The Beginning (JYJ album)
| The Beginning | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by JYJ | ||||
| Released |
October 14, 2010 (see release history) | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Genre | Pop, R&B | |||
| Length | 29:16 | |||
| Label |
C-JeS/Show Sharp/Vitamin Ent. VDCD-6282 | |||
| JYJ chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Beginning | ||||
|
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The Beginning is the debut studio album by South Korean pop group JYJ, formed by three of the five original members of TVXQ. It is the group's first English release, after their 2010 Japanese language extended play The.... It was released on October 14, 2010 through Vitamin Entertainment, a division of Warner Music Korea.
Two weeks before the release of the album in South Korea, 50,000 copies of the regular edition had been pre-ordered and pre-sales for the 99,999 copies of the special edition of The Beginning reached numbers of 400,000 requests.[1][2]
The album was released on November 16, 2010 in the United States as a digital download,[3] and a wider release, planned by the group for early 2011, did not materialize.[4]
Background and development
Despite the album being sung in English, Jaejoong and Junsu were not fluent in English at the time of recording, and were still attending English lessons at the time of the album's release in America.[5]
Promotion
The first single from the album was "Ayyy Girl," featuring Kanye West and Malik Yusef.[6] The song had moderate success in South Korea, peaking at No. 19 on Gaon's single charts.[7] The music video for the album's second single, "Empty," was shot in December.[5] The song debuted at No. 18 in Korea during the album's release, due to strong digital sales.[7]
The band toured Asia in October and November 2010 in promotion of the album.[8] This began with two showcases in Seoul on October 12, at the 11,000 seating Hwaseong Tiger Dome at Korea University.[9] The tickets for these events sold out in 15 minutes, and a portion of the profits was donated to World Vision.[1][10] The band planned concerts in the United States in New York Las Vegas and Los Angeles, however were denied P1 visas for these concerts. In response to this, the group performed free showcases on these dates and refunded ticket purchasers. JYJ's management, C-JeS Entertainment, was unsure of the reason for the visa denial.[11] The band's other planned US dates in Seattle, San Francisco and Hawaii were later cancelled.[12] 6,400 people attended the New York showcase, despite the venue being able to hold 3,400 people.[13]
The band was featured in Billboard magazine's release of the week in November, the first time an international act has been featured. This led to the magazine's website receiving its highest daily traffic day recorded, as of 2010.[14]
Legal injunction
The band members' previous record label as the band TVXQ, SM Entertainment, filed an injunction against the sales of the album on October 8.[9][15] However, South Korean digital retailers defied the request, and proceeded with the sales on October 14.[15] The injunction was issued due the South Korean courts not having reached a verdict on the members' ongoing court case with SM Entertainment.[9] In December 2010 they were successful in their lawsuit against SM Entertainment.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | S. Tiger | Brian Kim, BJD | 0:47 |
| 2. | "Ayyy Girl" (featuring Kanye West, Malik Yusef) | Kyoko Hamler, P. Phenom, Yusef | Warren Taylor, Hamler, Phenom, Kanye West, Hassan Khaffaf, Jeff Bhasker, No Id, Plain Pat | 4:31 |
| 3. | "Empty" | L. Daniels, Hamler, T. Parker | Rodney Jerkins | 3:35 |
| 4. | "Be My Babe/Be My Girl" | Daniels, Hamler, Parker | Jerkins | 3:16 |
| 5. | "Still in Love" | Hamler | Hero Jaejoong | 4:22 |
| 6. | "I Love You" (featuring Flowsik) | Hamler, Flowsik | Micky Yuchun | 4:54 |
| 7. | "I Can Soar" | Hamler | Xiah Junsu | 4:40 |
| 8. | "Be the One" | Jae Chong, Hamler | Jae Chong | 3:11 |
| Total length: | 29:16 | |||
| US Edition: Bonus Tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 9. | "Empty (DJ Eon Remix)" | 4:00 |
| Total length: | 33:16 | |
| Korea Limited Edition: Bonus Tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 9. | "Ayyy Girl (DJ Eon Remix)" | 4:03 |
| 10. | "Empty (DJ Eon Remix)" | 4:00 |
| Total length: | 34:19 | |
| Korea Special Edition: Bonus Tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 9. | "Ayyy Girl (DJ Eon Remix)" | 4:03 |
| 10. | "Empty (DJ Eon Remix)" | 4:00 |
| 11. | "Be My Girl (DJ Eon Remix)" | 4:00 |
| Total length: | 41:19 | |
Chart
Album chart positions
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South Korea Gaon Chart[7] | 1 |
| South Korea Gaon Chart monthly | 1 |
| Japan Oricon[16] | 11 |
Reported sales
| Chart | Amount |
|---|---|
| Japanese physical sales[16] | 62,000 |
| South Korean sales | 398,000 |
*Sales figure is based on South Korean imports of the album, as the album has not been released domestically in Japan currently.
| Preceded by Still 2:00PM by 2PM |
Gaon Chart weekly number-one album October 23, 2010 |
Succeeded by Hoot by Girls' Generation |
| Preceded by Hoot by Girls' Generation |
Gaon Chart monthly number-one album November 2010 |
Succeeded by GD & TOP by G-Dragon & T.O.P |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Distributing Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | October 14, 2010[17] | CD, digital download | Vitamin Entertainment |
| October 18, 2010[18] | "Luxury Package" CD | ||
| United States | November 16, 2010[3] | Digital download | Show Sharp |
| South Korea | November 22, 2010[19] | Re-released CD | Vitamin Entertainment |
References
- 1 2 유, 순호 (2010-10-07). "JYJ 파워! 하루 70억 수입". MetroSeoul (in Korean). Retrieved 2010-10-11.
- ↑ "JYJ 첫 앨범 '동방신기' 넘나". Hankooki (in Korean). 2010-09-30. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
- 1 2 "The Beginning by JYJ". Hanteo. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ↑ "JYJ、来年米国でアルバムリリース". Chosun Online (in Japanese). November 23, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- 1 2 "Meet JYJ – Kanye West's New Proteges". Us Magazine. November 16, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
- ↑ "JYJ Announces "The Beginning"". Music Releases. September 30, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
- 1 2 3 "Gaon Chart Search: JYJ". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ↑ "TOUR SCHEDULE". JYJ Official Website. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
- 1 2 3 "JYJ vows brand new beginning to fans". Korea Times. October 13, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ↑ 동방신기 3인, 월드와이드 쇼케이스 나서. Hankooki (in Korean). 2010-10-04. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
- ↑ "JYJ denied P1 visas; will perform for free in US tour". Jonathan M. Hicap. Manila Bulletin. November 7, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
- ↑ "JYJ's tour in shambles, possible cancellation?". All Kpop. November 11, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
- ↑ "JYJ's New York showcase draws 6,400 fans". Jonathan M. Hicap. Manila Bulletin. November 15, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ↑ "JYJ Billboard Release Of The Week Content Helps To Sell Out Billboard Magazine In 24 Hours And Set New Traffic Records On Billboard.com". Mi2n. November 7, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
- 1 2 "SM Entertainment Asks Court to Stop Release of JYJ Album". Jonathan M. Hicap. Manila Bulletin. October 14, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- 1 2 "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」". Oricon. Retrieved 2010-11-22. (subscription only)
- ↑ "제이와이제이(Jyj) – The Beginning: Nomal Limited ED." (in Korean). Hanteo. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ↑ "제이와이제이(Jyj) – The Beginning: Special Limited E." (in Korean). Hanteo. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ↑ "제이와이제이(Jyj) – The Beginning: New Limited ED." (in Korean). Hanteo. Retrieved November 24, 2010.