- For the Japanese single of the same name, see Fearless (single).
Fearless (stylized in all-caps) is the debut mini album by LE SSERAFIM. It was released on May 2, 2022 with "Fearless" serving as the album's title track.
This was the only release to feature Kim Garam after temporarily taking a hiatus from all activities following the album's release, before ultimately leaving the group and their agency following contract termination on July 20, 2022, due to school bullying accusations.[1]
The physical album comes in three versions: Vol.1 Black Petrol, Vol.2 Blue Chypre, and Monochrome Bouquet.
Background[]
On March 21, 2022, Source Music confirmed that their new girl group would be preparing to debut in May 2022.[2]
On March 25, 2022, Source Music started a 72-hour countdown through their official website with the page reading "IM FEARLESS" which would later revealed to be an anagram for the group's name, LE SSERAFIM.[3][4] Later that same day, it was reported that the group would have six members, including Sakura, Chaewon, Yunjin, two trainees from Source Music and a Dutch member personally recruited by the CEO of Source Music.[5]
On March 29, 2022, a project called 'The First Moment of LE SSERAFIM' was revealed through Weverse, which would start with the reveal of the group's first member, Sakura on April 4, 2022.[6] On April 4, 2022, the project 'The First Moment of LE SSERAFIM' was started, in which voice messages, signature and exclusive photos of the members were revealed, as well as snippets of the group's debut song through their official website.[7][8]
On April 13, 2022, Source Music announced that LE SSERAFIM would be debuting on May 2, 2022, with their first mini album, Fearless.[9][10]
Composition[]
The title track "Fearless", has been described as a funk-based alternative pop genre song that contains the message of moving forward without fear and without being influenced by the world's gaze.[11]
The album's first track "The World Is My Oyster" was described as a song that harmonizes with a strong rhythm reminiscent of a fashion show catwalk and a psychedelic mood. Members Kim Chaewon and Huh Yunjin participated in composing the lyrics for "Blue Flame", a disco-punk-style song that creates a mysterious atmosphere with a sophisticated melody. "The Great Mermaid" is a song that reinterprets the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" from the perspective of LE SSERAFIM. "Sour Grapes", which was themed around the story of Esop's fable "The Fox and the Grapes", sings the psychology of pure curiosity about love and the selfish side of valuing yourself more.[11]
Production[]
On March 30, 2022, it was reported that HYBE founder Bang Si Hyuk ("Hitman Bang") would be in charge of LE SSERAFIM's debut album, being credited as the 'Executive Producer'.[12]
Promotions[]
On April 14, 2022, the album's promotion time table was revealed.[13] On April 18, 2022, Source Music announced that the debut trailer planned for April 18 had been postponed to the April 19, without further explanation.[14]
To celebrate the group's debut and album release, an in-person showcase at Jangchung Arena was held on the same day as the album's release. The showcase was also streamed online through HYBE Labels' official YouTube channel & Naver NOW.[15][16]
The group performed the title track "Fearless" and the b-side "Blue Flame" at several music shows such as M Countdown, Music Bank and Inkigayo.[17] On May 10, 2022, they took their first ever music show win for "Fearless" on SBS MTV's The Show.[18]
Commercial performance[]
On April 21, 2022, it was reported that Fearless had surpassed 270,000 copies sold within the first week of its pre-order period.[19] A week later, on April 30, YG PLUS revealed that pre-orders for the album had exceeded 380,000 copies.[20]
As of 9 a.m. KST on May 3, the album had hit number 1 on the iTunes Top Albums charts in at least 13 different regions.[21]
The album broke the weekly sales record for a debut album by a girl group on Hanteo, selling 300,000 copies in its first week.[22] The album achieved great results on the Korean and Japanese charts debuting at the top of the Billboard Japanese Hot Album and reaching the third position on the Oricon Japanese Albums and the second position on the Gaon Album Charts.[23][24][25]
On July 6, 2022, the album was certified Platinum by the Korean Music Contents Association (KMCA) for selling 250,000 copies on Circle Chart.[26]
The title track "Fearless" was a sleeper hit on the Korean digital charts, reaching the TOP 10 of major real-time charts like Melon, Bugs and Genie weeks after its release.[27][28][29] The song also reached the TOP 10 of Genie, Bugs, Vibe and Melon's daily chart.[30][31] In Japan, the song reached the TOP 10 of the Oricon Streaming Chart, Japan HOT 100 and the TOP 15 of the Oricon Combined Chart.[32][33][34]
The Recording Industry Association of Japan reported that "Fearless" has earned a gold certification for reaching 50 million streams in Japan.[35]
On February 8, 2023, Source Music announced that Fearless reached 300 million cumulative streams on Spotify.[36]
On April 6, 2023, the album received a double platinum certification for surpassing 500,000 copies sold on Circle Chart.[37]
Track list[]
- "The World Is My Oyster" - 1:47
- "Fearless" - 2:48
- "Blue Flame" - 3:22
- "The Great Mermaid" - 2:58
- "Sour Grapes" - 3:17
Merchandise[]
On May 16, 2022 an official merchandise kit called "The First Moment in Your Hands" was made available for pre-order in the Weverse Shop. The kit includes a brand tag, a postcard set and a sticker set.[38]
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless merchandise kit (1).png (428 KB)")
(Kit overview)
_Brand_tag.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless merchandise kit (2) Brand tag.png (25 KB)")
_Postcard_set_A.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless merchandise kit (3) Postcard set A.png (170 KB)")
(Blue Chypre ver.)
_Postcard_set_B.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless merchandise kit (4) Postcard set B.png (155 KB)")
(Black Petrol ver.)
_Postcard_set_C.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless merchandise kit (5) Postcard set C.png (230 KB)")
(Polaroid ver.)
_Sticker_set.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless merchandise kit (6) Sticker set.png (162 KB)")
Awards[]
Music show wins[]
| Song | Music show | Date |
|---|---|---|
| "Fearless" | The Show (SBS MTV) | May 10, 2022[18] |
| May 17, 2022[39] | ||
| Music Bank (KBS) | May 13, 2022[40] | |
| Show Champion (MBC M) | June 1, 2022[41] |
Trivia[]
- "Blue Flame" is the theme song for the group's original webtoon titled Crimson Heart.[42]
- "Fearless" has the same BPM as "Candy" by H.O.T.
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
(Monochrome Bouquet)
.png "LE SSERAFIM FEARLESS group concept photo (Vol.1 Black Petrol).png (769 KB)")
(Vol.1 Black Petrol ver.)
_(2).png "LE SSERAFIM FEARLESS group concept photo (Vol.1 Black Petrol) (2).png (1.65 MB)")
(Vol.1 Black Petrol ver.)
_(1).png "LE SSERAFIM FEARLESS group concept photo (Vol.2 Blue Chypre) (1).png (515 KB)")
(Vol.2 Blue Chypre ver.)
_(2).png "LE SSERAFIM FEARLESS group concept photo (Vol.2 Blue Chypre) (2).png (8.75 MB)")
(Vol.2 Blue Chypre ver.)
Achievements[]
50 Million views poster
100 Million views poster
"Fearless" music video behind[]
On May 2, 2022 exclusive behind the scene photos from the music video of "Fearless" were released through Genie and Melon.[43]
Genie[]
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (1).png (205 KB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (2).png (656 KB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (3).png (783 KB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (4).png (315 KB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (5).png (979 KB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (6).png (740 KB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (7).png (307 KB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (8).png (361 KB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (9).png (267 KB)")
Melon[]
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (10).png (3.06 MB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (11).png (2.77 MB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (12).png (2.61 MB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (13).png (2.38 MB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (14).png (2.5 MB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (15).png (2.48 MB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (16).png (2.77 MB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (17).png (3.72 MB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (18).png (2.69 MB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (19).png (3.81 MB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (20).png (3.58 MB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (21).png (3.36 MB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (22).png (3.29 MB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (23).png (3.08 MB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (24).png (2.5 MB)")
.png "LE SSERAFIM Fearless MV behind (25).png (2.66 MB)")
References[]
Video links[]
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