The original K-pop mega boy band, Super Junior, ushers a new era as "The Renaissance" establishes a strong presence on the global music charts.
Released last March 16, the South Korean boy group's tenth Korean-language studio album and thirteenth overall "The Renaissance" claimed the top spot on the iTunes top album charts in twenty different regions across the globe - Colombia, Ecuador, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Poland, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Singapore, Philippines, Macau, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia - and charting in more places in the latest demonstration of love and support from the group's long time fans, the E.L.F.
Furthermore, the latest Super Junior release also swept the top spot for major digital album sales charts in China including QQ Music, Kugou Music, and the Kuwo Music charts.
The Renaissance: A Welcome Mix of the Old and the New
In a review from the entertainment portal NME, "The Renaissance" stands out for capitalizing on the diversity of its nine current members as well as the nostalgia that coincides with their 15 years in the industry since debuting in 2005. The songs in the album, according to Super Junior at the online press conference for their album launch, is a mix that lets fans "hear the unique voices of the members" and deliver "messages that reflect the times." Citing the title track for the album, "House Party," NME illustrates how the disco-pop track captures the social distancing norms that have pervaded the previous year.
The ten-track album - containing tracks such as "SUPER," "Paradox," "Tell Me Baby," and "To Us (The Melody)" in addition to "House Party - also involved SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo Man in the production process, as well as members Leeteuk and Yesung having songwriting credits.
Originally planned for a December 2020 release, "The Renaissance" saw a couple of delays before settling and ultimately releasing on March 16. In the press conference, Heechul explains the repeated postponement of its release, pointing to "House Party" as the reason. He explains that the group went through different arrangements of the track before coming together into what would eventually be the released version.
Super Junior Comeback Shows and VLIVE Return
Also coinciding with the official release of "The Renaissance" is their comeback show "Super Junior Comeback Show House Party" on Mnet. Also, from March 16 to 19, they held "SuJu Returns 4 - Production of 10th Album" through their Naver V LIVE channel. In the first episode, they featured their dance practice version for their "House Party" performances.
"The song's vibe reflects Super Junior's unique lively and joyful vibe. And there's a cool hip-hop track in the middle, and we mixed in a lot of other things," Super Junior member Shindong explains in the V LIVE special.
Super Junior also gave fans an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience with the MV shooting for "House Party." From the set design to the preparation of the staff and group members, the 15-minute special also showed the members' fun side such as Eunhyuk and Donghae playing around before the shooting starts.
Listen to Super Junior's "The Renaissance" below:
