is a song performed by

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n girl group

Kara Kara or KARA may refer to: Geography Localities * Kara, Chad, a sub-prefecture * Kára, Hungary, a village * Kara, Uttar Pradesh, India, a township * Kara, Iran, a village in Lorestan Province * Kara, Republic of Dagestan, a rural locality in D ...

. It was released as the fourth Japanese single on June 29, 2011 but was earlier released digitally on iTunes Japan on June 22, 2011. It was released in four different versions, three limited editions and one regular edition. The single went to sell over 100,000 copies during its first week becoming their second Japanese single to do so after "

Jet Coaster Love is the third Japanese single of South Korean girl group Kara. The single was originally set to be released on March 23, 2011, but following the 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan, the physical single was rescheduled to Ap ...

", which sold 123,000 copies during its first week. It was certified Gold by the

RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include ...

in June 2011 for selling over 100,000 physical copies. The song earned their first nomination for "Best Song Award" at the

Japan Record Awards is a major music awards show, held annually in Japan that recognizes outstanding achievements in the Japan Composer's Association. Until 2005, the show aired on New Year's Eve, but has since aired every December 30 on TBS Japan at 6:30 P.M JST ...

. A 2012 version of the song was released as a digital single on July 25, 2012.

Background

Rumors of a fourth Japanese single first surfaced when the group was spotted leaving the

Incheon International Airport Incheon International Airport (IIA; ) (sometimes referred to as Seoul–Incheon International Airport) is the largest airport in South Korea. It is the primary airport serving the Seoul Capital Area and one of the largest and busiest airports ...

and were said to be bound for

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

to film a music video or a commercial. Despite the rumors, no official announcements or comments were made by DSP Media. On May 25, 2011, DSP Media officially announced that Kara will be releasing their fourth Japanese single in late June and will be leaving for previously arranged promotions in early June. On June 1, 2011, it was announced the group was chosen by LG as the endorser for the cellphone brand "Optimus Bright" (a Japanese variant of Optimus Black) and the single was used in the commercial for the brand. The 2012 Version was used for Live Dam's karaoke system "Furikara". This version remains its original lyrics but with a different electronic instrumental. It was later included in their compilation album ''

Kara Collection (stylized as KARA Collection) is a compilation album by South Korean girl group Kara (South Korean band), Kara. It was first released in Japanese on September 5, 2012 in four different editions: two CD+DVD, a Regular edition and a digital Deluxe ...

'' (2012) and their third Japanese album ''

Girls Forever is the third Japanese studio album and sixth overall studio album release by South Korean girl group Kara on November 14, 2012, in four different editions. Background The album was announced by the group's Korean agency, DSP Media, on October ...

'' (2012). A Korean Version was performed on August 18, 2014, on the Day & Night showcase. It was also performed on May 26, 2015, on the

In Love Romance or romantic love is a feeling of love for, or a strong attraction towards another person, and the courtship behaviors undertaken by an individual to express those overall feelings and resultant emotions. The ''Wiley Blackwell Encycl ...

showcase.

Composition

The B-side "Girls Be Ambitious" was used for promoting DARIYA's hair dye product line "Palty". "

To Me "To Me" is a song written by Mike Reid and Mack David, and recorded by American country music artists Lee Greenwood and Barbara Mandrell. It was released in July 1984 as the first single from the album '' Meant for Each Other''. The song reached n ...

" (originally titled "2Me") was included as a bonus track for the Regular CD Only First Press Edition. It is a

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

song previously released on the single "We Online OST Part 2" in

and used for promoting the online game "''We Online: Secret Expedition''."

Commercial performance

The single has sold over 100,000 copies during its first week, following their third single, "

", which sold 123,000 copies during its first week making it the group's second single most successful single. It was certified gold by the

in June 2011 for physical copies shipped to stores. It currently holds the record for the best selling single by a foreign female artist. The single has also performed well digitally as it has topped the

Recochoku is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...

's monthly chart of July, as well as topping 4 other charts in 'Ringtone', 'Full Version Ringtones', 'Video Clip', and 'Callback Tone' earning the group a Recochoku Award. It also took 2nd place on the 'Waiting Call Tone'. It has also topped Mora, Musico, Music Japan, and other major record charts.

Music video and promotion

On May 13, 2011, it was reported that Kara was set to film a music video for their upcoming Japanese single due to be released sometime in June. The music video was said to be filmed in

Phuket Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...

and the group was spotted leaving the

during that day. A teaser of the music video was released on Universal Music Japan's

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

channel on June 15, 2011. The full music video premiered the following day at Space Shower TV on June 16, 2011. The group made their first live performance at TV Asahi's ''

Music Station is a Japanese music television program. Broadcasting live weekly on TV Asahi since October 24, 1986, it currently airs from 9PM-10PM on Fridays. The program is also colloquially known as , , and . The show is currently syndicated throughout th ...

'' on June 17, 2011, where they performed a special medley with their previous single, "

". The group made another appearance on the show the following week on June 24, 2011, where they only performed the single. On June 26, 2011, the group appeared on Music Japan and performed the song. The group made an appearance on

Count Down TV (also known as CDTV) is a Japanese late-night music television program, broadcast on TBS since 1993. The program is shown weekly, and features a Japanese music video hit chart countdown, live performances from musicians and music information. ...

on July 3, 2011, where they were placed at #1 for the

"Chaku Uta ®" Top 10 chart.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales and certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{Kara singles 2011 singles Dance-pop songs Japanese-language songs Kara (South Korean group) songs RIAJ Digital Track Chart number-one singles