''Blueming'' (stylized ''BLUEMING'') 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 band

CNBLUE CNBLUE ( ko, 씨엔블루) is a South Korean pop rock band formed in 2009. The band consists of Jung Yong-hwa (leader, main vocals, guitar, keyboard, rap), Kang Min-hyuk ( drums), and Lee Jung-shin ( bass). First bassist Kwon Kwang-jin left t ...

. It was released on April 4, 2016, under

FNC Entertainment FNC Entertainment (; stands for "fish and cake") is a South Korean entertainment company established in 2006 by South Korean singer and record producer Han Seong-ho. The label operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, ev ...

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 band began developing the record within the same time period as "

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

" from '' 2gether'' (2015). Writing and recording for the album commenced in midst of the 2015 CNBLUE Live "Come Together" concert tour. Upon its completion, the band's record label announced that the quartet would release a mini-album. Musically, ''Blueming'' is a pop rock record filled with songs which suit the spring season. Following a series of photo and video teasers, the mini-album and lead single " You're So Fine" were concurrently released. ''Blueming'' topped the weekly Gaon Album Chart and received favorable reviews from music critics. CNBLUE began promoting the record on music chart programs across various television networks by performing the single.

Background

Upon their debut with ''

Bluetory ''Bluetory'' is the Korean debut mini-album by South Korean pop-rock idol band CNBLUE. It was released on January 14, 2010, under FNC Music and distributed by Mnet Media. After being signed to the record label, the quartet was sent to Japan, wher ...

'' (2010), CNBLUE was met with immediate commercial success. Within two weeks, the quartet earned their first music show win with "I'm a Loner". With the albums that followed, the band did not meet the same instant success. With the addition of crafting their own music, CNBLUE faced mounting pressure which "daunted the band members for years". On March 16, 2016, it was reported that CNBLUE was scheduled to release an album in early April. Six days later, it was announced that the band would release a mini-album entitled ''Blueming'' on April 4. A

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words The release of the mini-album comes off the heels of the 2015 CNBLUE Live "Come Together" concert tour.

Writing and recording

CNBLUE began conceiving ''Blueming'' while developing "

". Between the members' solo activities and CNBLUE's concert tours, the bandmates took the opportunity to record songs. Although not intended coincide with the spring season, vocalist

Jung Yong-hwa Jung Yong-hwa (; ; born June 22, 1989) is a South Korean singer, musician and actor. He is the leader, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band CNBLUE. Jung made his television debut in '' You're Beautiful'' (2009), and has since st ...

sought to release "refreshing, breezy music" as soon as possible. Unlike with previous releases, the band did not pen any specific song with the intention of releasing it as a lead single. Instead, CNBLUE chose from a pool of songs which they had written. The band deliberated between " You're So Fine" and "Young Forever"; they agreed upon the former because it "sounded the best". After examining their past in retrospect, Jung took the opportunity to write "Young Forever" in midst of a bout of

insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...

. Jung explained that, "we had our own hard times", but he desired to "overcome them with our passion". "Stay Sober" was initially included on the band's

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

single "

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

". Jung attempted to translate the lyrics in

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

, but he "loved" the original lyrics and believed that they "felt the best". The track was one of several omitted from previous releases; Jung re-arranged the song in order to add it to an album afterwards. He felt that the inclusion of the song brought balance to the record by each track bearing a specific "element". In midst of promoting "Cinderella" on

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...

's ''

You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook ''You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook'' () is a South Korean talk show and live music television program airing from April 24 2009 until July 22nd 2022. It was hosted by You Hee-yeol, also known as his one-man band, Toy. The program has aired since April ...

'' in 2015, guitarist

Lee Jong-hyun Lee Jong-hyun (born May 15, 1990) is a South Korean musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He was the former lead guitarist and vocalist of South Korean rock band CNBLUE. He made his acting debut in an omnibus movie '' Acoustic'' in 2010, fol ...

performed a song entitled "Shaving" () during the program; he rewrote the lyrics to what would become "The Seasons". Originally titled "Four Seasons" (), he changed the title of the song after it was perceived as "too old-fashioned" by staff of the record company. Initially, he wrote the song for the purpose of including it in his debut solo album, but felt it would "suit well if we perform the song together". ''Blueming'' also includes bassist

Lee Jung-shin Lee Jung-shin (; born September 15, 1991) is a South Korean musician, singer, rapper, and actor. He is the bassist of South Korean rock band CNBLUE, which debuted in January 2010 in South Korea. Life and career Early life and career beginning ...

's first contribution to

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 ...

of the band's Korean catalog. Jung cited this as testament to the musical progression of the band. Drummer

Kang Min-hyuk Kang Min-hyuk (; born June 28, 1991) is a South Korean musician, singer-songwriter, and actor. He is the drummer of South Korean rock band CNBLUE. Career 2009–present: CNBLUE Kang became a member of CNBLUE in 2009. The group debuted in Jap ...

attempted to create songs for inclusion on ''Blueming'', but ultimately they did not come to fruition. The mini-album was recorded in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

at the FNC Entertainment Studio. Mixing took place there and at the Bono Studio; it was mastered at the JFS Mastering Studio.

Music structure

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

record, ''Blueming'' compromises "soft" music meant to "maximize the romantic air of spring". CNBLUE strays from the theme of breakup and features songs that are upbeat, "sweet", and "bright"; the ambience of the songs are meant to correspond with the spring season. " You're So Fine" is a

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 ...

with "rhythmical" sense. Emitting elements of

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

music, "The Seasons" compares relationships to the weather of the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...

s. The song compromises a rhythm guitar,

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, and acoustic guitar; the lattermost is set in a

shuffle rhythm In music, the term ''swing'' has two main uses. Colloquially, it is used to describe the propulsive quality or "feel" of a rhythm, especially when the music prompts a visceral response such as foot-tapping or head-nodding (see pulse). This sens ...

. Centered around a snare drum, "Young Forever" is a pop ballad; the track incorporates instrument recordings played backwards. In contrast to the other songs, "Without You" is a breakup song. 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 ...

ballad, it integrates string instruments and a piano. Lyrically, "Stay Sober" begs the narrator's former love to keep him in their mind.

Artwork concept and packaging

''Blueming'' was released in two editions: versions A and B. They come encased in a sleeve case and hard cover, which include a 72-page photo booklet, one of four possible random photo cards between two sets, and one poster. Conceptually, the photography showcases the band as boyfriends. Set in a coffee shop, the photography of version A depicts the band members dressed in

business casual Business casual is an ambiguously defined Western dress code that is generally considered casual wear but with smart (in the sense of "well dressed") components of a proper lounge suit from traditional informal wear, adopted for white-colla ...

clothing, anticipating the arrival of their respective girlfriends. Dressed casually, version B revolves around the idea of the photos being taken by said girlfriends.

Release and promotion

On March 24, a teaser photo of the band was published. On the following day, two sets of individual photo teasers for version A of ''Blueming'' were released. Two sets of individual photos for version B followed on March 28, in addition to a second group photo. The first music video teaser was released on March 31. On the subsequent day, a highlight medley for the mini-album was released. A second music video teaser was released on April 3. Hours prior to the release of the mini-album, each member of CNBLUE took part in a "virtual date" stream on Naver's

mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...

V. CNBLUE also hosted the "So Fine Show?!" stream one hour before the release of the mini-album. ''Blueming'' and the music video for " You're So Fine" were simultaneously released on April 4. On April 7, CNBLUE began promoting "You're So Fine" by performing the song on weekly music chart shows. In addition to the lead single, the band also performed "Young Forever" 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'', Korean Broadcasting System's (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 ...

'', Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation's (MBC) '' Show! Music Core'', and Seoul Broadcasting System's (SBS) '' Inkigayo''. The band also performed on SBS MTV's '' The Show'' and

MBC Music MBC M (formerly MBC Music) () is a South Korean specialty television channel owned by MBC Plus Media. The cable channel primarily broadcasts programming related to music. The channel opened on February 1, 2012, with a new music program '' Sho ...

's '' Show Champion'', where the single earned its first two respective music show wins. "You're So Fine" earned its third and fourth wins on ''M Countdown'' and ''Music Bank'' on the days that followed. It went on to earn second consecutive wins on both ''The Show'' and ''Music Bank'', bringing the total of music show wins up to six. CNBLUE were guests on

's talk show ''

'', where they performed "You're So Fine", as well as "Radio" and "Love Light". The band also performed the lead single on

SBS Power FM HLSQ-FM, also known as SBS Power FM (), is a K-pop music radio station of the Seoul Broadcasting System. The station is heard nationwide via syndication with local FM stations in Korea via HLDG-FM in Busan, HLDE-FM in Daegu, HLDH-FM in ...

's '' Cultwo Show'' for the 10th Anniversary Legend Concert .

Critical reception

Writing for Fuse, columnist Jeff Benjamin expressed that CNBLUE "continues to expand its musical palette" on what he considers an "ambitious" mini-album. He felt that the band was capable to making " You're So Fine" sound "fresh", and noted the similarities between the lead single and "Hold My Hand" from '' 2gether''. He cited "The Seasons" as being a "standout" track and described CNBLUE's "growing crossover potential" with the all-English "Stay Sober". Three critics opined on the record for TV Daily: Kim Ji-ha dubbed the lead single "sweet" and noted "Young Forever" for its "memorable lyrics"; Kim Han-gil referred to ''Blueming'' as a "charming album"; and Lee Yun-min complimented CNBLUE for "making band music", which he deemed "a rarity" in the current musical climate. Rating ''Blueming'' three stars out of five, Gwendolyn Ng of ''

The Straits Times ''The Straits Times'' is an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore and currently owned by SPH Media Trust (previously Singapore Press Holdings). ''The Sunday Times'' is its Sunday edition. The newspaper was establish ...

'' compared the record to "enjoying the cool spring breeze". She expressed that "the mellow tunes are soothing, but don't leave an impression", citing the absence of the band's " signature sound" from "I'm a Loner" and " Can't Stop". In relating Jung's solo album '' One Fine Day'' (2015), '' 2gether'' (2015), and ''Blueming'', music critic Kim Yoon-ha of Idology commented that Jung established an "on-and-off" pursuit of earning a "stamp of approval" for his songwriting, in where he creates "easy-listening songwriting that can tailor to various themes". She noted that ''Blueming'' incorporates Jung's "signature, simple yet memorable melodies and everyday words". Also writing for Idology as 'Mimyo', musician Moon Yong-min felt it could be argued that CNBLUE took Japanese influences in mixing the theme of spring with the

ikemen The term is a portmanteau neologism derived from the Japanese words (いける) or and (メンズ). and mean "cool", "good" and "exciting", while is the Japanization of "men". This term has been used to reference good looking men featured ...

ideal, as the band had done in combining the "rocker duo–summer dance tunes" in "

". He felt "impressed" by the band's ability to integrate music styles of spring and the

Hongdae, Seoul Hongdae () is a neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea near Hongik University, after which it is named. It is known for its urban arts and indie music culture, local shops, clubs and entertainment. The area is located in Mapo-gu in the western end ...

area, in which they "borrowed each of their elements, yet still managed to hit that narrow balance without spilling into one side".

Commercial performance

On the chart dated April 3 – 9, 2016, ''Blueming'' debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart. It fell to number two on the following week. By the end of April, the mini-album sold 64,279 copies in South Korea. It ranked at number 10 on '' Billboard'' magazine's World Albums Chart. In Japan, the mini-album debuted at number 13 on the weekly Oricon Albums Chart, selling 3,386 copies in its first week. It sold an additional 3,817 copies in its second week, ranking at number 15. It has sold 10,690 copies in the country since its release.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desc ...

. *

– chorus *

–

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

, composer,

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's incom ...

, arranger,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

– drums *

– composer, lyricist, guitar *

– composer, lyricist, bass * Erik Lidbom – horns arranger * Johan Åström –

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

* Choi Hun – bass * Go Seung-wook –

mixing engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...

* Albin Grahn –

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

* Han Seong-ho – executive producer * Han Seung-hoon – producer, composer, arranger, piano, synthesizer * Innovative – lyricist * Jeon Geun-hwa – chorus * Jo Seong-wan – supervisor * Jung Jae-pil – guitar * Kim Jae-yang – producer, composer, lyricist, arranger, piano, synthesizer * Ko Jin-yeong – arranger, bass,

, synthesizer * Kwon Woo-mi – A&R * Lee Sang-ho – arranger * Lee Tae-wook – guitar * Lee Yu-jin – recording engineer, mixing engineer * Oh Dan-yeong – recording engineer * Samuel Muntlin –

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

* Seong Ji-hun – mastering engineer * Park Hyun-woo – composer, arranger, guitar * Park Jeong-min – recording engineer * Park Jin-se – recording engineer * Zoo Yong-gyun – photography

Charts

Release history

References

External links

{{Authority control 2016 EPs Albums produced by Jung Yong-hwa CNBLUE EPs FNC Entertainment EPs Kakao M EPs Korean-language EPs Pop rock EPs