Love & Letter, also known as First 'Love & Letter',[1][2] is the debut studio album by South Korean boy group Seventeen. It was released on April 25, 2016 through Pledis Entertainment.[3] The album is a follow-up to the group's first two EPs, 17 Carat and Boys Be (2015).[4]
Background and release
Love & Letter includes 10 tracks and focuses on themes such as the experience of a first love.[1][3] The group's members largely created the album, writing or co-writing every track, and composing or co-composing almost every track.[2] "Pretty U" was chosen to be the title track of the album[2] and was performed on multiple music shows by the group throughout the following two and a half months. During this period, the group earned their first two consecutive wins on Show Champion. Their first win was on May 4, 2016, followed by a second win on May 11, 2016.
Commercial performance
The album charted at number three on Billboard's World Albums chart and at number five on the Heatseekers Albums chart.[2] The album's promotional single "Pretty U" charted at number three on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart, which marked their highest ranking on the chart to date.[2]
Reception
On June 24, 2016, Seventeen performed at KCON in New York. Commenting on the group's first American appearance, Monique Menendez of Billboard K-Town wrote, "Seventeen bring the sugar with its latest single, "Pretty U," a bright love song with choreography reminiscent of West Side Story."[5]
Reissue
On July 4, 2016, a repackaged edition of Love & Letter, titled Love & Letter Repackage Album, was released with five new tracks, including the title track "Very Nice".[6][7][8] The accompanying music video for the song was released on NaverV App on the same day and received over a million 'hearts'.[9]
^"週間 アルバムランキング 2016年06月20日付" [Weekly album ranking as of June 20, 2016]. Oricon News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 27, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
^"年間 CDアルバムランキング 2016年度" [Annual CD album ranking 2016]. Oricon News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 23, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
