Namanana Explained

Namanana
Type:studio
Artist:Lay
Cover:Lay-namanana-album-cover.webp
Recorded:2018
Studio:Zhang Yixing Studio (Beijing)
Length:69:48
Producer:Lay
Prev Title:Winter Special Gift
Prev Year:2017
Next Title:Honey
Next Year:2019

Namanana (stylized in all caps) is the second studio album by Chinese singer-songwriter Lay. It was released on October 19, 2018 by SM Entertainment. The album features 22 tracks in total, 11 of which are in Chinese language with English counterparts for each, including the two singles "Give Me a Chance" and "Namanana". The album marks the singer's US debut under the name Lay Zhang.[1] [2]

Background and release

On September 21, Lay announced his US debut with a full-length album, set to be released on October 19.[3] The artist participated in producing each track of the album.[4] On September 28, it was announced that Lay would pre-release his song "Give Me a Chance" on October 5, which was co-written and co-composed by Bazzi, and that he would also release the music video of the song on his birthday, October 7.[5]

On October 5, the track "Give Me a Chance" was released along with a teaser of the music video.[6] [7] On October 7, the music video of "Give Me a Chance" was released.[8] On October 16, the album teaser was released[9] and the digital pre-sale in China started. On October 18, Namanana music video teaser was released.[10] On October 19, the album and the music video of the title track "Namanana" were officially released.[11]

Promotion

Lay performed the title track "Namanana" on Tencent's Yo! Bang music show on October 21. The singer performed "Give Me a Chance" and on episode 8 of the Chinese program Idol Hits, aired on October 26,[12] as well as episode 9, aired on November 2.[13]

Lay began promoting Namanana in the United States on November 2, where he was interviewed by BUILD Series NYC.[14] On November 5, Lay appeared on WNYW's Good Day New York, where he talked about his album and performed "Namanana".[15] On the same day, the singer had an interview on the People Now program.[16] Lay held a free fan event in New York City on November 6, 2018, at the PlayStation Theater.[17]

Singles

"Give Me a Chance" was released on October 5.[18]

Commercial performance

Within 11 minutes and 11 seconds of the album's pre-sale in China on October 16, Namanana broke eight records and reached Double Diamond on QQ Music. It became the fastest digital album to break all the certifications in such a short time.[19] The album broke the ninth record on QQ Music and reached the Hall of Fame Gold Diamond status in 11 hours and 57 minutes.[20]

Namanana became QQ Music's best selling album of 2018 and the fastest to receive all 9 QQ Music sales certifications. As of December 11, Namanana became the best selling album of all time on QQ Music, with 23.4 million renminbi (RMB) in sales.[21]

Track listing

The track list is taken from QQ Music[22]

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2018)Position
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[24] 34
US World Albums (Billboard)[25] 4

Sales

!Region!Sales
China (DL)[26] 1,102,391
United States[27] 24,000

Accolades

Awards and nominations!Year!Award!Category!Work!Result
201926th ERC Chinese Top Ten AwardsTop Ten Gold Songs"Namanana"align="center"
Pop Music Gold Chart Annual FestivalBest Music Arrangement of the Yearalign="center"
iQIYI Scream Night AwardsProducer of the Yearalign="center"
Tencent Music Entertainment AwardsBest Selling Digital Album of the Year
Song! style="width:150px;"
ProgramDate
"Give Me a Chance"YoBang (Tencent QQ)October 14, 2018
October 21, 2018
"Namanana"November 15, 2018

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
United StatesOctober 19, 2018CD, digital download, streaming
China
South Korea
VariousDigital download, streaming

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Lay Announces Stateside Album 'Namanana'. Billboard. 2018-10-07.
  2. News: EXO Lay to enter US music market. 2018-10-07.
  3. News: EXO's Lay to release debut solo album in U.S. next month. 우재연. 2018-09-21. Yonhap News Agency. 2018-10-07.
  4. News: [공식입장] 엑소 레이, 정규앨범 'NAMANANA'로 미국 정식데뷔]. 2018-10-07. ko.
  5. News: EXO Lay prerelease slated for Oct. 5. 2018-10-07.
  6. Web site: Give Me A Chance - Single by LAY. 2018-10-07.
  7. Web site: SMTOWN. LAY 레이 'Give Me A Chance' MV Teaser. 2018-10-05. 2018-10-07.
  8. Web site: SMTOWN. LAY 레이 'Give Me A Chance' MV. 2018-10-06. 2018-10-07.
  9. Web site: SMTOWN. LAY 레이 'NAMANANA' Album Teaser. 2018-10-15. 2018-10-16.
  10. Web site: SMTOWN. LAY 레이 'NAMANANA' MV Teaser. 2018-10-18. 2018-10-19.
  11. News: Lay Takes Fantastical Journey in 'NAMANANA' Music Video: Premiere. Billboard. 2018-10-19.
  12. Web site: 《中国音乐公告牌》张艺兴粉丝福利 陈立农实力获赞_娱乐频道_中国网. 丁素云. ent.china.com.cn. 2018-11-03.
  13. Web site: 《中国音乐公告牌》张艺兴拒绝面光-广西新闻网. www.gxnews.com.cn. 2018-11-03.
  14. Web site: BUILD Series. Lay Zhang Chats His Single, 'Namanana'. 2018-11-02. 2018-11-06.
  15. News: Lay Zhang performs 'Namanana'. FOX. WNYW. 2018-11-06.
  16. News: M-Pop Sensation Lay Zhang Reveals His Wildest Fan Experience...and Graces Us With That Signature Wink!. PEOPLE.com. 2018-11-06.
  17. News: SubKulture Entertainment on Twitter. Twitter. 2018-11-03. en.
  18. News: 엑소 레이, 美 데뷔곡 'Give Me A Chance'…아이튠즈 16개 지역 1위. 2018-10-07. ko.
  19. Web site: 张艺兴第三张专辑预售屠榜 连破八项认证记录达史上最多. ent.ifeng.com. 2018-10-16.
  20. Web site: 张艺兴粉丝进!QQ音乐破九项纪录,来看看张艺兴的江山!. wemedia.ifeng.com. 2018-10-18.
  21. Web site: NAMNANA Best Selling Album of All Time on QQ Music. December 11, 2018. Weibo. 2018-12-11.
  22. Web site: 梦不落雨林/NAMANANA. QQ Music. 2018-10-16.
  23. Web site: French Album Charts - Week 43, 2018. Snep Musique. October 26, 2018. 2018-10-20.
  24. Web site: Year-End Charts: Independent Albums . . December 5, 2018.
  25. Web site: Year-End Charts: World Albums . . December 5, 2018.
  26. Cumulative sales for Namanana sales:
  27. News: Lay Makes His Solo Debut on the Billboard 200 With New Album. Billboard. 2018-10-30.