Eternal is the fifth Korean extended play (EP) by South Korean singer Taemin. It was released on August 19, 2024, through BPM Entertainment. It contains seven songs, including the two lead singles, "Sexy in the Air" and "Horizon". The EP also marks his tenth anniversary as a soloist.

Eternal
Digital cover
EP by
ReleasedAugust 19, 2024
GenreK-pop
Length20:57
LanguageKorean
LabelBPM
ProducerTaemin
Taemin chronology
Guilty
(2023)
Eternal
(2024)
Singles from Eternal
  1. "Sexy in the Air"
    Released: August 19, 2024
  2. "Horizon"
    Released: August 19, 2024

Background

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Taemin's solo contract with his agency, SM Entertainment, expired in March 2024.[1] He signed a new contract with BPM Entertainment for his solo promotions.[2] At a fan meeting in July, he revealed that he was planning to release his fifth EP the following month, his first release since switching agencies, and embark on a world tour.[3] On July 29, BPM confirmed that he would release the EP, titled Eternal, on August 19, coming ten months after his previous EP, Guilty. It would mark the tenth anniversary of his solo debut.[4] According to his agency, the title was intended to represent that Taemin would remain the same even in the midst of change.[5] For the first time in his career, Taemin produced the EP himself, participating in every part of the production process, from planning, to songwriting, to music video production.[6]

Composition

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The EP contains seven songs of various genres. Opening track "G.O.A.T" is a hip hop song. Lead single "Sexy in the Air" features sharp electric guitar sounds, and expresses a strong sense of identity and desire for change. The other single, "Horizon", incorporates dance and synth-pop. It is an upbeat song with a "dynamic" melody and lyrics about breaking the mould. "The Unknown Sea" has an acoustic sound and "lyrical emotion", "Crush" and "Say Less" belong to the electropop genre, and "Deja Vu" evokes a "dreamy" mood.[7]

Release and promotion

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Ahead of the EP's release, Taemin uploaded various promotional materials to his social media accounts, including trailers, concept images and teaser videos.[5] On August 13, he released an album preview video, featuring the album's track list and snippets of each song.[7] Taemin hosted a listening session for fans on August 16 at CGV Yongsan in Seoul. He held an exhibition from August 22 to September 1 at Informal Square in Seongsu-dong. On August 31, he embarked on his first world tour, Ephemeral Gaze, beginning with shows at the Inspire Arena in Incheon.[5]

Track listing

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Eternal track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."G.O.A.T"San Yoon
  • Colde
  • Basecamp
2:58
2."Sexy in the Air"
3:14
3."Horizon"
  • Eunhwa (153/Joombas)
  • BBYO
  • Jungeunki (Lalala Studio)
  • Laurent Marc Louis
  • R.L. King
  • Joa
  • Taemin
  • Jacob Aaron (The Hub)
  • Noerio (The Hub)
  • Laurent Marc Louis
  • King
  • Joa
  • Aaron
  • Noerio
2:56
4."The Unknown Sea"
  • Znee
  • Eeeee
  • Jhun
  • Taemin
  • Mich Hansen
  • Jacob Uchorezak
  • Samuel Ledet
  • James William Miller
  • Sara Davis
  • Jhun
  • Cutfather
  • Ledet
  • Uchorezak
3:16
5."Crush"
  • Soorin
  • Znee
  • Eeeee
  • Jhun
  • Taemin
  • James Daniel Lewis
  • Daniel Shah
  • Robbie Jay
  • Steven Manovski
  • Jhun
  • Lewis
2:45
6."Deja Vu"
  • Taemin
  • Ahn Young-joo
  • Young
  • Jhun
  • Taemin
  • Sean Fischer
  • Enrique Maza
  • Pacurar
  • Young Chance
  • Jhun
  • Fischer
3:13
7."Say Less"
  • Taemin
  • San Yoon
  • Jhun
  • Taemin
  • Dino Medanhodzic
  • Jordan Shaw
  • Sam Merrifield
  • Jhun
  • Medanhodzic
2:35
Total length:20:57

Personnel

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  • Taemin – vocals, background vocals, producing
  • San Yoon – vocal directing (track 1), background vocals (track 1)
  • Chae Uk-jin – guitar (track 1), bass (track 1)
  • Moon Jun-ho – drums (track 1), synths (track 1)
  • Kwon Yu-jin – recording (track 1)
  • Oh Dan-young – digital editing (tracks 1, 3, 7), recording (tracks 2–3)
  • Gu Jong-pil – mixing (tracks 1, 3, 7)
  • Um Se-hyun – engineering for mix (tracks 1, 3, 7)
  • Kwon Nam-woo – mastering
  • Ryan S. Jhun – vocal directing (tracks 2, 4–7), programming (tracks 2, 4–7)
  • Junji – background vocals (tracks 2, 4–5, 7)
  • Dwayne "Dem Jointz" Abernathy Jr. – programming (track 2)
  • The Monarch – programming (track 2)
  • Lee Gyung-won – digital editing (track 2)
  • Alawn – mixing (tracks 2, 6)
  • PIT300 (Kim Tae-hyung) – vocal directing (track 3)
  • B.O. – background vocals (track 3)
  • Laurent Marc Louis – guitar (track 3), bass (track 3), drums (track 3), synths (track 3), piano (track 3)
  • R.L. King – drums (track 3)
  • Jacob Aaron – synths (track 3), piano (track 3)
  • Noerio – synths (track 3), piano (track 3)
  • Cutfather – programming (track 4)
  • Samuel Ledet – programming (track 4)
  • Jacob Uchorczak – programming (track 4)
  • Jang Min – recording (track 4)
  • Kim Min-hee – digital editing (track 4)
  • Mezz – mixing (track 4)
  • James Daniel Lewis – programming (track 5), mixing (track 5)
  • Kim Ji-hyun – recording (tracks 5–7), digital editing (tracks 5–6)
  • Young Chance – background vocals (track 6)
  • Sorana Pacurar – background vocals (track 6)
  • Perrie – background vocals (track 6)
  • Sean Fischer – programming (track 6)

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ Kim, Ju-yeon (March 7, 2024). "Shinee's Taemin starts 'new journey' as he leaves SM Entertainment". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  2. ^ Jeon, Hyo-jin (April 1, 2024). SM 떠난 태민, 빅플래닛메이드엔터와 전속계약…새 프로필 사진 공개 [Taemin, who left SM, signed an exclusive contract with Big Planet Made Entertainment... Reveal of new profile photos]. Sports Dong-a (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024 – via Naver.
  3. ^ Chin, Carmen (July 15, 2024). "Shinee's Taemin to release new music next month, first world tour to be announced". NME. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  4. ^ Kim, Min-young (July 29, 2024). "Shinee's Taemin to release fifth EP on Aug. 19". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on July 29, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Jeong, Seo-hyeon (July 30, 2024). 태민, 강렬 카리스마…미니 5집 '이터널' 스케줄 포스터 [Taemin's intense charisma... Schedule poster for fifth mini album 'Eternal']. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved August 15, 2024 – via Naver.
  6. ^ Jeon, Hye-yum (August 15, 2024). 태민이 첫 프로듀싱에 도전했다 [Taemin takes on his first producing challenge]. Elle Korea (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Jeong, Seo-hyeon (August 13, 2024). 태민, 미니 5집 '이터널' 프리뷰 공개…첫 프로듀싱 앨범 [Taemin releases preview for fifth mini album 'Eternal'... first produced album]. Newsis (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024 – via Naver.
  8. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2024-09-02/p/3" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  9. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Combined Albums: 2024-09-02" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on August 29, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  10. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of August 28, 2024". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  11. ^ "Circle Album Chart – Week 34 of 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  13. ^ "Circle Album Chart – August 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved September 12, 2024.