''Universe'' () is the sixth
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. by South Korean–Chinese boy band
Exo
Exo ( ko, 엑소; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai ...
. It 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 December 26, 2017.
Release
On December 14, 2017, Exo was announced to be releasing their sixth extended play and fourth "winter special" album titled ''Universe'' on December 21. Following the death of South Korean singer and Exo's labelmate
Jonghyun, a member of
SHINee
Shinee ( ; ko, 샤이니, Syaini; ja, シャイニー, Shainī; stylized as SHINee) is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment in 2008. The group's musical impact in their native country has earned them numerous accolades and th ...
, the album's release was postponed. ''Universe'' and the music video for its title track were instead released on December 26, 2017.
Single
The lead single "
Universe
The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. ...
" debuted at number one on the
Melon Realtime Chart. "Universe", produced by Shin Hyuk and MRey, is described as a rock ballad that talks about how a person will search the universe just to find their lover. The single debuted at number two on the South Korean
Gaon Digital Chart. It also topped the ''Billboard Korea''
Kpop Hot 100
The K-pop Hot 100 is a music singles chart in South Korea, launched by ''Billboard'' in conjunction with ''Billboard'' Korea () on August 25, 2011. It is the second Asian ''Billboard'' chart after the Japan Hot 100. The chart used the same multime ...
for the first week of 2018.
Promotion
Exo performed "Universe" for the first time on December 31 on
MBC's year-end show, ''
MBC Gayo Daejejeon
The ''MBC Gayo Daejejeon'' () is an annual, end-of-the-year South Korean music show broadcast by the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). The event was first held in 1966 as a singing competition, but MBC stopped giving out awards in 2005.
...
''.
Reception
Upon release, ''Universe'' was praised by fans for using gender-neutral pronouns such as "me" and "you" instead of "he" and "she" in the lyrics.
Commercial performance
The album debuted atop the South Korean
Gaon Album Chart and at number two on the ''
Billboard''
World Albums Chart.
Track listing
Credits adapted from
Naver, iTunes
and ASCAP.
[Universe Tracklist from ASCAP:
*
*
*
*
*
*]
Charts
Weekly charts
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Sales
Awards and nominations
Music program awards
Release history
References
{{Exo
SM Entertainment EPs
Genie Music EPs
Korean-language EPs
2017 EPs
Christmas albums by South Korean artists
Exo EPs