy, Free & Single", describes the sexy and free life of a single man in a soulful Eurohouse genre with an easy and infectious chorus.[13] It is composed and arranged by Danish songwriters Daniel 'Obi' Klein, Thomas Sardorf and Lasse Lindorff. The second lead track is "From U", a med-tempo R&B track dedicated to their fans. It talks about their gratitude towards them and their bickering yet loving relationship.[18] The third track "Now" is about taking a break away from everyday life and going to the beach and "Rockstar" is a club and electronic mixed track with hip hop. "Gulliver" is written by Eunhyuk and features rap by him, Leeteuk, Donghae and Shindong, with vocals by Ryeowook.[19] The track "Someday" is a cover version of a Lee Sang-eun song, while "Bittersweet" is sung by Kyuhyun, Yesung, Sungmin and Ryeowook. On 30 June, SM Entertainment released a minute-and-a-half highlight medley of tracks from the album on YouTube featuring previously unreleased teaser photos.[20]

The group reportedly filmed a music video in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province,[21] with a Devin Jamieson choreographed dance for title track, "Sexy, Free & Single", who had worked with artists such as BoA, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and Hilary Duff.[22] In addition, their performance also benefit from the support provided by other choreographers such as Lyle Beniga, Nick Baga and Devon Perri.[23]

On 29 June, the teaser for the MV was released on their official YouTube channel,[24] which was followed by the full music video on 3 July.[25] Sexy, Free & Single MV achieved 1 000 000 views in only 12 hours.[26]

Repackaged album

The repackaged edition, re-titled Spy includes four new tracks with follow-up single "Spy", an urban dance track. "Only U" was composed by Leeteuk and Lee Jae-myoung (who previously wrote for the group's tracks Marry U and Happy Together) with the lyrics by Leeteuk and Donghae. "Haru" was co-written by Donghae and Urban Zakapa's Kwon Sun-il while "Outsider" is a hip hop dance track.[27] The MV teaser for "Spy" was released on 3 August,[28] followed by the full MV on 13 August 2012.[29] Super Junior repackage edition rank #1 on Gaon Weekly Album Chart in its first week of release,[30] remaining in the top 3 for 5 weeks and rank #1 in Gaon Monthly Album Chart of August.[31]

Japanese version

On 29 June, during the press conference at the Mnet 20's Choice Awards members of the group confirmed that they have recorded the Japanese version of title track, "Sexy, Free & Single", and an original Japanese MV, as well as other tracks. However, there are still no plans to conduct any promotional activities in Japan.[32] On 17 July, SM Entertainment announced that the track will be released on 22 August 2012 as their fourth Japanese single.[33] On August 22, Super Junior officially released their fourth Japanese single “Sexy Free & Single“. After first day of sales, the single placed 2nd on the Oricon Daily Chart by selling 63,813 units[34] In next day, Super Junior Sexy, Free & Single Japanese version placed 2nd in Oricon Weekly Chart by selling 109,821 units[35] and placed 6th in Oricon Monthly Chart by selling 118,902 units.[36] Super Junior "Sexy, Free & Single" Japanese version become gold in Japan for selling over 100.000 copies.

Track listing

Version A and Version B
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Sexy, Free & Single"  Yoo Young-jin"Obi" Klein, Thomas Sardorf, Lasse Lindorff3:44
2."From U" (너로부터; Neorobuteo)Yoo Young-jinYoo Young-jin, Yoo Han-jin3:11
3."Gulliver" (걸리버; Geollibeo)EunhyukMarkus Bøgelund, Søren Juhl Holmager, Mick Muxoll Rasmussen3:25
4."Someday" (언젠가는; Eonjenganeun)Lee Sang-eunLee Sang-eun, An Jiwoo4:13
5."NOW" (나우; Nawoo)Kim Bu-minHitchhiker3:53
6."Rockstar"  D2O, YoungskyD2O, Youngsky3:11
7."Bittersweet" (달콤씁쓸; Dalkomsseupsseul)Kim JungbaeKenzie3:26
8."Butterfly" (빠삐용; Ppappiyong)Hwang Hyun, Shin AgnesHwang Hyun3:08
9."Daydream" (머문다; Meomunda)Ha Jungho, StorytellerHa Jungho, Storyteller3:44
10."A 'Good' bye" (헤어지는 날; Heeojineun Nal)Park ChanghyunPark Changhyun3:48

Promotion and reception

A press conference, attended by the 10 active members, was held on 3 July to launch the album. It attracted media and international reporters from Taiwan, China, Japan and Kazakhstan.[16] It also marks Kangin's first official activity since being discharged.[37] They made their official comeback on Mnet's M! Countdown on July 5, performing "Sexy, Free & Single" and "From U". This marks the on-stage reunion with Kangin and his first performance in two years.[38] Further proving their global popularity, Super Junior’s press conference for their sixth album was recently covered by a popular Polish news station.[26]

The album managed to rank high in iTunes in several countries including Australia, France, Japan and Peru. It also ranked 3rd place in Billboard World Albums.[39] Sexy, Free & Single managed rank 1st place in MYX Daily Top 10, MYX Hit Chart and MYX International Top 20. According to Hanteo Super Junior, had become the first artist to surpass the 200,000 mark for albums sold this year with their 6th album Sexy, Free & Single. With their impressive total album sales, the group has risen above other fellow K-Pop idol groups to reach the 1st spot on this chart.[40] Super Junior Sexy, Free & Single managed to sell 335.744 albums in just one month by Gaon reaching 1st place on all albums charts. Super Junior rank 1st place on Hanteo's "Top 5 K-Pop Artists" 2012 winning Hanteo "Singer Award" and also rank 1st place in Hanteo "Album Award" 2012 also winning this award.[41][42] Sexy, Free & Single achieve the top of Taiwan KKBOX Chart having all album songs charted.[43] Also, 40.000 copies were sold in Taiwan according to the charts, making it the best sold K-pop album in the country. The Japanese version of "Sexy, Free & Single" song, which was released on August 22, has sold over 118,902 units so far and was considered Gold for selling over 100,000 albums. The album won the "Album of the Year" in the 14th Mnet Asian Music Awards[6] and "Disk Daesang" in 27th Golden Disk Awards[44]

Chart

Album chart

Sexy, Free & Single

Country Chart Peak
position 		Ref
South Korea Gaon Weekly Chart 1 [45]
Gaon Monthly Chart 1 [46]
Gaon Yearly Chart 1 [47]
Taiwan G-Music J-pop Chart 1 [48]
G-Music International Chart 1 [49]
G-Music Combo Chart 4 [50]
Hong Kong Hong Kong Record Merchant Chart 5 -
Japan Oricon Weekly Albums 5 [51]
Oricon Monthly Albums 9 [52]
U.S. Billboard World Albums 3 [39]
Billboard Heatseekers 37 [39]

SPY - Repackaged Album

Country Chart Peak
position 		Ref
South Korea Gaon Weekly Chart 1 [30]
Gaon Monthly Chart 1 [31]

Single chart

Sexy, Free & Single

Country Chart Song Peak
position 		Ref
South Korea Gaon Digital Singles "Sexy, Free & Single" 5 [53]
Gaon Online Downloads 4
Billboard K-Pop Hot 100[54] 17

SPY - Repackaged Song

Country Chart Song Peak
position		 Ref
South Korea Gaon Weekly Digital Singles "Spy" 10 [53]
Billboard K-Pop Hot 100[54] 20

Others Songs Charted

Country Chart Song Peak Position Downloads
South Korea Gaon "From U" 51 141,293+
Gaon "Bittersweet" 65 86,267+
Gaon "Someday" 68 84,424+
Gaon "A `Good`bye" 71 82,293+
Gaon "NOW" 72 78,309+
Gaon "Daydream" 76 72,303+
Gaon "Rockstar" 77 70,874+
Gaon "Gulliver" 82 62,727+
Gaon "Butterfly" 83 63,141+
Gaon "Only U" 86 34,998+
Gaon "HARU" 93 31,412+

"Sexy, Free & Single" - Japanese Version

Country Chart Song Peak
position		 Ref
Japan Oricon Daily Singles Chart "Sexy, Free & Single" 1
-
Oricon Weekly Singles Chart 2 [35]
Oricon Monthly Singles Chart 6
Taiwan G-Music J-Pop Chart
1
 [55]

Sales

Gaon Monthly Album Chart, South Korea
Year Month Sexy, Free & Single SPY (Repackaged Edition)Ref
Sales Cumulative sales Sales Cumulative sales
2012 July 335,744 335,744 – – [56]
August 15,782 351,526 107,656 107,656
[57]
September 3,006 354,532 8,823 116,479
October – – 1,839 118,318
November 2,150 356,389 3,544 121,862
December 42 356,431 2,329 124,191
2013 January 251 356,682 1,903 126,094
February 749 357,431 1,145 127,239
March 862 358,293 1,136 128,375
April – – 700 129,075
May – – 705 129,780
June – – 1,960 131,740
September 757 361,879 – –
October 1,112 362,991 1,245 132,876
Total 495,867+
Oricon Albums Chart, Japan
Album Sales Ref
Sexy, Free & Single
40,752
[58]
SPY (Repackaged Edition)
19,748
[59]
Oricon Singles Chart, Japan
Single Sales Ref
"Sexy, Free & Single" - Japanese Single
123,140+
[36]

Release history

Country Date Format Distributing label
South Korea July 1, 2012
July 4, 2012 (Version A)
July 16, 2012 (Version B)
August 8, 2012 (Repackage Edition) 		Digital download
CD
CD
Digital download, CD 		KMP Holdings
Taiwan July 3, 2012
August 3, 2012 (Version A) 		Digital download[60]
CD[61] 		Avex Taiwan
Japan July 6, 2012 (imports) CD Avex Trax
Philippines December 1, 2012 CD Universal Records

Personnel

Awards

Year Award-Giving Body Category Result Ref
2013 Golden Disk Awards Disk Daesang Won [62]
Disk Bonsang Won
2012 Seoul Music Awards Disk Bonsang Won
Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards Artist of the Year (Album) - 3rd Quarter Won
Mnet Asian Music Awards Album of the Year Won [63]

References

  1. ↑ Hong, Lucia (June 21, 2012). "Super Junior's 6th studio album set to drop on July 4". 10 Asia. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  2. ↑ Hong, Lucia (2 August 2012). "Super Junior to drop repackaged version of 'Sexy, Free & Single'". 10 Asia. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  3. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (June 20, 2012). "Kangin to make comeback in July". Joongang Daily. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Super Junior eyes becoming beloved idol group". Korea Times. 3 July 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  5. ↑ Lee, Nancy (30 October 2012). "Super Junior′s Leeteuk Says Final Farewell to Fans". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  6. 1 2 http://mama.interest.me/history?type=winner2012
  7. ↑ http://smb2stfinitesubs.blogspot.pt/2013/01/list-winners-from-27th-golden-disk.html
  8. ↑ Kim, JiYeon (June 22, 2012). "Donghae Appears in a Pure Lace Veil for New Super Junior Teaser". Mnet News. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  9. ↑ Ho, Stewart (June 21, 2012). "Super Junior To Drop 6th Album on July 1; Reveals Eunhyuk Teaser Photo". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  10. ↑ Hong, Lucia (June 22, 2012). "Super Junior Donghae shows new concept in teaser pic for Sexy, Free & Single". 10 Asia. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  11. ↑ Ho, Stewart (June 23, 2012). "Super Junior Unveils Teasers for Leeteuk and Ryeowook". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  12. ↑ Lee, Nancy (June 24, 2012). "Super Junior's Yesung is Hot and Shindong is Cold in New Teaser Images". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  13. 1 2 Ho, Stewart (June 25, 2012). "Super Junior's Kangin and Sungmin's Comeback Teaser Images Revealed". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  14. ↑ Ho, Stewart (June 25, 2012). "Leeteuk Ponders in a Never-Before-Seen Teaser Image for Super Junior Comeback". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  15. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (June 26, 2012). "Super Junior's Choi Siwon and Kyuhyun's Comeback Photos Unveiled". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  16. 1 2 Cho, Chung-un (3 July 2012). "Super Junior's back with Sexy, Free & Single". Korea Herald. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  17. ↑ "Super Junior Expand Musical Range with 6th Album". Chosun Ilbo. 4 July 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  18. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (27 June 2012). "Super Junior Dedicates a Song to E.L.F". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  19. ↑ Hicap, Jonathan M. (2 July 2012). "Super Junior's New Album Enters iTunes Charts". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  20. ↑ Ho, Stewart (30 June 2012). "Preview All the Tracks Off of Super Junior's Upcoming 'Sexy, Free & Single' Album". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  21. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (June 22, 2012). "Super Junior to release sixth album". Joongang Daily. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  22. ↑ Park, Elli (29 June 2012). "Michael Jackson's choreographer takes part in Super Junior's sixth album". Joongang Daily. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  23. ↑ Ho, Stewart (June 28, 2012). "Super Junior's 'Sexy, Free & Single' Choreographed by Devin Jamieson". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  24. ↑ Ho, Stewart (June 29, 2012). "Watch Super Junior's 'Sexy, Free & Single' MV Teaser". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  25. ↑ Ho, Stewart (3 July 2012). "Super Junior Members Are 'Sexy, Free & Single' in New Music Video". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  26. 1 2 GhostWriter (2012-07-03). "Super Junior's "Sexy, Free & Single" MV surpasses 1 million views in under 12 hours + coverage in Poland". Allkpop.com. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  27. ↑ Ho, Stewart (2 August 2012). "Super Junior to Release Repackaged Album with Leeteuk, Donghae Self-Penned Tracks". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  28. ↑ Kim, Hyun Rok (4 August 2012). "The teaser video of Super Junior's "SPY" heats up the globe". Star News. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  29. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (13 August 2012). "Super Junior Goes James Bond in 'Spy' MV". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  30. 1 2 GhostWriter (2012-08-16). "Gaon Chart releases chart rankings for August 5th – August 11th". Allkpop.com. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  31. 1 2 ":: 가온차트와 함께하세요 ::". Gaonchart.co.kr. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  32. ↑ Suk, Monica (29 June 2012). "Super Junior says: finished shooting Japanese version of music video and tracks for Sexy, Free & Single". 10 Asia. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  33. ↑ Yun, Seong Yeol (17 July 2012). "Super Junior releases Japanese version of Sexy, Free & Single". Star News. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  34. ↑ GhostWriter (2012-08-22). "Super Junior & BOYFRIEND rank in top 5 on Oricon Daily Chart". Allkpop.com. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  35. 1 2 "CDシングル 週間ランキング-ORICON STYLE ランキング". Oricon.co.jp. 2012-09-03. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  36. 1 2 "CDシングル 月間ランキング-ORICON STYLE ランキング". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  37. ↑ Kim, JiYeon (3 July 2012). "Kangin Shows Nervousness at Super Junior Press Conference". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  38. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (28 June 2012). "Super Junior comeback set for July 5". Joongang Daily. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  39. 1 2 3 "World Albums" (in Ukrainian). Billboard. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  40. ↑ pkdance (2012-08-07). "Super Junior sells over 200,000 copies of 'Sexy, Free & Single'". Allkpop.com. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  41. ↑ "[LIST] Super Junior ranks #1 on Hanteo's "Top 5 K-P... on Twitpic". Twitpic.com. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  42. ↑ http://hanteo.com/rank/nHanteo_award2k.asp?genre=9
  43. ↑ <http://tw.kkbox.com/charts/korean-weekly-song-latest.html>
  44. ↑ http://smb2stfinitesubs.blogspot.pt/2013/01/list-winners-from-27th-golden-disk.html.
  45. ↑ Ho, Lee Tae (12 July 2012). "SISTAR reclaims top spot on Gaon chart after edging out 2NE1, T-ara". 10 Asia. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  46. ↑ GhostWriter (2012-08-11). "Gaon Chart releases chart rankings for the month of July 2012". Allkpop.com. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  47. ↑ "Gaon Chart".
  48. ↑ "G-Music 風雲榜 (東洋榜)". G-music.com.tw. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  49. ↑ "G-Music 風雲榜 (外語榜)". G-music.com.tw. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  50. ↑ "G-Music 風雲榜 (綜合榜)". G-music.com.tw. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  51. ↑ "2012年07月09日～2012年07月15日のCDアルバム週間ランキング". Oricon Weekly Chart (in Japanese). Oricon Japan. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  52. ↑ "Oricon Reveals Monthly Singles and Albums Charts (July 2012)". Jpopasia.com. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  53. 1 2 ":: 가온차트와 함께하세요 ::". Gaonchart.co.kr. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  54. 1 2 "Billboard Korea K-POP Hot 100 2012.07.01". Billboard. July 8, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  55. ↑ http://www.g-music.com.tw/GMusicBillboard3.aspx
  56. ↑ "Super Junior's New Album Sells Over 330,000 Copies". KBS Global. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  57. ↑ name="gaonchart.co.kr"
  58. ↑ "CDアルバム 月間ランキング-ORICON STYLE ランキング". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  59. ↑ "CDアルバム 月間ランキング-ORICON STYLE ランキング". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  60. ↑ "集氣接棒！SUPER JUNIOR第六張專輯『Sexy, Free & Single』確定將於7/3(二)全台數位發行" [Super Junior 6th album Sexy, Free & Single available online in Taiwan from 3 July (Tuesday)]. Avex Taiwan News (in Chinese). Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  61. ↑ "Sexy, Free & Single Taiwan Version A album info". Avex Taiwan News (in Chinese). Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  62. ↑ The Winners of 27th Golden Disk Awards. The Golden Disk Awards. Retrieved 2014-01-16.
  63. ↑ The Winners of 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards. Mnet Asian Music Awards. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Mr. Simple by Super Junior		 Golden Disk Awards for Disk Daesang
2013 		Succeeded by
XOXO by EXO
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