''INVU'' () is the third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by South Korean singer

Taeyeon Kim Tae-yeon (; born March 9, 1989), known mononymously as Taeyeon, is a South Korean singer. She debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation in August 2007, which went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and one ...

. The album was released by

SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...

on February 14, 2022, and contains thirteen tracks, including the 2021 standalone single " Weekend", the pre-release single " Can't Control Myself", and the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

of the same name, the former duo charted at top 10 and the latter debuted atop the

Gaon Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...

Background and release

On January 11, 2022, SM Entertainment announced that Taeyeon would pre-release a digital single titled " Can't Control Myself" on January 17 prior to the release of her third studio album in February 2022. On January 26, the name of the third studio album was announced as ''INVU'' and would be released on February 14 and consists of thirteen tracks, with pre-orders starting on the same day. Three days later, the promotional schedule was released. On February 3, the mood sampler video was released with " INVU" announced as the lead single. On February 4, it was announced that an exhibition titled "INVU: THE EXHIBIT" would be held in Seoul from February 7–14 to commemorate the release of the album where attendees "can appreciate the concept of the album". On the same day, SM announced that the highlight video teaser scheduled for release from February 4–10 has been cancelled due to production issues. On February 8, the track listing was released. On February 13, the music video teaser for "INVU" was released.

Composition

''INVU'' consists of thirteen tracks and incorporates various genres of

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, and pop. The lead single " INVU" was described as a

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

and pop dance song that has "soft and dreamy synth sound", "impressive flute melody in the chorus", "vocals that deeply express the various emotions contained in the song", and "splendid high notes

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

emphasize the lyrics

f the song F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''. Hist ...

. The second track " Some Nights" was described as a R&B ballad song with "dreamy vocals harmonized by gentle guitar and piano performances", including samples of the

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

's arrangement "Solveig's Song (Solvejgs sang)" from '' Peer Gynt, Op. 23''. The third track " Can't Control Myself" was described as a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

, and

pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

love song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...

that "stimulates emotions with intense sound" with lyrics about "the dangerous love that has lost control" and "

he person He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

still longs for the other person's heart despite the intuition that they will be hurt". The fourth track "Set Myself On Fire" was described as a pop song characterized by "vintage guitar performance that stimulates emotions" with lyrics about "the denial of reality after seeing couples saying farewell to each other" from Taeyeon's POV. The fifth track "Toddler" was described as a pop dance song with "exciting bass performance that flow in harmony with the disco rhythm". The sixth track "Siren" was described as a medium-tempo pop ballad song with "attractive sense of speed for the chorus an dreamy synth sound" with lyrics about "luring the person in love to the ruin" and based on the "motif of

Siren Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisc ...

in Greek and Roman mythology". The seventh track "Cold As Hell" was described as an up-tempo pop song with "a bright and cheerful rhythm" and "catchy chorus that is repeated like a spell" with lyrics about "the heartbreaking and regretful loss of a person, who gave up everything for love". The eighth track "Timeless" was described as a "nostalgia"

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

dance song with "retro vibe and rhythm". The ninth track "Heart" was described a pop ballad song that "starts with a minimalist focus on the guitar before progressing to an intense distortion bass and piano". The tenth track "No Love Again" was described as a "

up-tempo A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...

" pop song with an "upbeat guitar performance and drum sound that provides a danceable atmosphere" with lyrics about "containing the feelings of not wanting to fall in love anymore due to ending up getting hurt anytime despite the anticipation of starting a relationship". The eleventh track "You Better Not" was described as a song that changes between "the eerie feeling of organ, violin, and vocal harmony" and the "strong 808 bass break" with lyrics containing a "message

bout Bout can mean: People *Viktor Bout, suspected arms dealer *Jan Everts Bout, early settler to New Netherland *Marcel Bout Musical instruments * The outward-facing round parts of the body shape of violins, guitars, and other stringed instrumen ...

a person who remains a desolate space as

hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...

cannot accept the parting". The twelfth track " Weekend" was described as a

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

and

city pop is a loosely defined form of Japanese pop music that emerged in the late 1970s and peaked in the 1980s. It was originally termed as an offshoot of Japan's Western-influenced "new music", but came to include a wide range of styles – including ...

song characterized by guitar and retro synth sounds with lyrics about "wanting to freely go on a trip during the weekend". The last track "Ending Credits" was described as a medium-tempo pop song that "heightens emotions with deep sense of impact" characterized by "powerful drum sound", "multiple layers of synthesizer", and " aeyeon'semotional vocals".

Commercial performance

''INVU'' debuted at number two on South Korea's

Gaon Album Chart The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Korea based on their Record sales, pure sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, pr ...

in the chart issue dated February 13–19, 2022; on the monthly chart, the album debuted number four in the chart issue for February 2022 with 129,783 copies sold. On the ''

Billboard Japan ''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine ''Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link (a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway), holding an exclusive licence from ''Bi ...

'' Hot Albums, the album debuted at number 47 in the chart issue dated February 16, 2022, ascending to number 21 in the chart issue dated March 16, 2022. The album also debuted at number 38 on Japan's

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

Albums Chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include re ...

in the chart issue dated March 7, 2022, ascending to number 18 in the chart issue dated March 21, 2022. In United Kingdom, the album debuted at position 70 on the OCC's UK Digital Albums in the chart issue dated February 18–24, 2022. In United States, the album debuted at position 20 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Heatseekers Albums Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

in the chart issue dated February 26, 2022.

Critical reception

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' chose ''INVU'' as one of "The Best K-pop Albums of 2022 So Far", with contributor Kat Moon acclaiming that "Taeyeon takes the listener on an intimate journey through the complex emotions of being in love with ''INVU''". Rain Tears from Korean online magazine ''

Idology ''Idology'' () is a South Korean music webzine specializing in idol criticism, founded by music expert Mimyo in 2014, and consists of about 10 writers. Mimyo, whose Korean name translates to "Subtlety", serves as the webzine's editor-in-chief. In ...

'' found ''INVU'' as "an exemplary case of a full album that draws a long narrative, and it will become a milestone in Taeyeon's discography". While critics Squib spoke of it as "the merits of her first album '' My Voice'', which transmits her voice through prisms of various genres, and her second album '' Purpose'', which meticulously depicts the devastating monodrama throughout the album". Meanwhile, critics Mano praised her impressive vocal and described the album as "tenacity, even hysterical, or highly sensitive (all in a good sense)" Jung Soo-min of ''IZM'' called ''INVU'' "a rich and elegant moonlight" in which "contains emotional changes and personal maturity under an organic and dense design from the beginning to the end". While Tanu I. Raj of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' complimented Taeyeon's approach to the topic "love" and her experience of love, "with a consuming self-awareness about her goals, ambitions and shortcomings" in which "to every emotion related, she imparts a mysticism that immediately arrests". He concluded that the album is "the story on this particular one might have been heartbreaking and soul-crushing, but there certainly will be another chapter – hopefully, a brighter, more loving one. Till then, we’ll all nurse our bitter hearts and envy the ones who have it all". In the 2022 year-end listicles, ''INVU'' was named as the one of the best K-pop Album of the Year by ''IZM'', and ''

Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...

''. ''Time'' named ''INVU'' as one of the five best Korean Albums of the Year. ''NME'' named it as the seventh best Asian Albums of the Year.

Promotion

Prior to the album's release, on February 14, 2022, Taeyeon held a live event called "Taeyeon INVU Countdown Live" on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, 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 ...

to introduce the album and communicate with her fans.

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from album's liner notes. Studio * SM Big Shot Studio –

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

, mixing * MonoTree Studio – recording * SM LVYIN Studio – recording ,

digital editing Digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operate in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital media can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, and preserved on a digital ...

, engineered for mix , mixing * Doobdoob Studio – recording, digital editing * SM Starlight Studio – recording , digital editing , engineered for mix * SM SSAM Studio – recording , digital editing , engineered for mix * SM Yellow Tail Studio – recording , digital editing , engineered for mix * SM Blue Cup Studio – mixing * SM Blue Ocean Studio – mixing * SM Concert Hall Studio – mixing Personnel *

–

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

Lee Soo-man Lee Soo-man (, born 18 June 1952) is a South Korean business executive and record producer who is best known for being the founder of SM Entertainment, a multinational South Korean entertainment company based in Seoul. He has also been referred ...

– producer *

Yoo Young-jin Yoo Young-jin is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer and vocal trainer under SM Entertainment. He has produced and written songs for H.O.T., S.E.S, BoA, Shinhwa, TVXQ, CSJH The Grace, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, Shinee, ...

– Music and sound director * Taeyeon – vocals , background vocals , lyrics * Rachel Furner – background vocals, composition * Kwon Ae-jin – background vocals *

Maja Keuc Maja can refer to: Places * Maja, Croatia, a village * Maja, Banten, a subdistrict in Lebak Regency, Banten, Indonesia ** Maja railway station * Maja, West Java, a subdistrict in Majalengka Regency, West Java, Indonesia * Maja River, a tributar ...

– background vocals * Alna Hofmeyr – background vocals, lyrics * Salem Ilese – background vocals, composition * Amanda Cygnaeus – background vocals, composition * Willemijn van der Neut – background vocals, composition * Jinli (Full8loom) – lyrics *

Kim Eana Kim Eana ( ko, 김이나; born April 27, 1979) is a South Korean lyricist. She is best known for writing the lyrics to hit K-pop songs, including "Abracadabra" performed by Brown Eyed Girls, and " Good Day" performed by IU. She has been activ ...

– lyrics *

Moon Seol-ri Jam Factory () is a South Korean music publisher which sources song tunes and lyrics for K-pop, J-pop and Mandopop artists from songwriters predominantly based in the US. Writers of the tunes are often songwriters for American companies, such as ...

– lyrics * Kenzie – lyrics, vocal directing * Kang Eun-jung – lyrics * Aeon – lyrics * Mok Ji-min (lalala Studio) – lyrics * Cha Yu-bin – lyrics * Jo Yung-yeong – lyrics * Lee Yi-jin (153/Joombas) – lyrics * Hwang Yu-bin – lyrics * Ji Ye-won (153/Joombas) – lyrics * Peter Wallevik –

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

Daniel Davidsen Daniel Heløy Davidsen (born 30 December 1978 in Copenhagen) is a Danish-Norwegian guitarist. He is known for his participation in bands like Czesław Śpiewa and JazzKamikaze and many record appearances as a studio musician, with artists like S ...

– composition * Jess Morgan – composition *

– composition *

Simon Petrén Simon Petrén (born 14 March 1986) is a Swedish music producer, songwriter, mix engineer and mastering engineer. He holds a Diploma in Piano Music Performance at the Royal Schools of Music in London and Bachelor degree in Film Scoring and Musi ...

– composition, arrangement *

Andreas Öberg Andreas Öberg (born 6 August 1978) is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter, and music producer. Music career Öberg was born in Stockholm on 6 August 1978. When he was seven, he took classical guitar lessons at school. He played electric guitar w ...

– composition * Celine Svanback – composition * Lauritz Emil Christiansen – composition, arrangement *

Mich Hansen Mich Hedin Hansen (born 9 April 1968), known professionally as Cutfather, is a Danish music producer, songwriter, remixer and DJ based in Copenhagen. Cutfather has a studio on Njalsgade, Copenhagen. Career Cutfather is perhaps best known for his ...

– composition , arrangement * Jacob Ubizz – composition, arrangement *

Ryan Jhun Ryan S. Jhun ( ko, 라이언 전) is a South Korean songwriter and producer. Jhun is known for his work with various K-pop soloists and idol groups, getting his start through acts from SM Entertainment such as Shinee, Super Junior, f(x), Taeyeo ...

– composition, arrangement * Michael Dunaief – composition * Ryland Holland – composition * Hamid Bashir – composition * William Leong – composition, arrangement * Mike Daley – composition, arrangement * Mitchell Owens – composition, arrangement * Rodnae 'Chikk' Bell – composition * Nicole 'Kole' Cohen – composition * Lara Andersson – composition * Manon van Dijk – composition * Marcus van Wattum – composition, arrangement * Alida Garpestad Peck – composition * Sean Fischer – composition, arrangement * Ben Samama – composition * Cameron Warren – composition, arrangement *

Connie Talbot Connie Victoria Elizabeth Talbot (born 20 November 2000) is an English singer. In 2007, she was the runner-up of the first series of ''Britain's Got Talent''. She then signed with Rainbow Recording Company and released her debut album '' Over t ...

– composition * Alma Guðmundsdóttir – composition * Alida Garpestad Peck – composition * Marc Sibley – composition * Nathan Cunningham – composition * Hilda Stenmalm – composition * Jeppe London Bilsby – composition, arrangement * RoseInPeace – composition, arrangement * Saimon – composition, arrangement * Marcia "Misha" Sondeijker – composition * Sam Merrifield – composition * PhD –

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

* Stryv – arrangement * Nova Blue – arrangement * Kasperi A. Pitkanen – arrangement *

Space Primates Space Primates are a DJ/songwriting/production duo from England. They have made records with artists such as Katy Perry, David Guetta, DJ Snake, Chris Brown, Maluma, Flo Rida, Ozuna, Ciara, DVBBS, Gashi, Enrique Iglesias, Upsahl and many m ...

– arrangement * Lee Min-kyu – recording , mixing * Kang Sun-young – recording * Lee Ji-hong – recording , digital editing , engineered for mix , mixing * Lee Ji-heung – recording * Jang Woo-young – recording , digital editing * Jeong Yu-ra – recording , digital editing , engineered for mix * Kang Eun-ji – recording , digital editing , engineered for mix * Noh Min-ji – recording , digital editing , engineered for mix * Lee Joo-hyung – vocal directing ,

Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...

* minGtion – vocal directing * G-high – vocal directing , Pro Tools * Lee Ji-hom – digital editing , engineered for mix * Jeong Jeong-seok – mixing * Kim Cheol-soon – mixing * Nam Gung-jin – mixing * Lee Sang-hyun – drums, bass * Lee Seol-min – guitar,

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end chart

Sales

Accolades

Release history

References

{{Kim Tae-yeon 2022 albums Taeyeon albums SM Entertainment albums Korean-language albums Dance-pop albums by South Korean artists