Sexy, Free & Single

Sexy, Free & Single (reissue name Spy) is the sixth Korean studio album of South Korean boy band Super Junior. It was released on July 4, 2012, by SM Entertainment, distributed by KMP Holdings and available from online music portal sites at midnight on July 1, 2012.[1] It is their first album in 11 months following Mr. Simple released in August 2011. This was followed by the release of Version B on July 16, with a different cover which features the 10 members in their teaser photo makeup. A repackaged edition, re-titled Spy was released on August 6, with four new tracks including follow-up single "Spy".[2]

This article is about Super Junior's album. For the song, see Sexy, Free & Single (song).
Sexy, Free & Single
Digital and A version cover.
Studio album by
Super Junior
Released4 July 2012 (2012-07-04)
RecordedMay–June 2012 at SM Studios, Seoul, South Korea
GenreK-pop, R&B, electropop, dance, rap, Eurohouse
Length35:38
LanguageKorean
LabelSM Entertainment, KMP Holdings
ProducerLee Soo-man
Super Junior chronology
Mr. Simple
(2011)		 Sexy, Free & Single
(2012)		 Hero
(2013)
Singles from Sexy, Free & Single
  1. "Sexy, Free & Single"
    Released: 4 July 2012
Singles from Spy
  1. "Spy"
    Released: 7 August 2012

This album marks the return of member Kangin, who was discharged from his mandatory military service in April 2012, and the first time with Super Junior in three years since October 2009;[3] but the first one without Heechul, who enlisted in September 2011, and the last with leader Leeteuk and Yesung before their military service, enlisting on 30 October 2012 and on 6 May 2013, respectively.[4][5] This is the third album that features ten of the 13 members from the group, following Bonamana in 2010 and their fifth album Mr. Simple.

The album won Album of the Year at the 14th Mnet Asian Music Awards[6] and Disc Daesang at the 27th Golden Disc Awards.[7] According to the Gaon Album Chart, as of the end of December 2012, the album has sold a cumulative total of 510,000 copies domestically.

Background
Teasers photos of the ten members of Super Junior. (Top row L to R: Leeteuk, Eunhyuk, Siwon, Yesung and Shindong. Second row L to R: Ryewook, Sungmin, Donghae, Kyuhyun and Kangin)

On June 21, 2012, the first teaser photo, showing the theme of 'Beautiful men' was released,[8] showing Eunhyuk in a white shirt, blue jeans, styled with a mullet-like hairstyle and blindfolded with white and pink flowers.[9] This was followed by Donghae's teaser photo on June 22, with him dressed in a black mesh shirt with a white lace veil over his head.[10] On June 23, the teaser photos of Leeteuk, with platinum silver hair, a gold necklace and heavy black eye makeup; and Ryeowook with red hair and feathers, were released.[11] The following day on June 24, Yesung's and Shindong's photos were released, in which Yesung is partially bare chested with a crown of branches on his head and Shindong is frozen with light blue highlights in his hair.[12] The teasers continued on June 25, with the release of Kangin and Sungmin's photos, showing a slim downed Kangin with a frosty look and a net-like veil over his head; and a side-profiled Sungmin with a feminized look and long blonde hair holding a large bouquet of baby’s breath flowers.[13] On the same day Leeteuk also tweeted another version of his teaser photo with the same outfit but in a different pose leaning on his hand looking as he was in a deep contemplation.[14] The final teasers displaying Siwon and Kyuhyun were released on June 26, showing Siwon with long blonde hair under a dip-dyed hat that matches his green eyebrows; and lastly Kyuhyun in a side profile looking upwards with a pale white gold face.[15]

Music and MV

Leeteuk expressed that they had wanted to try out different music and dance styles in this album, as the songs from their third to fifth albums have been similar.[16] Sungmin further explained saying, "The songs on our previous albums mostly featured mechanical sounds effects and catchy rhythms, but this time we tried to diversify into various genres such as ballads, R&B, and covers of old songs, without relying on special audio effects as much".[17]

The title track "Sexy, Free & Single" describes the sexy and free life of a single man in a soulful Eurohouse genre with an easy and infectious chorus.[13] It is composed and arranged by Danish songwriters Daniel 'Obi' Klein, Thomas Sardorf and Lasse Lindorff. The second lead track is "From U", a med-tempo R&B track dedicated to their fans. It talks about their gratitude towards them and their bickering yet loving relationship.[18] The third track "Now" is about taking a break away from everyday life and going to the beach and "Rockstar" is a club and electronic mixed track with hip hop. "Gulliver" is written by Eunhyuk and features rap by him, Leeteuk, Donghae and Shindong, with vocals by Ryeowook.[19] The track "Someday" is a cover version of a Lee Sang-eun song, while "Bittersweet" is sung by Kyuhyun, Yesung, Sungmin and Ryeowook. On 30 June, SM Entertainment released a minute-and-a-half highlight medley of tracks from the album on YouTube featuring previously unreleased teaser photos.[20]

The group reportedly filmed a music video in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province,[21] with a Devin Jamieson-choreographed dance for "Sexy, Free & Single". Jamieson had previously worked with artists such as BoA, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and Hilary Duff.[22] In addition, their performance also benefited from the support provided by other choreographers such as Lyle Beniga, Nick Baga and Devon Perri.[23]

On 29 June, the teaser for the MV was released on their official YouTube channel,[24] which was followed by the full music video on 3 July.[25] Sexy, Free & Single MV achieved 1 000 000 views in only 12 hours.[26]

Repackaged album

The repackaged edition, re-titled Spy, includes four new tracks with follow-up single "Spy", an urban dance track. "Only U" was composed by Leeteuk and Lee Jae-myoung (who previously wrote for the group's tracks "Marry U" and "Happy Together") with the lyrics by Leeteuk and Donghae. "Haru" was co-written by Donghae and Urban Zakapa's Kwon Sun-il while "Outsider" is a hip hop dance track.[27] The MV teaser for "Spy" was released on 3 August,[28] followed by the full MV on 13 August 2012.[29] The repackaged edition ranked number one on the Gaon Weekly Album Chart in its first week of release,[30] remaining in the top three for five weeks, and ranking number one on the Gaon Monthly Album Chart of August.[31]

Japanese version

On 29 June, during the press conference at the Mnet 20's Choice Awards members of the group confirmed that they had recorded a Japanese version of title track, "Sexy, Free & Single", and an original Japanese MV, as well as other tracks. They did not announce plans for any promotional activities in Japan.[32] On 17 July, SM Entertainment announced that the track would be released on 22 August 2012 as their fourth Japanese single.[33] On August 22, Super Junior officially released their fourth Japanese single "Sexy, Free & Single". After the first day of sales, the single placed second on the Oricon Daily Chart, selling 63,813 units.[34] The following day, the Japanese version of "Sexy, Free & Single" placed second on the Oricon Weekly Chart by selling 109,821 units[35] and later placed sixth on the Oricon Monthly Chart by selling 118,902 units.[36] The song was certified gold in Japan for selling over 100.000 copies.

Track listing
Version A and Version B
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Sexy, Free & Single"Yoo Young-jin"Obi" Klein, Thomas Sardorf, Lasse Lindorff3:44
2."From U" (너로부터; Neorobuteo)Yoo Young-jinYoo Young-jin, Yoo Han-jin3:11
3."Gulliver" (걸리버; Geollibeo)EunhyukMarkus Bøgelund, Søren Juhl Holmager, Mick Muxoll Rasmussen3:25
4."Someday" (언젠가는; Eonjenganeun)Lee Sang-eunLee Sang-eun, An Jiwoo4:13
5."NOW" (나우; Nawoo)Kim Bu-minHitchhiker3:53
6."Rockstar"D2O, YoungskyD2O, Youngsky3:11
7."Bittersweet" (달콤씁쓸; Dalkomsseupsseul)Kim JungbaeKenzie3:26
8."Butterfly" (빠삐용; Ppappiyong)Hwang Hyun, Shin AgnesHwang Hyun3:08
9."Daydream" (머문다; Meomunda)Ha Jungho, StorytellerHa Jungho, Storyteller3:44
10."A 'Good' bye" (헤어지는 날; Heeojineun Nal)Park ChanghyunPark Changhyun3:48
SPY (Repackage Edition)
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Sexy, Free & Single" (섹시, 프리 앤 싱글; Seksi, Peuri Aen Singgeul)Yoo Young-jin"Obi" Klein, Thomas Sardorf, Lasse Lindorff3:44
2."Spy" (스파이; Seupai)KenzieThomas Troelsen, Mikkel Remee Sigvardt, Irving Szathmary, Hwang Hyun3:13
3."From U" (너로부터; Neorobuteo)Yoo Young-jinYoo Young-jin, Yoo Han-jin3:11
4."Outsider"KenzieHerbie Crichlow, Adam Pallin, Thomas Troelsen3:05
5."Only U"Leeteuk, DonghaeLeeteuk, Lee Jae-myoung3:35
6."HARU"Donghae, Kwon Sun-ilDonghae, Kwon Sun-il3:28
7."NOW" (나우; Nawoo)Kim Bu-minHitchhiker3:53
8."Rockstar"D2O, YoungskyD2O, Youngsky3:11
9."Gulliver" (걸리버; Geollibeo)EunhyukMarkus Bøgelund, Søren Juhl Holmager, Mick Muxoll Rasmussen3:25
10."Someday" (언젠가는; Eonjenganeun)Lee Sang-eunLee Sang-eun, An Jiwoo4:13
11."Bittersweet" (달콤씁쓸; Dalkomsseupsseul)Kim JungbaeKenzie3:26
12."Butterfly" (빠삐용; Ppappiyong)Hwang Hyun, Shin AgnesHwang Hyun3:08
13."Daydream" (머문다; Meomunda)Ha Jungho, StorytellerHa Jungho, Storyteller3:44
14."A 'Good' bye" (헤어지는 날; Heeojineun Nal)Park ChanghyunPark Changhyun3:48

Promotion and reception

A press conference, attended by the 10 active members, was held on 3 July to launch the album. It attracted media and international reporters from Taiwan, China, Japan and Kazakhstan.[16] It also marks Kangin's first official activity since being discharged.[37] They made their official comeback on Mnet's M! Countdown on July 5, performing "Sexy, Free & Single" and "From U". This marks the on-stage reunion with Kangin and his first performance in two years.[38] Further proving their global popularity, Super Junior’s press conference for their sixth album was recently covered by a popular Polish news station.[26]

The album peaked at number three on the Billboard World Albums chart.[39] According to Hanteo, Super Junior became the first artist in 2012 to surpass 200,000 copies sold with Sexy, Free & Single.[40] Sexy, Free & Single managed to sell 335,744 copies in one month according to Gaon, reaching 1st place on all albums charts. Super Junior ranked 1st place on Hanteo's "Top 5 K-Pop Artists" 2012, winning the Hanteo Singer Award, and also won the 2012 Hanteo Album Award.[41][42] The Japanese version of the "Sexy, Free & Single" single, which was released on August 22, sold over 118,902 units and was certified Gold for selling over 100,000 units. The album won Album of the Year at the 14th Mnet Asian Music Awards[6] and Disc Daesang at the 27th Golden Disc Awards.[43]

Charts

Album chart

Single chart

Others Songs Charted

Country Chart Song Peak Position Downloads
South Korea Gaon "From U" 51 141,293+
Gaon "Bittersweet" 65 86,267+
Gaon "Someday" 68 84,424+
Gaon "A `Good`bye" 71 82,293+
Gaon "NOW" 72 78,309+
Gaon "Daydream" 76 72,303+
Gaon "Rockstar" 77 70,874+
Gaon "Gulliver" 82 62,727+
Gaon "Butterfly" 83 63,141+
Gaon "Only U" 86 34,998+
Gaon "HARU" 93 31,412+

"Sexy, Free & Single" - Japanese Version

Country Chart Song Peak
position		 Ref
Japan Oricon Daily Singles Chart "Sexy, Free & Single" 1
-
Oricon Weekly Singles Chart 2 [35]
Oricon Monthly Singles Chart 6
Taiwan G-Music J-Pop Chart
1
 [56]

Sales
Gaon Monthly Album Chart, South Korea
YearMonthSexy, Free & SingleSPY (Repackaged Edition)Ref
SalesCumulative salesSalesCumulative sales
2012July335,744335,744––[57]
August15,782351,526107,656107,656
[58]
September3,006354,5328,823116,479
October––1,839118,318
November2,150356,3893,544121,862
December42356,4312,329124,191
2013January251356,6821,903126,094
February749357,4311,145127,239
March862358,2931,136128,375
April––700129,075
May––705129,780
June––1,960131,740
September757361,879––
October1,112362,9911,245132,876
Total495,867+
Oricon Albums Chart, Japan
Album Sales Ref
Sexy, Free & Single
40,752
[59]
SPY (Repackaged Edition)
19,748
[60]
Oricon Singles Chart, Japan
Single Sales Ref
"Sexy, Free & Single" - Japanese Single
123,140+
[36]

Release history
CountryDateFormatDistributing label
South KoreaJuly 1, 2012
July 4, 2012 (Version A)
July 16, 2012 (Version B)
August 8, 2012 (Repackage Edition)		Digital download
CD
CD
Digital download, CD		KMP Holdings
TaiwanJuly 3, 2012
August 3, 2012 (Version A)		Digital download[61]
CD[62]		Avex Taiwan
JapanJuly 6, 2012 (imports)CDAvex Trax
PhilippinesDecember 1, 2012CDUniversal Records

Personnel
  • Vocals, background vocals – Super Junior: Leeteuk, Yesung, Kangin, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook and Kyuhyun

Awards
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Super Junior
YearAward-Giving BodyCategoryResultRef
2013 Golden Disc Awards Disc Daesang Won [63]
Disc Bonsang Won
2012 Seoul Music Awards Disk Bonsang Won
Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards Artist of the Year (Album) - 3rd Quarter Won
Mnet Asian Music Awards Album of the Year Won [64]

See also

References
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