Love Yourself: Her

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Love Yourself ? 'Her' (stylized as LOVE YOURSELF ? 'Her') is the fifth extended play by South Korean boy group BTS. The EP was released on September 18, 2017 by Big Hit Entertainment. The album was released in four versions, and contains nine tracks with "DNA" as its lead single. In addition, there are two hidden tracks that are only available on the physical album.

Video Love Yourself: Her

Background and promotion

Love Yourself ? 'Her' is the first album to be released since BTS revealed their new "brand identity" on July 4, 2017, complete with a new, simplified logo and an alternative English name, "Beyond the Scene". Promotions for Love Yourself: Her began on August 10 with a series of posters that teased a set of dramatic short films or "highlight reels" that were released over four days starting on August 15. On August 21, 2017, it was revealed that BTS was in preparation for a new mini-album to be released on September 18, which was later confirmed by Big Hit Entertainment. Prior to release, the album was reported to portray the stories of "young adults who fall in love". On September 4, BTS released a comeback trailer featuring "Serendipity", the intro track from the album. Recorded as a solo by member Jimin, the "chill-out urban track" was noted for its "mystic vocals and characterful lyrics." Two days later, Big Hit posted concept photos for all four versions of the album on the label's official Twitter account. The tracklist was posted on September 12 and two teasers for lead single "DNA" were released on September 14 and 15. On September 18, the album was released alongside the music video for its title track, "DNA". In the 24 hours after release, the "DNA" music video had been viewed 21 million times, becoming the first k-pop group music video to reach over 20 million views in 24 hours.

BTS held a press conference on September 18, 2017, four hours before the album was officially released, as well as a special live broadcast on the V LIVE app after the release. A comeback show was held live on Mnet on September 21, and was simulcasted on video platforms and VOD services Mnet Japan in Japan, YouTube, Mwave, VIKI, Iflix in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, the Maldives, Myanmar and Brunei, Joox, Toggle in Singapore, Mnet Smart, and iQiyi in Taiwan. The program "will talk about the stories behind creating [BTS'] new album, the story behind the creation of the group, and the truthful stories of the seven members." Their first comeback stage took place on September 22 on KBS' Music Bank.

Maps Love Yourself: Her

Commercial performance

During the period of August 25 to 31, LOEN Entertainment, responsible for the distribution of BTS' physical releases, recorded a total of 1,051,546 stock pre-orders. This made BTS the first K-pop group to reach more than one million pre-orders.

Love Yourself ? 'Her' debuted at number one in Korea on the Gaon Album Chart, while "DNA" debuted at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart, with all tracks from the digital EP also placing in the top 40 of the chart. The EP opened at number seven on the US Billboard 200, making it the highest-charting K-pop album on the chart and biggest sales week of a K-pop album until the release of BTS' own Love Yourself: Tear in 2018. It achieved 31,000 album-equivalent units, of which 18,000 were in pure album sales. This made BTS the first Asian artist in seven years to debut within the top ten of the chart, surpassing the record set by Filipino singer Charice with her eponymous American debut album, which debuted at number eight in 2010. On October 7, 2017, BTS made their debut on the UK Albums Chart with the EP, peaking at number 14.

According to the monthly Gaon Album Chart released on October 14, Love Yourself ? 'Her' was the highest-selling release of September 2017, with 1,203,533 copies sold since its release on September 18. The album also has the second highest monthly sales in the history of the Gaon Chart, and the first in 16 years to exceed 1.2 million copies sold since g.o.d's fourth album Chapter 4, which was released in November 2001. Love Yourself ? 'Her' eventually became BTS' highest-selling album, overtaking their 2016 LP Wings, as well as becoming the best selling album in the history of the Gaon Chart with over 1.61 million copies sold as of March 2018. It won the grand prize at the 32nd Golden Disc Awards in the Physical Category on January 11, 2018.

After debuting at number two on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart, the EP moved to number one in its second week.

The album has remained on the Billboard 200 for twenty-seven weeks, the only Korean album to do so.

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Reception

Billboard writer Tamar Herman described the EP as "a dual exploration of the group's electro-pop and hip-hop leanings", with the first half consisting of "dance tracks that emphasize the group's vocals" while in the second half "the act's hip-hop side arrives in earnest...delivering powerful rap performances." Viri Garcia of The Cornell Daily Sun commended BTS for "trying to achieve a sound closer to pop while keeping their own signature sounds" and succeeding in creating a "masterpiece full of emotion and musicality that can't be paralleled by any American or Korean act." However, Monique Melendez from Spin summarized the album as "thematically confident in its separate halves but musically disparate", with the group refusing to compromise on a specific musical direction. Melendez further commented that Love Yourself ? 'Her' came up short compared to BTS' past works, such as Wings and The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 1 and Part 2, in which "visuals, lyrics, and sounds united under fully-realized concepts."

The EP's lead single "DNA" was featured on Vulture as one of the "8 Best New Songs of the Week", describing the track as the "sound of a boy band headed in a new direction plotted for crossover domination" and one that "recategorizes BTS by shrugging off genre entirely." The New York Times pop music critic Jon Caramanica wrote that while BTS' music often exhibits the "flamboyance and sometimes manic energy" that is characteristic of K-pop, Love Yourself ? 'Her' takes a remarkably "tranquil approach" to the genre through side tracks such as "Pied Piper", which he described as "a slow disco number that's emphatic in its relaxation." Caramanica additionally highlighted "Outro: Her" as a track with a hip hop beat that is "lush with instrumentation, and moves with a casual saunter reminiscent of the mid 1990s." Tamar Herman also offered praises for the lyrical delivery of "Pied Piper", and stated, "A take on K-pop's rampant and highly profitable fan culture, 'Pied Piper,' is BTS doing what they do best: addressing a societal problem through their jaunty music." Herman called the track "BTS' most subversive song of their career."

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Track listing

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Charts

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Sales

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Awards and nominations

Grand awards are highlighted in bold.

Music program awards

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Release history

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See also

• List of K-pop songs on the Billboard charts
• List of K-pop albums on the Billboard charts
• List of Gaon Album Chart number ones of 2017

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References

External links

• "DNA" Music Video on YouTube

Source of the article : Wikipedia