Ace (EP) explained

Ace
Type:ep
Artist:Taemin
Cover:Taemin Ace EP.jpg
Length:20:31
Language:Korean
Next Title:Press It
Next Year:2016

Ace is the debut extended play by South Korean singer Taemin. It was released by SM Entertainment on August 18, 2014.[1] "Danger" was released as the lead single.

Background and release

On August 11, 2014, SM Entertainment announced Taemin would release an EP titled Ace on August 18.[2] On August 13, a highlight medley video from the EP was uploaded to YouTube.[3] The official music video for the lead single, titled "Danger", came out on August 15 and was directed by Kim Sung-wook, who said that through the video he aimed to explore "the themes of masculinity".[4]

Composition

The song "Danger" was composed by Thomas Troelsen, who also wrote the theme song for the World Cup in Brazil. On radio show Blue Night Radio, a listener asked Taemin, "I liked the shooting sound in your music program performances. Why isn't it included in the digital version [of the song]?" Taemin said, "It was added right before performing on a music program as effect sounds for performance. It's not included because it may damage the musical completion of the song." Another listener asked, "'Danger' has a Michael Jackson feel. Did you have it in mind while working on the song?". To this, Taemin replied, "The song was composed abroad and bought. It wasn't like our goal or role model but just happened so in the process. The company thought it would suit me well, and it's not a style I dislike."[5]

The song's choreography was created by Ian Eastwood. Shinee member Jonghyun also added that he heard from the managers that after seeing Taemin dance, "I heard he found it amazing for you to copy him so well." Eastwood says of the song is "...like Michael Jackson" and pays homage to Jackson's unique dance moves and that Taemin seems to understand what Jackson's performance means.

Reception

Ace reached number one on the weekly and monthly Gaon Album Chart, and number two on Billboards World Albums Chart. "Danger" reached number five on the weekly Gaon Digital Chart.[6] At South Korea's annual music awards, Ace won the Album Bonsang at the 29th Golden Disc Awards, and received further nominations at the Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards and Seoul Music Awards.[7] [8]

Korean music publication Weiv described the track "Danger" as "[...] a song that showcases the bright sense of Thomas Troelsen good at using multiple tracks, stands out. Most of all, it is a rare song among recent SM songs which doesn't tire you after many replays."[9] In a review for the publication, Park Jun-woo said that the EP showed that Taemin had become an adult, contrasting with his image as the youngest Shinee member. He observed that it was unusual for a member of an SM group to release a solo album.[10] IZE said "the young mysterious thief character with light moves but serious business came to life with Taemin's performance."[11] IZM reviewer Jeong Yu-na noted the influence of Michael Jackson and felt that the EP displayed Taemin's growth as a vocalist. She particularly highlighted "Danger", which she thought created a synergistic effect when combined with the choreography, and "Pretty Boy", which she described as a "hidden weapon". She explained that collaborating with Kai allowed them both to overcome their weaknesses.[12]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2014)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[13] 13
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[14] 1
Taiwanese Albums (G-Music)[15] 14
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[16] 20
US World Albums (Billboard)[17] 2

Monthly charts

Chart (2014)! scope="col"
Peak
position
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[18] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2014)! scope="col"
Position
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[19] 23

Sales and certifications

Chart! scope="col"
Amount
Gaon physical sales97,438[20]
Oricon physical sales5,105

Awards and nominations

Ceremony! scope="col"
YearCategoryResult
Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards2015Album of the Year[21]
Golden Disc Awards2015Album Bonsang (Main Prize)
Album Daesang (Grand Prize)
Seoul Music Awards2015Bonsang (Main Prize)
Song! scope="col" style="width:150px;"
ProgramDate
"Danger"Music BankAugust 29, 2014[22]
Show! Music CoreAugust 30, 2014[23]

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormatLabel
South KoreaAugust 18, 2014
VariousSM Entertainment[24]
TaiwanSeptember 26, 2014CDAvex Taiwan[25]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: STARHOME > Notice. Taemin Official Website. SM Entertainment Co., Ltd.. 18 August 2014. 10 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200810072952/http://taemin.smtown.com/Board/Details/6878982. dead.
  2. Web site: 샤이니 태민, 6년 만에 솔로 활동…남자 된 막내 매력 폭발. Shinee Taemin begins solo career after six years... the explosive charm of the youngest member who has become a man. Sports Dong-A. Nate. 11 August 2014. 11 August 2014. ko. https://web.archive.org/web/20200627111308/https://news.nate.com/view/20140811n19888. 27 June 2020. live.
  3. Web site: TAEMIN 태민_The 1st Mini Album 'ACE'_Highlight Medley. . 13 August 2014.
  4. Web site: Director behind iconic K-pop music videos. The Korea Times. Kwak. Yeon-soo. December 13, 2018. 11 May 2022.
  5. News: [radio] Taemin at Jonghyun's Blue Night]. August 22, 2014. jujutaem. January 30, 2015.
  6. News: Gaon Weekly singles charts. August 18, 2014. September 12, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140914000200/http://gaonchart.co.kr/chart/digital.php?f_chart_kind_cd=T&f_week=35&f_year=2014&f_type=week. September 14, 2014. dead.
  7. Web site: https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=079&aid=0002672591. ko:'대세' 엑소, 골든디스크 음반 부문 대상 영광. 'Popular' Exo win the Grand Prize in the album category at the Golden Disc Awards. No Cut News. Naver. Kim. Hyun-sik. January 16, 2015. September 21, 2021. ko. September 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210921123735/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=079&aid=0002672591. live.
  8. Web site: Seoul Music Awards Vote. Sports Seoul. March 8, 2022. ko. https://web.archive.org/web/20150112232741/http://awards.sportsseoul.com/vote_etc.html. January 12, 2015. dead.
  9. Web site: [weekly weiv] 08.08 ~ 08.22]. Weiv. 28 August 2014. 28 August 2014. ko. https://web.archive.org/web/20200130021525/http://www.weiv.co.kr/archives/18847. 30 January 2020. live.
  10. Web site: 태민 – The 1st Mini Album 'Ace' (2014). Weiv. Park. Jun-woo. September 11, 2014. August 14, 2022. ko.
  11. Web site: 태민, 아이돌의 청춘 증명. Taemin, An Idol's Way of Proving Youth. IZE. Kang. Myung-seok. 27 August 2014. 27 August 2014. ko. https://web.archive.org/web/20170302112641/http://ize.co.kr/articleView.html?no=2014082422407256295. 2 March 2017. live.
  12. Web site: Ace. IZM. Jeong. Yu-na. September 2014. August 14, 2022. ko.
  13. Web site: 週間 CDアルバムランキング 2014年09月01日付. Weekly CD Album Ranking – September 1, 2014. Oricon. October 27, 2021. ja. https://web.archive.org/web/20160817112759/http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/w/2014-09-01/p/2/. August 17, 2016. dead.
  14. News: 2014년 35주차 Album Chart. Gaon Music Chart. 28 August 2014. ko. https://web.archive.org/web/20150217050211/http://www.gaonchart.co.kr/main/section/chart/album.gaon?nationGbn=T&serviceGbn=&targetTime=35&hitYear=2014&termGbn=week. 17 February 2015. live.
  15. Web site: G-Music Combo Chart. G-Music. October 27, 2021. zh. https://web.archive.org/web/20141006070606/http://www.g-music.com.tw/GMusicBillBoard0.aspx. October 6, 2014. dead.
  16. Heatseekers Albums (September 6, 2014). Billboard. 28 August 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20181215210545/https://www.billboard.com/charts/heatseekers-albums/2014-09-06. 15 December 2018. live.
  17. World Albums (September 6, 2014). Billboard. 28 August 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20181216190235/https://www.billboard.com/charts/world-albums/2014-09-06. 16 December 2018. live.
  18. Web site: Gaon Album Chart Monthly (8/2014). Gaon Music Chart. 30 September 2014. ko. https://web.archive.org/web/20141006103407/http://www.gaonchart.co.kr/chart/album.php?f_chart_kind_cd=T&f_month=08&f_year=2014&f_type=month. 6 October 2014. live.
  19. Web site: 2014년 총결산 Album Chart. Gaon Music Chart. 17 February 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150210215545/http://gaonchart.co.kr/main/section/chart/total.gaon?termGbn=year&hitYear=2014&targetTime=&nationGbn=T&serviceGbn=S1060. 10 February 2015. live. Korean.
  20. Cumulative sales for Ace:
    • Web site: Gaon Album Ranking Yearly (2014) - see #23. Gaon Music Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. ko.
    • Web site: Gaon Album Ranking Yearly (2015) - see #126. Gaon Music Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. ko. https://web.archive.org/web/20160815114509/http://gaonchart.co.kr/main/section/chart/album.gaon?pageNo=2&nationGbn=T&serviceGbn=&targetTime=2015&hitYear=2015&termGbn=year. August 15, 2016. dead.
    • Web site: Gaon Album Ranking Monthly (9/2016) - see #160. Gaon Music Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. ko. https://web.archive.org/web/20161006155400/http://gaonchart.co.kr/main/section/chart/album.gaon?pageNo=2&nationGbn=T&serviceGbn=&targetTime=09&hitYear=2016&termGbn=month. October 6, 2016. dead.
    • Web site: Gaon Album Ranking Monthly (2/2018) - see #92. Gaon Music Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. ko.
    • Web site: Gaon Album Ranking Monthly (1/2019) - see #148. Gaon Music Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. ko. https://web.archive.org/web/20190214155101/http://gaonchart.co.kr/main/section/chart/album.gaon?nationGbn=T&serviceGbn=ALL&targetTime=01&hitYear=2019&termGbn=month. February 14, 2019. dead.
  21. Web site: 2014 Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards nominees. December 16, 2014 . 20 December 2014.
  22. Web site: https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=009&aid=0003292010. ko:태민, '뮤직뱅크'서 솔로곡 '괴도'로 첫 1위. Taemin wins first place on 'Music Bank' with his solo song 'Danger'. Maeil Business Newspaper. Naver. Kim. Ji-in. August 29, 2014. March 19, 2022. ko.
  23. Web site: https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=108&aid=0002333690. ko:태민, '뮤뱅' 이어 '음중'도 1위..민호와 격한 포옹. Following 'Music Bank', Taemin also ranked first on 'Music Core'... A big hug with Minho. Star News. Naver. Kim. Mi-hwa. August 30, 2014. March 19, 2022. ko.
  24. Web site: iTunes – Music – The 1st Mini Album 'ACE' – EP by TAEMIN. iTunes Store. August 18, 2014. December 6, 2014.
  25. Web site: ACE by Taemin. Avex Taiwan. September 26, 2014. December 6, 2014. Chinese.

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