Only One (BoA album)

Only One
Digital cover
Studio album by
BoA
ReleasedJuly 22, 2012 (2012-07-22)
StudioSM Studios (Seoul)
Genre
Length30:56
LanguageKorean
LabelSM
BoA chronology
Hurricane Venus
(2010) 		Only One
(2012) 		Who's Back?
(2014)
Alternative cover
Regular edition cover
Singles from Only One
  1. "One Dream"
    Released: March 18, 2012
  2. "Only One"
    Released: July 22, 2012
  3. "The Shadow"
    Released: August 17, 2012

Only One is the seventh Korean studio album (fifteenth overall) by South Korean recording artist BoA. It was released through SM Entertainment on July 22, 2012. The record features songwriting contributions from various regional and international musicians, including Miriam and Olivia Nervo, SM composer Kenzie, and Kim Tae-sung. The single "One Dream" was first released as a collaboration with Henry Lau and Key for the audition show K-pop Star in March 2012, while the titular single "Only One" and "The Shadow" were promoted after the release of the album.

Commercially, Only One peaked at number two on the South Korean Gaon Album Chart, and was the 46th best-selling album of the year with sales of over 36,000 copies. Elsewhere in Asia, the album peaked at number 63 on the Japanese Oricon Album Chart and number nine on the Taiwanese G-Music East Asian Albums chart. The single "Only One" peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart upon the release of the album and received over 2,100,000 digital downloads, making it her highest charting and best-selling single on Gaon since its creation in 2010.

Background and release

On July 16, 2012, SM Entertainment announced that BoA will be coming back with her seventh Korean album titled Only One, two years after the release of her sixth album Hurricane Venus. For the choreography of her title track, "Only One", she enlisted the help of Nappytabs who also contributed on the choreography on her upcoming dance flick Make Your Move 3D. SM Entertainment also announced that BoA will be promoting the album via her own comeback show BoA 4354. The number represents the days BoA has been in the entertainment industry.[1]

The album has two editions: regular and limited.[2][3] Along with the album, fans can order different bundles that come with a photobook and/or poster. The limited edition of the release included a special packaging containing a 48-page photobook, while the regular edition contained a 24-page photobook. In 2013, BoA re-recorded the title track and "The Shadow" in Japanese and released it as her 32nd single titled under Avex Trax on February 27, 2013. The single peaked at number ten on the Oricon Singles Chart while the Japanese recording of "Only One" reached number eight on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.[4][5] The original album became available in the Philippines on July 5, 2013.

Development and composition

I feel that this album is my best work to date, "I really love every track." "I wanted to do music that puts the vocals up front... relaxing my shoulders a bit. Everyone around me helped me create that kind of laid-back feel for this album."

—BoA commenting on the creative development of Only One.[6]

The Korea Times noted that the record served as "a departure from the sleek, fast-paced and beat-heavy dance music she has become synonymous with", particularly from her previous albums BoA (2009), Identity (2010) and Hurricane Venus (2010). BoA elaborated that the creative process behind the record was to produce a relaxing and "comforting" album that could resonate with the general public, even if they were not necessarily fans of her. She acknowledged that even though electronic music styles remained trendy at the time, her personal preference for Only One nonetheless leaned towards a more "relaxed" and easygoing aesthetic. Although the album did not contain large amounts of electronic elements, BoA intended to craft the album's composition to appeal to those who still appreciated her electronic style, similar to what she showcased in Hurricane Venus.[6][7]

Commercial performance

The title track "Only One" was released digitally on July 22, 2012. It entered the Billboard K-pop Hot 100 at number 12 and peaked at number 2 on its fourth week. It remained in the top 3 for four weeks.[8] It stayed in the top of the Gaon charts for weeks, and has sold about 2 million singles as of October.[9] The physical album was released on July 25, 2012, and sold over 28,000 copies on its first six days of release.[10] Since August 2012, the album has sold more than 34,000 copies in total. The album also got more than 934,059 digital downloads according to Gaon Chart. The album is her best selling Korean album so far with the combination of digital and physical sales.

Track listing

Only One track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Only One"BoABoA3:37
2."The Shadow"BoAKenzie3:20
3."Hope" (네모난 바퀴)Hongzhi Yu, Kim Tae Sung, T-SK, Miriam Nervo and Olivia NervoNervo4:35
4."Not Over U"Hongzhi Yu, Kim Tae Sung, T-SK, Miriam Nervo and Olivia NervoNervo3:43
5."The Top"Miss Pitt, Karen Ann Poole, Stuart CrichtonStuart Crichton2:37
6."Mayday! Mayday!" (너에게 닿기를 간절히 외치다)her0ism, Alex Geringas, Tommy Lee JamesAlex Geringas, Tommy Lee James3:39
7."One Dream" (featuring Henry of Super Junior-M and Key of Shinee)Palo Alto, Toby Gad, Marty James, Lyrica AndersonToby Gad2:28
8."Only One" (Instrumental)  3:37
9."The Shadow" (Instrumental)  3:20
Total length:30:56

Charts

Sales

Sales figures for Only One
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan — 3,230[15]
South Korea — 36,000[16]

References

  1. ^ "BoA Announces 7th Korean Album "Only One" + Comeback TV Special". Jpopasia. July 16, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  2. ^ "BBoA Vol. 7 - Only One (Normal Edition)". Yesasia. July 16, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  3. ^ "BoA Vol. 7 - Only One (CD+Photobook) (Limited Edition) + Limited Edition Poster in Tube". YesAsia. July 16, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  4. ^ a b "BoAのリリース一覧" [List of BoA's Releases]. Oricon. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  5. ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard (in Japanese). March 6, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Kwaak, Je-yup (July 27, 2012). "BoA returns with 'best' record yet". The Korea Times. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  7. ^ Lee, Hyun-woo (July 27, 2012). "보아 "공기반 소리반‥녹음 때 자꾸 떠올라"" [BoA 'I keep thinking about the sound class and the recording class']. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Retrieved March 17, 2024 – via Naver.
  8. ^ "Korea K-pop Hot 100 Music Chart". Billboard. August 28, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  9. ^ "Gaon Releases chart ranking of August". Allkpop. October 10, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  10. ^ a b "Circle Album Chart – July 2012". Circle Chart (in Korean). July 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  11. ^ "Circle Album Chart – Week 31 of 2012". Circle Chart (in Korean). July 29 – August 4, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  12. ^ "G-Music Combo Chart – Week 12 of 2013". G-Music. March 22, 2013. Archived from the original on April 4, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  13. ^ "Billboard US World Albums Chart". Billboard. August 11, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  14. ^ "Circle Album Chart – 2012". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  15. ^ "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  16. ^ "Gaon Album Chart 2012년". Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on October 24, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
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