Face the Sun explained

Face the Sun
Type:studio
Artist:Seventeen
Cover:Seventeen - Face the Sun.png
Caption:Digital cover
Recorded:December 2021 – April 2022[1]
Genre:K-pop
Length:29:03
Prev Title:Attacca
Prev Year:2021
Next Title:Dream
Next Year:2022

Face the Sun is the fourth studio album by South Korean boy band Seventeen. It was released on May 27, 2022, by Pledis Entertainment through YG Plus. The album contains nine tracks, with "Hot" serving as lead single. The first track, "Darl+ing", was pre-released on April 15, 2022.[2] The repackaged version of the album, titled Sector 17, released on July 18 alongside its lead single "World". The fourth track, "Cheers", was pre-released on July 7, 2022.[3]

Background

In March, seven months after the release of the commercially successful EP Attacca, Pledis Entertainment announced that Seventeen would be releasing a studio album, their first since An Ode (2019), in May.[4] Following the release of the group's first-ever English single "Darling" on April 15, the label confirmed that Seventeen would return on May 27 with a fourth studio album titled Face the Sun.[5] [6] Starting on April 26, the group released "Inner Shadows", a 13-part trailer on YouTube to tease the new album.[7] Described by band member Hoshi as marking the "shedding [of their] former image and becoming more mature", the album greatly contrasts with their earlier, more cheerful concepts.

Release and promotion

Pre-orders for Face the Sun opened on April 22. On May 23, a highlight medley was released, as a preview of the 9 tracks of the album. The album will be supported by the Be The Sun World Tour, their first tour after the Ode to You Tour, which ended prematurely in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] The Be the Sun tour began in Seoul, followed by stops in North America and Asia.[9]

Seventeen released a trailer for the reissue of the album, titled Sector 17, at their concert in Seoul. Sector 17 was released on July 18, 2022.[10]

Commercial performance

Face the Sun

Face the Sun surpassed 1.74 million pre-orders in one week, exceeding Seventeen's previous career high of 1.41 million pre-orders for Attacca. On May 20, it was reported that the album had recorded two million pre-orders.[11] According to the Gaon Music Chart, the album sold 2,239,351 copies in the month of May.[12] Face the Sun debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200, earning 44,000 album-equivalent units, including 42,000 pure album sales, in its first week. It is Seventeen's highest-charting and first top-ten album on the chart, having previously reached the top 20 twice in 2021 with their EPs Your Choice and Attacca.[13]

Sector 17

According to Hanteo, Sector 17 sold 1,126,104 copies in its first week.[14] Later it was reported that the EP sold 2 million copies in its first week, making Seventeen the second K-pop group to sell over 2 million copies in the first week of release.[15]

Critical reception

Both Face the Sun and Sector 17 were met with generally positive reviews. In a positive review for Teen Vogue, Sara Delgado praised Face the Sun for its "sonic versatility."[16] For NME, Abby Webster gave Face the Sun four out of five stars, and wrote that the album's singles paled in comparison to the album's "familiar yet sublimely inventive B-sides."[17] Abbie Aitken for Clash wrote that "Face the Sun is a testament of Seventeen's influence as a key group within K-pop."[18] AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung gave both Face the Sun and Sector 17 four out of five stars, praising Face the Sun's use of various genres, writing that the album was an "excellent mix of party-starting anthems".[19] [20]

Sarina Bhutani of MTV named Face the Sun one of the albums of the year, saying that "with the release of this album, [Seventeen] created their most sonically settled, emotionally confident record yet".[21] Time Magazine named Sector 17 as one of the best K-pop albums of 2022, describing Face the Sun as an "artistic feat", though writing that the repackaged album, Sector 17 is "superior".[22]

Accolades

Awards and nominations
YearOrganizationCategoryNominated WorkResult
2022Genie Music AwardsAlbum of the YearFace the Sun[23]
MAMA AwardsAlbum of the Year[24]
Circle Chart Music AwardsAlbum of the Year - 2nd Quarter[25]
Album of the Year - 3rd QuarterSector 17[26]
2023Golden Disc AwardsAlbum BonsangFace the Sun[27]
Japan Gold Disc AwardBest 3 Albums (Asia)[28]

Track listing

Notes

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2022–2024)! scope="col" colspan="2"
Peak position
FTSS17
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[29] 12—
—
50
35
Croatian International Albums (HDU)[30] 22
—
—
—
12[31]
18
1[32]
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[33] [34] 11
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[35] —23
—
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[36] <--[37] -->[38] 11
43[39]
Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[40] 514
29
—
4[41]
—
1

Monthly charts

Chart (2022)! scope="col" colspan="2"
Peak position
FTSS17
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[42] [43] 23
South Korean Albums (Gaon/Circle)[44] [45] 13

Year-end charts

Chart (2022)! scope="col" colspan="2"
Position
FTSS17
French Albums (SNEP)[46] 179 —
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[47] 7 11
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[48] 8 15
South Korean Albums (Circle)[49] 3 12
South Korean Albums (Circle)
Weverse Album		63 61
Chart (2023)! scope="col" colspan="2"
Position
FTSS17
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[50] 83 —
South Korean Albums (Circle)[51] 35 76

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2022-05-30. IU's Palette - Ep.12 with SEVENTEEN (9:58 - 10:13). YouTube.
  2. Web site: Glasby . Taylor . Seventeen On 'Face The Sun' & The Start Of Their New Era . 2022-05-29 . Nylon . May 27, 2022 . en.
  3. Web site: SEVENTEEN to return with repackaged album 'Sector 17' next month. Yeo. Gladys. June 27, 2022. NME. June 27, 2022.
  4. Here's When SEVENTEEN's Fourth Studio Album Will Arrive. Bowenbank. Starr. March 18, 2022. Billboard. May 20, 2022.
  5. SEVENTEEN Announces New Album 'Face the Sun': Here's When It Arrives. Bowenbank. Starr. April 21, 2022. Billboard. May 20, 2022.
  6. Web site: 2022-05-23 . Listen to a preview of SEVENTEEN's upcoming album 'Face The Sun' . 2022-05-29 . NME . en-GB.
  7. Web site: May 27, 2022 . Mackenzie . Schmidt . Seventeen Talks Embracing Ambition, Ditching Their Sweet Image — and the Searing New Single 'Hot' . 2022-05-29 . PEOPLE.com . en.
  8. Brandle . Lars . 2022-05-27 . SEVENTEEN's Comeback Album 'Face the Sun' Is Here: Stream It Now . 2022-05-29 . Billboard . en-US.
  9. Web site: 2022-05-20 . K-Pop's SEVENTEEN Is Going On Tour — Here's What We Know About Their Be the Sun World Tour . 2022-05-29 . Seventeen . en-us.
  10. Web site: https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=437&amp;aid=0000303577. ko:세븐틴, 정규 4집 인기 이어 받아 리패키지로 컴백. Seventeen, following the popularity of the 4th regular album, makes a comeback with a repackage. Kim. Jin-seok. June 28, 2022. JTBC. ko. November 15, 2022.
  11. Web site: https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/421/0006104641. ko:세븐틴, 정규 4집 선주문량 200만장 돌파…자체 최고 기록. SEVENTEEN, 4th regular album pre-orders exceed 2 million copies... own best record. Hwang. Mi-hyeon. May 20, 2022. News1. ko. May 20, 2022.
  12. Web site: Circle Chart . ko:2022년 05월 Album Chart. May 2022 Album Chart. ko. June 9, 2022.
  13. Bad Bunny's 'Un Verano Sin Ti' Bounces Back to No. 1 on Billboard 200. Billboard. Caulfield. Keith. June 12, 2022. June 13, 2022.
  14. Web site: https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=109&amp;aid=0004664447. ko:세븐틴, 'SECTOR 17' 초동 112만 장…리패키지 최초 밀리언셀러 달성. Seventeen, 'Sector 17' 1.12 million copies in the first week... First Repackage Million Seller. Seon. Min-kyung. July 25, 2022. Osen. ko. November 15, 2022.
  15. Web site: Seventeen to release repackaged album 'Sector 17' this July. Cruz. Jashley Ann. June 28, 2022. GMA Network. November 15, 2022.
  16. Web site: 2022-06-01 . SEVENTEEN Light a New Path With 4th Studio Album "Face the Sun" . 2022-07-08 . Teen Vogue . en-US.
  17. Web site: Webster . Abby . 2022-05-31 . SEVENTEEN – 'Face the Sun' review: seven years in, the K-pop stars are determined not to flame out . 2022-07-08 . NME . en-GB.
  18. Web site: Aitken . Abbie . 2022-05-27 . Seventeen – Face The Sun . 2022-08-02 . . en-GB.
  19. Web site: Yeung . Neil Z. . Seventeen - Face the Sun Album Review . AllMusic . 12 August 2023 . en.
  20. Web site: Yeung . Neil Z. . Seventeen 4th Album Repackage 'SECTOR 17' Review . AllMusic . 12 August 2023 . en.
  21. News: Albums Of The Year: Seventeen Find Their Light On 'Face The Sun'. https://web.archive.org/web/20221206163337/https://www.mtv.com/news/g02qbq/seventeen-face-the-sun-albums-of-the-year. dead. December 6, 2022. Bhutani. Sarina. December 6, 2022. MTV. January 1, 2023.
  22. Moo n . Kat . The Best K-Pop Songs and Albums of 2022 . Time . 12 August 2023 . en . 13 December 2022.
  23. Web site: 2022 GMA – Album of the Year Nominees . Genie Music . 6 October 2022 . ko.
  24. BTS, J-Hope, Blackpink & More Nominated for 2022 MAMA Awards. Bowenbank. Starr. October 23, 2022. Billboard. https://web.archive.org/web/20221024172725/https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/2022-mama-awards-nominees-bts-blackpink-full-list-1235160065/. October 24, 2022. live. October 23, 2022.
  25. Web site: An . Tae-hyun . 2023-02-18 . '써클차트뮤직어워즈' BTS 5관왕…(여자)아이들, 앨범 제작상(종합) . 'Circle Chart Music Awards' BTS wins 5 crowns... (G)I-DLE, Album Production Award (Overall) . 2023-08-12 . News1 . ko.
  26. Web site: 2022-12-17 . 올해의 가수상 앨범부분 Nominees . Nominees for Album of the Year . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20221217162817/http://www.circlemusicawards.co.kr/nominees_02.php . 2022-12-17 . 2023-08-12 . Circle Chart Music Awards.
  27. Web site: Yoon . Jun-ho . 2023-01-08 . 세븐틴, '제37회 골든디스크'서 3관왕…태국 수놓은 역대급 퍼포먼스 . SEVENTEEN wins 3 awards at the '37th Golden Disc Awards'... All-time performance embroidered in Thailand . 2023-08-12 . 10 Asia . ko . Naver News.
  28. Web site: ベスト3アルバム（アジア部門）｜第37回日本ゴールドディスク大賞 . 2023-08-12 . 日本ゴールドディスク大賞 . ja.
  29. The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 6 June 2022. The ARIA Report. Australian Recording Industry Association. 1683. 10. June 6, 2022.
  30. Peak position in Croatian International Albums:
  31. Web site: Offiziellecharts.de – Seventeen – Sector 17. GfK Entertainment charts. July 29, 2022. de.
  32. Web site: https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/w/2022-08-08/. ja:週間 CDアルバムランキング 2022年08月08日付. Weekly CD Album Ranking for August 8, 2022. Oricon. August 3, 2022. ja.
  33. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2022/06/15 公開. Billboard Japan. ja. June 15, 2022.
  34. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2022/08/03 公開. Billboard Japan. ja. August 3, 2022.
  35. Web site: Album 2024 uke 04. VG-lista. January 27, 2024.
  36. Web site: Gaon Album Chart – Week 22, 2022. Gaon Music Chart. ko. June 10, 2022.
  37. Web site: http://k-mca.or.kr/board/board.php?bo_table=media&amp;idx=804. ko:22주차 가온차트: 싸이 (Psy), 세븐틴 나란히 2관왕 영예!. 22nd Week Gaon Chart: Psy and Seventeen side by side with two crowns!. KMCA. ko. June 2, 2022. June 2, 2022.
  38. Web site: https://tenasia.hankyung.com/music/article/2022072894634. ko:트와이스 나연 'POP!', 3주 연속 써클차트 글로벌 K팝 부문 1위. TWICE's Nayeon's 'POP!' tops the global K-pop category on the Circle Chart for 3 weeks in a row. Ten Asia. Woo-bin. ko. July 28, 2022. July 28, 2022.
  39. Web site: Top 100 Albums Weekly. Promusicae. August 23, 2022.
  40. Peak position in Swedish Physical Albums:
  41. Bad Bunny's 'Un Verano Sin Ti' Hits Seventh Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart. Caulfield. Keith. Billboard. July 31, 2022. July 31, 2022.
  42. Web site: Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2022-06 . . July 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220713033406/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/m/2022-06/ . July 13, 2022.
  43. Web site: Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2022-07 . . August 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220810044612/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/m/2022-07/ . August 10, 2022.
  44. Web site: Gaon Album Chart – May 2022 . . June 9, 2022 . ko.
  45. Web site: Circle Album Chart – July 2022 . . August 11, 2022.
  46. Web site: 2022: La production musicale française toujours au top. Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. fr. January 6, 2023. January 8, 2023.
  47. 2022 Oricon year-end chart entries:
    • Face the Sun: Web site: https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/y/2022/. ja:年間 アルバムランキング 2022年度. Oricon. 1. ja. Annual Album Ranking 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221222005252/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/y/2022/. December 22, 2022. live. December 21, 2022.
    • Sector 17: Web site: https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/y/2022/p/2/. ja:年間 アルバムランキング 2022年度. Oricon. 2. ja. Annual Album Ranking 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221222005522/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/y/2022/p/2/. December 22, 2022. live. December 21, 2022.
  48. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Albums Year-End 2022 . . December 9, 2022.
  49. Web site: Album Chart 2022. Circle Chart. https://web.archive.org/web/20230113031815/https://circlechart.kr/page_chart/album.circle?nationGbn=T&targetTime=2022&hitYear=2022&termGbn=year&yearTime=3. January 13, 2023. live. January 14, 2023.
  50. Web site: https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/y/2023/p/9/. ja:年間 アルバムランキング 2023年度. Oricon. 9. ja. Annual Album Ranking 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231219222401/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/y/2023/p/9/. December 19, 2023. live. December 20, 2023.
  51. Web site: Album Chart 2023. Circle Chart. January 12, 2024.

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