Super Girl (スーパーガール, Sūpā Gāru) is the second Japanese studio album and fifth overall studio album by South Korean girl group Kara. It was released digitally on November 16, 2011[1] and physically on November 23, 2011.[2] A special Tour Edition of the album was released on April 11, 2012.[3]
| Super Girl | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Regular edition cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 23, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2010–2011 | |||
| Genre | Pop, dance-pop | |||
| Length | 40:53 | |||
| Language | Japanese | |||
| Label | Universal Sigma | |||
| Kara chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Super Girl | ||||
| ||||
Background and recording
editOn October 24, DSP Media announced on the group's official website that their second Japanese full-length album is slated for release on November 23. In addition, the album will include all of the group's past three singles that were released on the same year along with their B-sides. The following day, album covers and track list were unveiled on the group's official homepage by Universal Music Japan.[2][4] The album was nominated on 2012 MTV Video Music Awards Japan on the category Album of the Year.
Composition
editThe album includes the songs from the group's last three singles: "Jet Coaster Love", "Go Go Summer!", and "Winter Magic". It also includes their corresponding B-side songs from these singles which are "Ima, Okuritai 「Arigatou」", "Girls Be Ambitious", and "Whisper".[4] Other tracks are brand new songs such as "Dreamin' Girl" and "Do It! Do It!".
The album was released in three limited editions: a CD+DVD, CD+Photobook (36-pages) and a CD-Only First Press, all coming with three bonus tracks and a regular edition: CD-Only Normal Press coming with no bonus tracks. All editions come with a 20-page lyrics booklet.
Singles
editThree singles were released before the album. The first single, "Jet Coaster Love", was released on April 6, 2011. The song is described as an R&B track with an upbeat tune that urges the listener to "fall in love". Promotions for the single were hindered due to the 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan so instead the group decided to donate all proceeds from the sales of the single, both physical and digital, to relief efforts. Despite the lack of promotion, the single received commercial success as it topped the Oricon Daily and Weekly charts making it the group's first number one single in Japan.[5]
The second single, "Go Go Summer!", was released on June 22, 2011. The single was also used as a commercial song for LG's new phone "Optimus Bright" where the group also served as models. The single performed well digitally as it has topped the Recochoku's monthly chart of July, as well as topping 4 other charts in 'Ringtone', 'Full Version Ringtones', 'Video Clip', and 'Callback Tone' earning the group a Recochoku Award. It was also nominated for the Best Song Award at the 53rd annual Japanese Record Awards making it the group's first song to be receive a nomination and was their most successful one of the year.[6]
"Winter Magic", served as the last single to be released before the album. It was released on October 19, 2011.
Commercial performance
editThe album drew 360,000 pre-order sales the day before its release.[7] The album went on to debut at number one on the Oricon Daily album chart, selling 73,076 copies on its first day.[8] The album continued its consistent sales throughout its first week and was certified platinum on the sixth day of its release with 259,602 copies sold. It eventually placed at number one on the Oricon Weekly album chart by selling over 275,000 copies on its first week.[9][10]
According to Oricon, this is the group's second time on the top of the charts, as their third single, "Jet Coaster Love" reached number one in the single chart back in April 2011. With this achievement, the girls has become the newest foreign female group to dominate both the single and album rankings in over a year. The record was previously set over 30 years ago by The Nolans with their single, "I'm in the Mood for Dancing", and the LP, "Gotta Pull Myself Together". Additionally, the girls have set a new record for their first week sales, and has become the top selling foreign female group of 2011. Their sales have surpassed fellow South Korean group SNSD's debut album Girls' Generation which sold 232,000 copies on its first week.[11] The album rose to top position once again during its fourth week on the chart.[12]
Awards
edit| Year | Organization | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | MTV Video Music Awards Japan | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Japan Gold Disc Awards | Album of the Year | Won | [13] |
| Best 3 Albums | Won | [14] |
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jet Coaster Love (ジェットコースターラブ)" | Natsumi Watanabe, Yu Shimoji | Hwang Seong-je | 3:40 |
| 2. | "Winter Magic (ウィンターマジック)" | Simon Isogai | ArmySlick, M.I. | 4:52 |
| 3. | "Go Go Summer! (GO GO サマー!)" | Yu Shimoji | Han Sang-won, Lee Sang-ho & Kimzart | 3:20 |
| 4. | "Dreamin' Girl (ドリーミンガール)" | Litz | Ryu Hyun-sang | 3:15 |
| 5. | "Ima, Okuritai 'Arigatō' (今、贈りたい「ありがとう」)" ("Now I Say 'Thank You'") | Simon Isogai | Simon Isogai | 5:51 |
| 6. | "Only For You (オンリーフォーユー)" | EMI K.Lynn | Ryonosuke Hirama | 3:41 |
| 7. | "Whisper (ウィスパー)" | Nice73 | GEN | 3:37 |
| 8. | "Missing (ミッシング)" | Kenn Kato, Jam9 | Jam9, ArmySlick | 5:04 |
| 9. | "Do It! Do It!" | Mohombi Moupondo, Victoria Sandstrom, Joachim Alte, Tom Roger Rogstad, Litz, EMYLI | M. Moupondo, V. Sandstrom, J. Alte, T.R. Rogstad | 3:57 |
| 10. | "Girls Be Ambitious (ガールズビーアンビシャス!)" | PA-NON | Hwang S.J. | 3:36 |
| Total length: | 40:53 | |||
All lyrics are written by Song Soo Yun; all music is composed by Han Jae-Ho and Kim Seung Soo
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Mister (ミスター)" | Song Soo Yun, Han Jae-Ho, Kim Seung Soo, Natsumi Watanabe, PA-NON | Han Jae-Ho, Kim Seung Soo | 3:13 |
| 12. | "Jumping (ジャンピン)" | Song Soo Yun, Han Jae-Ho, Kim Seung Soo, Natsumi Watanabe | Han Jae-Ho, Kim Seung Soo | 2:58 |
| 13. | "Step" | Song Soo Yun | Han Jae-Ho, Kim Seung Soo | 3:24 |
| Total length: | 50:59 | |||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Go Go Summer!" (music video – director's cut) | |
| 2. | "Jet Coaster Love" (live performance (CJ Media Japan (Mnet) 「JJ's M Studio」)) | |
| 3. | "Winter Magic" (music video – close-up version) | |
| 4. | "Step" (music video) | |
| 5. | "Super Girl album jacket shooting footage" (offshoot movie) | |
| 6. | "Winter Magic jacket shooting footage" (offshoot movie) |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "We're with You" | Han Jae-Ho, Kim Seung Soo | Han Jae-Ho, Kim Seung Soo | 3:23 |
| Total length: | 53:49 | |||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "KARA Japan History" | |
| 2. | "We're With You" (music video) | |
| 3. | "We're With You" (art movie) | |
| 4. | "We're With You" (Gyuri off-shot version) | |
| 5. | "We're With You" (Hara off-shot version) | |
| 6. | "We're With You" (SeungYeon off-shot version) | |
| 7. | "We're With You" (Nicole off-shot version) | |
| 8. | "We're With You" (JiYoung off-shot version) |
Charts
editSales and certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (RIAJ)[20] | 3× Platinum | 746,246[19] |
Release history
edit| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | November 16, 2011[1] | Digital download | Universal Sigma |
| November 23, 2011 | CD | ||
| April 11, 2012[3] | CD + DVD (Tour Special Edition) |
References
edit- ^ a b "iTunes – ミュージック – KARA「スーパーガール」" (in Japanese). iTunes. November 16, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
- ^ a b 11/23、ニューアルバム 「スーパーガール」 リリース決定！ 購入者特典有！ (in Japanese). Universal Music Group. October 25, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
- ^ a b c d "KARA / スーパーガール JAPAN TOUR Special Edition【CD】【+DVD】【2012年4月11日発売】" (in Japanese). Universal Music Group. March 25, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
- ^ a b (in Japanese) 2ndオリジナルNEWアルバム「スーパーガール」リリース決定！ DSP Media. October 25, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011
- ^ "카라, 일본 대지진 피해복구 위해 싱글 '제트코스터 러브' 수익금 전액 기부" [Kara Donates 100% of Proceeds from Single 'Coaster Love' to Relief from Japan Earthquake]. Hankyung (in Korean). Naver. March 15, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ 카라, 일본서 보아 넘었다 (in Korean). August 3, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
- ^ "카라, 日두번째 앨범 '슈퍼 걸' 선주문 36만장". November 22, 2011.
- ^ "Cdアルバム デイリーランキング-Oricon Style ランキング". Archived from the original on November 27, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
- ^ http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/d/2011-11-27/ [dead link]
- ^ a b "KARA、2ndアルバムが初日首位" (in Japanese). Oricon. November 24, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
- ^ "【オリコン】Kara、海外女性最高初動でアルバム初首位".
- ^ 2011年12月12日～2011年12月18日のCDアルバム週間ランキング (Oricon Weekly chart for December 26th)
- ^ "The Gold Disc Awards 2013 - Winners" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ "The Gold Disc Awards 2013 - Winners" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ "Billboard Japan Top Albums Sales". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). November 30, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
- ^ "Oricon Top 100 2011: Albums". JaME. December 31, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "Oricon Top 100 2012: Albums". JaME. December 30, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "Yearly Albums / JAPAN Charts / Billboard JAPAN" (in Japanese). Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
- ^ 450,595 (2011) + 295,651 (2012)
- "Oricon Albums – 2011" (in Japanese). Oricon. December 19, 2011. Archived from the original on February 28, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
- "Oricon Albums – 2012" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on July 28, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ^ "Japanese album certifications – Kara – Super Girl" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2012年01月 on the drop-down menu