''Let It Go'' is the solo
mini album
A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...
debut of
South Korean singer
of boy band
SS501
SS501 is a South Korean boy band consisting of five members: Kim Hyun-joong, Heo Young-saeng, Kim Kyu-jong, Park Jung-min and Kim Hyung-jun. They debuted in 2005 with the EP ''Warning'', which included their first number one song, "Never A ...
. The EP of Korean-language songs was released on May 12, 2011 under
B2M Entertainment
B2M Entertainment () was a South Korean record label founded in 2010 by Gil Jong-hwa.
History
B2M Entertainment was originally founded as Gil Entertainment. The company changed its name to B2M Entertainment right after Lee Hyori joined it. The c ...
and distributed by
LOEN Entertainment
Kakao M (; formerly Seoul Records, YBM Seoul Records and LOEN Entertainment) was a South Korean entertainment company established by Min Yeong-bin in 1978. It is currently one of the largest co-publisher companies in South Korea. The company op ...
. The album was released in Taiwan on July 1, 2011 under
Warner Music Taiwan
Warner Music Group's labels include the following.
Flagship labels
*Atlantic Records
*Elektra Records
*Parlophone Records
*Warner Records
Atlantic Records Group
* 1st & 15th Entertainment
* All Money In
* Artist Partners Group
* Asylum Re ...
.
Background and development
Heo Young-saeng left SS501's former agency,
DSP Media
DSP Media (Hangul: DSP 미디어) is a South Korean entertainment company established in 1991 by Lee Ho-yeon. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and ...
, in mid-2010 and signed with
B2M Entertainment
B2M Entertainment () was a South Korean record label founded in 2010 by Gil Jong-hwa.
History
B2M Entertainment was originally founded as Gil Entertainment. The company changed its name to B2M Entertainment right after Lee Hyori joined it. The c ...
in October 2010, together with bandmate
Kim Kyu-jong
Kim Kyu-jong["Kim Kyu Jong Official Site (more detailed information on me ...](_blank)
, to embark on his solo career. Both singers then held a joint fan meeting called ''Kyu Jong & Young Saeng Story In Seoul'' on December 4, which continued in Hong Kong, Japan, and other countries in Asia. During this tour, they both mentioned their plans to release their respective solo albums the following year.
Following
Park Jung-min and
Kim Hyung-jun
Kim Hyung-jun (; born August 3, 1987)["Kim Hyung Jun's Official W ...](_blank)
of SS501, Heo was the third to debut as a solo artist after leaving his former agency in 2010. In April, B2M Entertainment announced that Heo's album release would be delayed due to an injury he sustained on his right hand during a dance practice. His plan to officially debut on April 28 and appear in his first solo performance on
Mnet
M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
's ''
M Countdown'' the same day was also postponed. Similarly, he appeared on SBS' ''
Running Man'' only briefly instead of guest-starring on the show on May 8, 2011.
While still recovering from his injury, Heo decided to release a mini album on May 12.
On May 4, B2M uploaded a 25-second music video teaser of Heo's upcoming title track, "Let It Go", on YouTube. A photo teaser was also released, showing a pale-colored image of Heo wearing a white polo shirt and black tie, using a motion blur to give the impression of movement.
Release and promotion
"There is no success if you settle for stereotypes (in music genre)" — Heo Young-saeng [Based on the Korean language: "고정관념에 안주하면 성공은 없다"]
On May 12, 2011, one week after the music video teaser release, Heo Young-saeng officially released his debut solo mini album, ''Let It Go''. A 3-minute, 47-second music video of his dance song "Let It Go" was uploaded on YouTube the same day. Heo personally chose the mid-tempo dance song "Let It Go" as the title track for his debut album.
As the main vocalist of SS501, he mostly sings
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 ...
s, and wanted to challenge himself and try new genres.
The title track features
Hyuna
Kim Hyun-ah (born June 6, 1992), better known by the mononym Hyuna (stylized HyunA), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper and model. She debuted as a member of the girl group Wonder Girls in February 2007. After leaving the ensemble sho ...
's rap, but new artist Park Ju-hyun (who was later revealed to be debuting as a
Spica
Spica is the brightest object in the constellation of Virgo and one of the 20 brightest stars in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation α Virginis, which is Latinised to Alpha Virginis and abbreviated Alpha Vir or α Vir. Analys ...
member under the same agency) was the one who appeared in the official music video and who performed Hyuna's rap parts on stage during Heo's live performances. Production costs for the music video, which filmed in Namyangju, reportedly reached USD$100,000.
Heo began promoting the album in South Korea right after its release. He did his first live performance on May 13 on KBS' ''
Music Bank
Music Bank may refer to:
* ''Music Bank'' (TV program), a South Korean music program by KBS
**''Music Bank World Tour
The ''Music Bank'' World Tour is a worldwide live concert tour of South Korean music show '' Music Bank'' by the Korean Broa ...
'',
[ followed by a May 19 appearance on Mnet's ''M Countdown'', singing the tracks "Let It Go" and "Out The Club". He continued his promotional tour in South Korea until his last live performance on June 17 on KBS' ''Music Bank'', in which he experienced a technical difficulty with his microphone in the beginning of his performance. A week later, he uploaded the 3-minute, 41-second music video of "Rainy Heart" on YouTube.
During this time, Heo signed with ]Warner Music Taiwan
Warner Music Group's labels include the following.
Flagship labels
*Atlantic Records
*Elektra Records
*Parlophone Records
*Warner Records
Atlantic Records Group
* 1st & 15th Entertainment
* All Money In
* Artist Partners Group
* Asylum Re ...
, along with Kim Hyun-joong
Kim Hyun-joong (; born June 6, 1986) is a South Korean actor, singer and songwriter. He is a member of the boy band SS501 and played roles in the Korean dramas ''Boys Over Flowers'' and ''Playful Kiss''.
After debuting with SS501 in 2005, Kim ...
, another SS501 band member who had recently debuted as a solo artist with the release of '' Break Down''. Heo then scheduled promotional tours in Taiwan with the release of his mini album in that country under the Warner label. He also appeared in Japan in November alongside Kim Kyu-jong, who released a solo mini-album debut titled '' Turn Me On'' in September. Both Heo and Kim performed their respective songs on Mnet Japan's ''JJ Studio'', accompanied by Kim Tae-woo.
Chart performance
''Let It Go'' peaked at number one on Gaon Album Chart during the first week of its release, starting on May 8, 2011, and reached 45th on Gaon Yearly Album Charts for 2011.
The "Let It Go" single landed at number 31 on Gaon Single 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 ...
during the first week of its release, starting on May 8, and rose to 19th place in its second week. The single remained among the top 100 singles for nine weeks.
Tracks
The album contains four songs and an instrumental version of the title track, "Let It Go". Produced by the Sweetune
Sweetune () is a South Korean music producer team, originally consisting of Han Jae-ho and Kim Seung-soo, and now including nine other members. They have produced many hit songs and albums for Korean idols and Japanese idols, including Kara, Rainb ...
team, the album features rap by Hyuna of girl group 4Minute
4Minute (, often stylized as 4MINUTE) was a South Korean girl group formed in 2009 by Cube Entertainment. The members of the group were Nam Ji-hyun, Heo Ga-yoon, Jeon Ji-yoon, Kim Hyuna and Kwon So-hyun. The group was known for its edgy d ...
, Tae Wan, and Kim Kyu-jong of SS501. The mid-tempo dance track, which describes men's and women's different feelings, is composed by SweetTune's team and written by Song Soo-yoon. The other three songs, including the fast-paced "Out The Club" and "I'm Broken", and the R&B track "Rainy Heart", were written by Heo.
Track listing
Music videos
* "Let It Go"
* "Rainy Heart"
Release history
Charts
;Album charts
;Singles charts
Notes
References
External links
B2M Entertainment official YouTube channel
"Let It Go" official music video
"Rainy Heart" official music video
"Let It Go" music video teaser
{{Authority control
2011 debut EPs
SS501 albums
Kakao M EPs
Warner Music Taiwan EPs