''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. The album was released by
SM Entertainment 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 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,
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
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
. 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
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
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
hatemphasize 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'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 ballad love song 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'' in ...
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, Wisco ...
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" 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
heycannot 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 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'' 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 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 rec ...
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
The UK Album Downloads Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the music industry. Since July 2015, the chart week runs from Friday to Thursday, with the chart date given as the following Thursday. The chart was introdu ...
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'' 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'' 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
Purpose is the end for which something is done, created or for which it exists. It is part of the topic of intentionality and goal-seeking behavior.
Related concepts and subjects:
* Goal, a desired result or possible outcome
* Intention, the stat ...
'', 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'' 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''.
''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 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 ,
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
*
SM Entertainment –
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 – producer
*
Yoo Young-jin – Music and sound director
* Taeyeon – vocals , background vocals , lyrics
*
Rachel Furner
Rachel Clare Furner (born 1 July 1992), known by her stage name Tich, is an English singer and songwriter signed to Universal Music Publishing. She originally performed as an artist under Tich and as Rachel Furner, signed to Mercury Records.
...
– background vocals, composition
* Kwon Ae-jin – background vocals
*
Maja Keuc – background vocals
* Alna Hofmeyr – background vocals, lyrics
*
Salem Ilese
Salem Ilese Davern (born August 19, 1999) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her viral singles " Mad at Disney" and "PS5". She has also co-written songs for artists such as Bella Poarch and Demi Lovato.
Originally from Mill Valley, ...
– background vocals, composition
* Amanda Cygnaeus – background vocals, composition
* Willemijn van der Neut – background vocals, composition
* Jinli (Full8loom) – lyrics
*
Kim Eana – 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
*
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
*
Edvard Grieg – 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 wh ...
– 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
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documenta ...
– 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
* 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