Journey (Henry EP)
Journey (stylized in all caps) is the third extended play (EP) by Canadian singer and songwriter Henry. It was released on November 18, 2020, through Monster Entertainment Group, and distributed by Kakao M. The EP marks his first album release in 6 years and the first under his own independent label. "Radio" serves as the lead single for the album.
Journey | ||||
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EP by | ||||
Released | November 18, 2020 | |||
Recorded | 2020 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 19:06 | |||
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Producer | ||||
Henry chronology | ||||
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Singles from Journey | ||||
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Background and release
After his contract with SM Entertainment expired in 2018, Henry established his own independent label, Monster, with his brother.[3] He was reportedly in the process of recording a new album in 2019.[4] He later scrapped a completed album several months prior to the release of Journey as he felt his sound had evolved and the album no longer headed in the musical direction he wanted.[5]
Journey tells a story about love, friendship, hardships, and a story of being true to yourself. Ultimately, it’s a story about progression and always moving forward.
— Henry on the meaning of the album, Men's Folio[6]
First teaser images of the album was revealed through his Instagram on October 29, 2020. He first revealed the title of the album on Weverse on November 3.[7] The full album track-list comprising five tracks was revealed on November 13, with "Radio" as the title track. The album along with the music video for "Radio" was released on November 18, marking Henry's first album release in 6 years.[8][9] The music video for the B-side track "Just Be Me" was released two weeks later on December 3.[10]
Reception
Seoulbeats described Journey as a "musically fulfilling" album that "shows his true colors while giving nods to his complicated musical past" and praised the interesting production elements which makes the album stand out from other recent solo releases.[11] They highlighted the B-side "Just Be Me" as the stand-out track calling it an "effective and memorable power ballad" that rounds out the album. Allkpop was "pleasantly enthralled" by the album and stated that "Hand's Up" is a must-listen, describing it as "funky and groovy" and "immaculate in flow", and noted that the rap by pH-1 perfectly matched the energy of the song.[12]
Track listing
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes and Melon.[13]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
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1. | "Radio" |
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| 3:11 | |
2. | "Hands Up" (featuring pH-1) |
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| 3:09 |
3. | "Right Now[lower-alpha 1]" | Henry |
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| 2:46 |
4. | "Just Be Me" | Henry |
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| 3:05 |
5. | "Come Over[lower-alpha 2]" (featuring Gray, Kim Go-eun, Park Na-rae, Joon Park, Lee Hi, Jeon Hyun-moo, Jessi, Han Hye-jin) | JINBO the SuperFreak |
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| 3:46 |
6. | "Radio (Instrumental)[lower-alpha 3]" |
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| 3:09 | |
Total length: | 19:06 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
6. | "Radio (Chinese Version)" |
|
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| 3:11 |
Total length: | 22:17 |
Charts
Sales
Region | Sales |
---|---|
South Korea (Gaon)[lower-alpha 4] | 64,970 |
Notes
- 지금이야; Jigeumiya; lit. "Now"
- 우리집; Uri jip; lit. "Our house"
- Track 7 on the physical edition.
- Sales figure as of March 2021.[16]
References
- "JOURNEY". Melon (in Korean). Kakao Entertainment. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
- Kakao M Corp. "JOURNEY - EP by Henry on Apple Music". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
- Che, Kandice (May 20, 2019). "Henry Lau". The Laterals. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- Herman, Tamar (April 18, 2019). "Henry Lau Talks Global Aspirations, Upcoming Projects And How Haters Have Helped Him Thrive". Forbes. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
- Young, Ha-na (November 18, 2020). "[종합] "새 앨범 'JOURNEY', 헨리는 '이런 사람이다' 알아갈 수 있을 것"". Digital Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- Low, Asaph (February 1, 2021). "Setting the Tone with Our February 2021 Cover Star Henry Lau". Men's Folio. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- Jeong, Hee-yeon (November 4, 2020). "헨리 6년만에 새 앨범…오늘 사전 예약 오픈" [Henry's new album in 6 years... Pre-order open today]. Sports Donga (in Korean). Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- Park, Se-yeon (November 18, 2020). "[커튼콜]헨리, 돌아온 '음악천재'…'RADIO' 여정은 끝나지 않는다" [[Curtain Call] Henry, the 'music genius' is back... The 'RADIO' journey never ends]. Star Today (in Korean). Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- Lee, Gyu-lee (November 18, 2020). "Henry Lau to release new album 'JOURNEY' Wednesday". The Korea Times. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- Cheon, Yun-hye (December 2, 2020). "헨리, 오늘(2일) 'JOURNEY' 수록곡 'JUST BE ME' MV 공개..위로의 메시지" [Henry, today (2nd) released 'JUST BE ME' MV for 'JOURNEY'... A message of comfort]. Herald Pop. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- "Henry is Reborn and Authentically Organic in "Journey"". Seoulbeats. November 25, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- Ye, Lorr (November 25, 2020). "[ALBUM & MV REVIEW] Henry - 'JOURNEY'". Allkpop. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- "헨리 (HENRY) – JOURNEY". Melon (in Korean). Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- "2020년 48주차 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- "2020 Gaon Album Chart – November". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- Cumulative sales of Journey:
- "2020년 12월 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- "2021년 01월 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved March 2, 2021.