''Poison'' is the fourth

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(promoted as third Korean EP) by South Korean girl group

Secret Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

. Following their Japanese promotions in 2012, TS Entertainment announced that the group will have its comeback in South Korea after almost a year absence in the South Korean music industry. The EP was released on September 13, 2012, and contains five tracks, including the title track of the same name.

Background

In August 2012, TS Entertainment announced that after nearly a year absence in the South Korean music scene, Secret would have a comeback in South Korea sometime in September. The song was described as an "upbeat dance track" and was written and produced by Kang Ji Won and Kim Ki Bum whom they previously worked with their previous hit singles. TS Entertainment stated, "'Poison' will have all the unique characteristics and colors of Secret but will have a change in concept from the cute and friendly image hown in the pastto a sexy and feminine concept. It will be a new leaping point for Secret." TS Entertainment emphasized that the song is "armed with a fresh, new, musical style and a feminine concept". The agency added it planned to show an upgraded level of the bright and healthy woman image the group has been known for in the past.

Singles

"Poison" is an uptempo song with influences from R&B,

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and Hip-Hop music which utilizes repeating saxophone segments. The song was written and produced by Kang Ji Won and Kim Ki Bum whom Secret had previously worked with their previous singles. The audio mixing for the title track "Poison" was mixed by Grammy Award-winning musician Lu Diaz, who have mixed tracks for

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper. Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station WEDR, 99 Ja ...

and other American artists. And to raise the overall quality of the song, Chris Gehringer (from Sterling Sound) was called in from America for the

audio mastering Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via met ...

of "Poison". Gehringer has mastered the sounds of world-famous artists such as

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

, Jason Mraz,

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

and others. Lyrically, the song describes the protagonist's feelings of being unable to break away even while knowing that as one falls in love, it only ends up becoming poison to the individual.

Music video

The music video for the song was recorded in August 2012. On September 7, 2012, TS Entertainment released a 30-second video teaser of "Poison" which features the intro and the hook of the song. Featuring an old Hollywood styled concept, the music video revolves around Secret acting as thieves while seducing a male detective to steal jewelry and ended up killing him. The theme of the music video was based on the 1940s British ‘lady look’ and ‘espionage look’. The concept of the music video was influenced by

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

and portrays a

femme fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

image. The song's music video was directed by Hong Won-ki of ZanyBros, who also directed the music videos of

B.A.P B.A.P (; an acronym for Best Absolute Perfect) was a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 under TS Entertainment. B.A.P made their musical debut with the single "Warrior" on January 26, 2012, followed by the release of their debut EP ''Warrio ...

's "

Warrior A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have been p ...

Girls’ Generation Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ensemb ...

’s "

The Boys Boys are young male humans. Boys or The Boys may also refer to: Film and television Films * ''The Boys'' (1962 British film), a courtroom drama by Sidney J. Furie * ''The Boys'' (1962 Finnish film), a war drama by Mikko Niskanen * ''Boys'' ( ...

", B2ST’s "

Shock Shock may refer to: Common uses Collective noun *Shock, a historic commercial term for a group of 60, see English numerals#Special names * Stook, or shock of grain, stacked sheaves Healthcare * Shock (circulatory), circulatory medical emerge ...

" and their single " Love is Move".

Live performances

Between September 13 to 17, 2012, Secret had their comeback stage on '' M! Countdown'', '' Music Bank'', '' Music Core'' and ''

Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who p ...

'' performing "Calling U" first and followed by their lead single, "Poison". On September 15, 2012, Secret attended the World Cyber Games 2012 and performed "Poison" together with their previous singles " Shy Boy", "

Starlight Moonlight "Starlight Moonlight" (Korean: 별빛달빛) is a song by South Korean Kpop girl group Secret. The song was released as a CD single on June 1, 2011, through TS Entertainment. The song was written and produced by Kang Ji Won and Kim Ki Bum, the sa ...

" and " Love is Move".

Track listing

Credits and personnel

These credits were adapted from the ''Poison'' liner notes. *Kim Tae-sung –

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 ...

co-producing *Song Jieun -

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

*Han Sunhwa -

*Jun Hyoseong -

*Jung Hana -

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

, songwriting *Kang Jiwon - songwriting, arranger, music *Kim Kibum - songwriting, music *Park Soo Seok - songwriting, arranger, music *Jeon Da Woon - songwriting, arranger, music *MARCO - songwriting, arranger, music *Brandon Fraley - songwriting, arranger, music *Jamelle Fraley - songwriting, arranger, music *Javier Solis - songwriting, music

Charts

Sales

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2012 EPs Secret (South Korean band) EPs Korean-language EPs Kakao M EPs TS Entertainment EPs