My Girl (EP)

My Girl is the solo mini album debut of Kim Hyung-jun of South Korean boy band SS501. It was released on 8 March 2011 under S-Plus Entertainment and distributed by CJ E&M Music. The album was also released in Japan and Taiwan.

My Girl
My Girl (Korea edition) cover
EP by
Kim Hyung-jun
Released8 March 2011 (2011-03-08)
GenreK-pop
LabelS-Plus Entertainment
CJ E&M Music (Korea)
Avex Trax (Japan)
Universal Music Taiwan (Taiwan)
ProducerE-Tribe, RADO, Kim Hyung-jun
Kim Hyung-jun chronology
My Girl
(2011)		 Escape
(2012)
Music video
"oH! aH!" on YouTube

Background and development

Kim Hyung-jun signed under S-Plus Entertainment after he left SS501's former agency DSP Media in mid-2010.[1] Upon the release of the news, his new agency mentioned that despite doing solo activities from now on, his top priority would still be taking part in group activities with SS501.[2] Kim then signed with Avex Entertainment for his future Japanese activities.[3]

Following Park Jung-min who was the first member of SS501 to debut individually, Kim Hyung-jun was second to announce that he would debut as a solo artist. The album was mostly produced by E-Tribe and RaDo,[4] who are both known producers in the music industry.[5][6] Kim was directly involved in penning the lyrics of the tracks on his first solo album as he aimed to deliver his message to his fans. The title of his album 'My Girl' implies the longing for love, but the meaning behind it, according to Kim, was to convey his gratitude towards his fans by staying with him through happy and tough times.[Note 1][7]

Release and promotion

A week before the album release, Kim held a showcase titled "1st Solo Mini Album Showcase" on 3 March 2011.[8] A press conference was held before the start of the showcase at 1pm on Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. The showcase included performing tracks from the upcoming album and screening their associated music videos to the attendees for the first time before its release. SS501 member Park Jung-min attended the event and talked with him in front of their fans during a segment of the showcase to show his support.[9]

After a month and a half of Park Jung-min's debut release, Kim Hyung-jun officially released his debut solo mini album entitled My Girl on 8 March 2011.[10] He also released the music videos for his lead tracks "oH aH!" and "Girl" at the same time. The album topped various music charts immediately, both in real-time and daily charts. It also received predominately favorable reviews besides its commercial success.[11] Music critic No Jun-young (노준영) commented: "The album is worth it for those who expected it... [Kim Hyung-jun] will be a greater solo artist one day with a little more effort,"[Note 2] while another agency stated: "The album showcases a new style different from SS501 days... the public gave a greater response than is expected."[Note 3][11]

On 6 April 2011, a Japanese version of the album was released under Avex Entertainment with two Japanese versions of the two lead tracks as bonus tracks.[12][13][14] Two days later, another version of the album was released in Taiwan under Universal Music Taiwan. The DVD album includes songs and music videos in Korean-language.[15] The album eventually peaked at number 37 and number 1 on Japan's Oricon Charts[16] and Taiwanese music charts respectively.[17]

Asian Tour

Following his promotions in South Korea, Kim proceeded to toured Japan. Entitled "Kim Hyung Jun Japan Live Tour 2011", Kim promoted his album in Nagoya, Osaka, and Tokyo for weeks.[18] He also performed in the "Fantastic K-POP Concert" in Jakarta on 19 June 2011 along with other Korean singers. The next day, he was featured on the front page of Indonesia's influential newspaper Sunday Post amongst other artists who performed that day due to his greater fan base and popularity in Indonesia.[17] He continued touring in other countries for his sold out Asian tour including Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan in June and July.[17]

Tracks

Kim Hyung-jun's mini album includes a 47-second introduction song, showcasing the overall feel of the album.[19] Both E-Tribe and RaDo produced two tracks each, including the lead tracks "oH aH!" and "Girl". Particularly, the former song was said to have "lacked popular appeal" initially by Kim, himself, but he then realized its potential afterwards.[20] The album comes with two instrumental songs for the two lead tracks mentioned, while the Japanese release also includes the Japanese versions of those.[12] Both the fourth and fifth tracks entitled "No Other Woman But You" and "Heaven", respectively, were penned by Kim Hyung-jun himself, dedicating the latter to the late Park Yong-ha.[21] Park and Kim became friends during their Japanese promotions as they were both managed by Avex Entertainment. As Kim remembered Park who committed suicide less than a year before his album release,[22] he started to think of the people whom he loved but who nonetheless had left him, leading him to write "Heaven" to express his feelings.[21]

Track listing
CD
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Angel - Ft. E-Tribe"E-TribeE-Tribe, Jang Jun-hoE-Tribe, Jang Jun-ho00:47
2."oH! aH!"E-Tribe, KiggenE-TribeE-Tribe03:44
3."Girl"RADO, Kim Na-youngRADORADO03:19
4."다른 여자 말고 너 (No Other Woman But You) - Ft. Dok2"Kim Hyung-jun, Dok2RADORADO03:04
5."Heaven"Kim Hyung-junKim Young-hwanChance of One Way04:16
6."oH! aH!" (Instrumental Ver.) E-TribeE-Tribe03:45
7."Girl" (Instrumental Ver.) RADORADO03:17
Japan Jacket B edition: Bonus tracks
No.TitleMusicArrangementLength
8."oH! aH!" (Japanese Ver.)E-TribeE-Tribe 
9."Girl" (Japanese Ver.)RADORADO 
DVD
Japan Jacket A edition: Bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."oH! aH! (Music video)" (Japanese Ver.) 
Taiwan edition: Bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Greetings to Fans" 
2."oH! aH! (Music video)" 
3."oH! aH! (Making of music video)" 

Music videos

Oh Yeon-seo was the lead actress behind the music video of "oH! aH!". Due to her various music video appearances alongside South Korean idols, including Kim Hyung-jun, she was dubbed as 'Idol Killer' by the media.[23] On 27 February 2011, it was reported that Park Jung-min visited Kim during his music video filming. It was around midnight when Park visited him to show his support on the start of his solo career after mostly doing group activities in the past.[24]

  • "oH! aH!"
  • "Girl"

Release history
CountryRelease DateDistributing labelFormat
WorldwideMarch 8, 2011[19][25]S-Plus EntertainmentDigital download
South KoreaS-Plus Entertainment; CJ E&M MusicCD
JapanApril 6, 2011[12]Avex TraxCD+DVD (Jacket A)
CD (Jacket B)
CD+Photobook (Jacket C)
Taiwan8 April 2011[15]Universal Music TaiwanCD+DVD

Charts
ChartCountryPeak positionNotes
Gaon Weekly Single ChartsSouth Korea32"Girl"[26]
35"oH! aH!"[27]
Gaon Weekly Album Chart1[28]
Gaon Monthly Album Chart89,202[29]
Oricon Singles ChartJapan37[16]
G-Music Combo ChartTaiwan
week 15 ( 8–14 April 2011)		7[30]
G-Music J-Pop Chart1[31]

Notes
  1. Based on the Korean language: "솔로 활동이 힘들다는 것은 안다. 하지만 알면서도 힘든 순간 할 수 있었던 건 항상 나를 바라보며 외쳐주고 있는 팬들 덕분이었다"
  2. Paraphrased from the Korean language: "이 정도 노래들이라면 정규 앨범도 기대할 만하다... 조금만 더 노력하면 대형 솔로 남자 아티스트의 계보를 이어받을 것으로 보인다".
  3. Paraphrased from the Korean language: "SS501 때와 다른 새로운 스타일을 만날 수 있을 것... 음원 공개 때보다 더 큰 반응이 기대된다".

References
  1. "SS501 김형준, 소속사 이적..에스플러스 공식 발표". Asiae (in Korean). 27 August 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  2. "SS501 Kim Hyung-joon joins Kang Ji-hwan agency". Asiae. 10 Asia. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  3. (in Japanese) "SS501’s Kim Hyung Jun signs with Avex, to release album in Japan キム・ヒョンジュン、待望の日本ソロ・デビュー" Archived 25 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine 22 January 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011
  4. "김형준, 솔로앨범 'my girl' 공개 '눈길'". Asia Today (in Korean). Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  5. "Check Out The Top Five Best Hit Singles From K-pop Producer E-Tribe!". Popdust. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  6. "Beat Kings of Tomorrow: K-Pop's Top Eight Next Generation Producers". MTV Iggy.com. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  7. "김형준 'my girl' 앨범 공개 앞두고 '기대해주세요. 나의 첫 솔로앨범'". News 828 (in Korean). Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  8. Son, Ji-hye. "SS501 김형준 '솔로 첫 데뷔 앨범 'My Girl' 쇼케이스 현장!'". HanKyung (in Korean). Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  9. "[포토엔]SS501 김형준-박정민 '우정을 넘어선 애정표현'". Joins.com (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  10. Lee, Na Rae. "Kim Hyung Jun Will Re-Sign with his Current Agency". Mwave. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  11. Lee, Jong-gil. "김형준 신곡 'My girl', 각종 음원차트 석권". Asiae (in Korean). Sports Today. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  12. "My Girl (Japan Jacket A CD+DVD edition) product info" YesAsia. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  13. "My Girl (Japan Jacket B edition) product info" YesAsia. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  14. "My Girl (Japan Jacket C edition) product info" YesAsia. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  15. "My Girl (Taiwan edition) product info" YesAsia. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  16. "ファースト ミニ マイガール ジャパンエディション(MOVIE盤)". Oricon Charts (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  17. "SS501's Kim Hyung-jun Makes Front Page News in Indonesia". Chosun. englishnews@chosun.com. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  18. 김형준, 日 단독 라이브 투어. Naver (in Korean). Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  19. "My Girl (Korea edition) product info" YesAsia. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  20. "SS501's Kim Hyung Joon's First Solo Showcase ★". Soompi. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  21. "Kim Hyung Jun dedicated Heaven to Park Yong Ha". Asia One. Razor TV. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  22. "South Korean star Park Yong-Ha found dead". BBC News. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  23. Hong, Grace Danbi. "[Video] Oh Yeon Seo Named 'Idol Killer' for Working with Big Bang to CN Blue". Mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  24. "'SS501' 박정민, 김형준 솔로 준비 응원". Naver (in Korean). Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  25. "1st Mini Album My Girl". iTunes Store. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  26. "Gaon Weekly Single Chart - February 27 - March 5, 2011". Gaon Charts (in Korean). Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  27. "Gaon Weekly Single Chart - March 6 -". Gaon Charts (in Korean). Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  28. "Gaon Chart Top Album Charts from March 6 to March 12, 2011". Gaon Charts (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  29. "Monthly Album Charts on March 2011". Gaon Charts (in Korean). Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  30. "This links to the current week - search for week number at the bottom of page" G-Music Combo Chart. Retrieved 16 November 2012. (in Chinese)
  31. "This links to the current week - search for week number at the bottom of page" G-Music J-Pop/K-Pop Chart. Retrieved 16 November 2012. (in Chinese)
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