I Am Seven

I Am Seven
EP by Seven
Released October 14, 2016 (2016-10-14)
Recorded 2014–16
Genre R&B, pop, dance, funk
Length 20:23
Language Korean
Label Eleven9 Entertainment
Seven chronology
Seven New Mini Album
(2012)		 I Am Seven
(2016)
Singles from I Am Seven
  1. "Give It to Me"
    Released: October 14, 2016

I Am Seven (stylized I AM SE7EN) is the third mini-album by South Korean recording artist Seven. It was released on October 14, 2016, under Eleven9 Entertainment and distributed by LOEN Entertainment. Following a hiatus lasting nearly five years, the record is his first release since his military service scandal in 2013 and departure from YG Entertainment the following year.

Background

Seven was subject to conscription in South Korea and enlisted for military service on March 19, 2013.[1] In June of that year, Seven was among three celebrities filmed "visiting illegal massage parlors that provide adult services while on official leave to perform at a concert"; he spent ten days in military prison for breaching regulations.[2] As a result, he split from longstanding girlfriend Park Han-byul.[3] He completed his service in December 2014; his contract with YG Entertainment expired the following February, with both parties mutually agreeing not to renew.[4] In his first endeavor thereafter, Seven was cast in the musical Elisabeth (2015).[5]

Seven's return to the music industry was first announced on December 31, 2015.[6] In addition to Rain, MC Mong, and Shin Hye-sung, Seven was among the singers who experienced commercial success in the 2000s who planned to release music in 2016.[7] Seven went on to invest ₩6,000,000,000 (US$5.3 million) in order to establish his own agency Eleven9 Entertainment.[8] Scheduled to be released as early as March, the mini-album would be first record under the agency.[9] The title I Am Seven represents a "fresh start" and serves as his reintroduction.[10]

Music structure

Seven took part in the songwriting, composing, and record production of all tracks on I Am Seven, a first in his career.[10] Musically, the record encompasses R&B, pop, dance, and funk.[11] "Give It to Me" is described as a "retro" funk song coupled with acoustic brass.[12] Written in midst of his military service,[13] "I'm Good" is slow-tempo R&B track.[14]

Release and promotion

A music video teaser for the song "I'm Good" was released on July 6, 2016; the full music video was published on the following day.[14] I Am Seven was announced as Seven's third mini-album on the September 29, with a release date of October 14, four years and eight months after his previous release Seven New Mini Album (2012).[15] On October 2, Seven previewed the lead single in Busan at the One Asia K-pop Concert.[16] The music video teaser for "Give It to Me" was published on October 11.[12]

I Am Seven and the music video for "Give It to Me" were simultaneously released on October 14.[17] Initiating the day prior, Seven began promoting the song by performing it on weekly music chart shows, including Mnet's M Countdown,[18] Korean Broadcasting System's (KBS) Music Bank,[19] Seoul Broadcasting System's (SBS) Inkigayo,[20] SBS MTV's The Show,[21] and MBC Music's Show Champion.[22]

Critical reception

Writing for TV Daily, Kim Ji-ha commended I Am Seven for its "impressive" and "addictive" beats and melodies; Kim Han-gil described the record as being "filled with high-quality songs", which allowed Seven to create a "unique ambience".[11] Rating the mini-album two and a half stars out of five, Lee Jong-min of Diffsound described it as a "reckless challenge" which resulted in a "crushing defeat".[23] Due to his military scandal, the mini-album received negative sentiments on online music stores, where netizens contributed to the album's low ratings.[13]

Commercial performance

On the chart dated October 9 – 15, 2016, I Am Seven debuted at number eight on the Gaon Album Chart.[24] By the end of the month, the record sold 4,285 copies in South Korea.[25] In Japan, the mini-album debuted at number 245 on the weekly Oricon Albums Chart, selling 226 copies in its first week. It sold an additional 269 copies in its second week, ranking at number 233.[26]

Track listing

Track listing
No. TitleLyricsMusicArrangement Length
1. "Eleven9 (Intro)"  SevenSeven, DressDress 1:08
2. "Good Night" (잘자; Jalja) (featuring Reddy)Kush, Seven, ReddyKush, Seven, Seo Won-jin, Baek Gyeong-jinSeo Won-jin 3:20
3. "Give It to Me"  Seven, MaflyThe Stereotypes, Seven, Kam Parker, HenryThe Stereotypes 3:11
4. "5-6-7"  SevenSeven, Mads Eg Løkkegaard, Johannes Burger, Kilian WilkeLøkkegaard, Burger, Wilke 2:59
5. "11:30" (featuring Masta Wu)Seven, Masta WuSeven, Jacob Olofsson, J-Son  3:20
6. "I'm Good" (괜찮아; Gwaenchanha)SevenSevenSeo Won-jin, Dress 3:14
7. "Give It to Me (Inst.)"   The Stereotypes, Seven, Parker, HenryThe Stereotypes 3:11
Total length:
 20:23

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Gaon Album Chart[24] 8
Oricon Albums Chart[26] 233

References

  1. ↑ Lee, Sun-min (March 20, 2013). "Seven set to start Army service". Korea JoongAng Daily. JoongAng Media Network. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  2. ↑ Frater, Patrick (July 26, 2013). "Se7en, Sangchu Jailed for Massage Parlor Excursion". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  3. ↑ Doo, Runny (October 13, 2016). "Singer Se7en drops new album after scandal, five-year hiatus". The Korea Herald. Herald Corporation. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  4. ↑ Choi, Jin-shil (February 25, 2015). 세븐 YG, 재계약 하지 않나? '서로 위한 이별'. 10asia (in Korean). Korea Entertainment Media. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  5. ↑ Lee, Sun-young (June 1, 2015). "Will 'Death' bring rebirth to Se7en?". The Korea Herald. Herald Corporation. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  6. ↑ Lee, Se-jin (December 31, 2015). 싸이•터보•지오디 이어…비•세븐 컴백. Herald Economy (in Korean). Herald Corporation. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  7. ↑ Yeon, Seung (December 31, 2015). [2016 문화 캘린더] 비•세븐 2000년대 스타 컴백… 한류 맞춤형 신인그룹들 데뷔. Seoul Economy TV (in Korean). Seoul Economy TV Corp. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  8. ↑ Kim, Ye-na (January 7, 2016). [단독] 세븐, 홍대 新사옥 60억 투자…종합 엔터社 지향. TVreport (in Korean). Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  9. ↑ Lee, Min-ji (January 16, 2016). 세븐 측 "3월 컴백 목표로 앨범 준비 중" (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Kim, Ji-yeon (October 13, 2016). "Se7en Prioritizes Fans Before Music Chart Rankings". Mwave. CJ E&M. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  11. 1 2 Kim, Han-gil (October 16, 2016). 세븐·크러쉬·다비치·방탄소년단 등, 치열해진 가요대전 [이번주 뭐 들었니?]. TV Daily (in Korean). Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Choi, Na-yeong (October 11, 2016). 세븐, 컴백 키워드는 '레트로&와일드'..뮤비티저 공개. Osen (in Korean). Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  13. 1 2 Kim, Ji-ha (October 26, 2016). 세븐 "차가운 시선, 예상했던 터라 덜 아프다" [인터뷰]. TV Daily (in Korean). Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  14. 1 2 Yoon, Ga-i. 세븐 '괜찮아' 티저 베일 벗었다, 카리스마 두배 (July 6, 2016) (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  15. ↑ Lee, Min-ji (September 29, 2016). 세븐 측 "10월14일 새 앨범 발표, 4년8개월만"(공식입장) (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  16. ↑ 세븐, 4년8개월만 새앨범 타이틀곡 무대 10월2일 부산서 전격 先공개. The Korea Times (in Korean). Hankook Ilbo. September 28, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  17. ↑ 세븐 컴백, 긴장 역력한 모습...네티즌 "세븐하면 갓세븐" "좋은 음악 기대". Daily Hankook (in Korean). Hankook Media Network. October 14, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  18. ↑ Yoo, Chan-hee (October 13, 2016). '엠카운트다운' 세븐, 펑키하게 돌아왔다 '기브 잇 투미'. 10asia (in Korean). Korea Entertainment Media. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  19. ↑ Yoo, Chan-hee (October 14, 2016). '뮤직뱅크' 세븐, 섹시와 펑크의 조합 '기브 잇 투미'. 10asia (in Korean). Korea Entertainment Media. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  20. ↑ Kim, Su-jeong (October 16, 2016). '인기가요' 세븐 5년 기다림 무색한 원조 춤신춤왕 위엄. TVreport (in Korean). Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  21. ↑ Lee, Hyeon-gyeong (October 18, 2016). [in스타] '더쇼' 다비치 강민경, 흰색 강아지와 쇼파에서 한 컷 '여신 미모'…세븐 또렷한 이목구비 '상남자 포스'. Newspim (in Korean). Newspim Company. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  22. ↑ Lee, Sang-hee (October 19, 2016). [포토]세븐 '마이크는 거꾸로 들어줘야~' (쇼챔피언). Asia Today (in Korean). Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  23. ↑ Lee, Jong-min (October 18, 2016). 세븐: I AM SE7EN. Diffsound (in Korean). Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  24. 1 2 2016년 42주차 Album Chart (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  25. ↑ 2016년 10월 Album Chart (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  26. 1 2 オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」　－CD・ブルーレイ・DVD・書籍・コミック－. Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved November 2, 2016. (subscription required (help)).
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