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Mr. Chu

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"Mr. Chu"
Limited Edition A
Single by Apink
from the album Pink Blossom and Pink Season
B-side"Hush" (Japan)
ReleasedMarch 30, 2014 (2014-03-30) (Korea)
February 18, 2015 (2015-02-18) (Japan)
Recorded2014-2015
Genre
Length3:34 (original version)
3:24 (On Stage version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Duble Sidekick
Apink singles chronology
"Good Morning Baby"
(2014) 		"Mr. Chu"
(2014) 		"My Darling"
(2014)
""NoNoNo"
(ノーノーノー)"
(2014)
""Mr. Chu"
(ミスター・チュウ)"
(2015)
""Luv"
(ラブ)"
(2015)
Music video
"Mr. Chu" on YouTube
"Mr. Chu" (Japanese Version) on YouTube

"Mr. Chu" is a song by South Korean girl group Apink. The song is their 5th Korean single and served as the lead single from their 4th mini-album Pink Blossom. It was released on March 31, 2014 by A Cube Entertainment. The song composed by Duble Sidekick. The song's music video was directed by Digipedi and released on the same day. Apink performed the song for the first time on KBS's Music Bank on April 4. The song peaked at number 2 on Billboard's K-Pop Hot 100. Apink won six music show trophies for "Mr. Chu" and wrapped up promotions for Mr. Chu on May 25. The song was the eighth best selling digital song in 2014, according to Gaon's year-end chart. "Mr. Chu" was used for G9 TV commercial featuring Apink and comedian Lee Guk-Joo. The Japanese version of "Mr. Chu" was released as their second Japanese single on February 18, 2015. On January 22, 2015 the short PV for "Mr. Chu (on-stage)" Japanese version was released.

Release

On March 20, Apink released member teaser photos for their fourth mini album Pink Blossom. The photos came with the news that the title was called "Mr. Chu", an upbeat dance track composed by Duble Sidekick, David Kim and Seion. Mr Chu is named after the boss of Plan A Entertainment, Apink's parent company. This reflects the hardship of the group during their trainee days, where they had to kiss the eponymous Mr. Chu at the start of training everyday.[1] On the following day they released a video teaser featuring Apink members participating in a photo shoot for the new album cover using the instrumental version of "Mr. Chu" as the background music, giving the first preview for the song.[2] On March 24, a medley clip was released, giving a short preview of all six tracks of the upcoming album.[3]

Music video

On March 27, A Cube uploaded a twenty six-second teaser trailer for the music video of "Mr. Chu" on Apink's official YouTube Channel. The teaser features Apink members dressed in tennis outfit holding presents on their laps while watching a tennis match played by the "Mr. Chu".[4] The full music video was released together with the 4th mini album Pink Blossom on March 31.[5]

The music video was directed by Digipedi Studio.[6] The shooting lasted 24 hours in a studio located at Gyeonggi-do area. Digipedi used complementary colors with graphic layouts and fixed cuts to make each short story. The music video starts with a single close up of all of the girls and a mysterious man picking up a tennis ball. Throughout the music video, it seems like Mr. Chu is pointed out to be the popular guy who plays tennis while the girl watching attentively. The girls can be seen squeezing love letters and gifts into his locker that already stuffed with presents. At the end of the music video, they show the calendar of March with all dates being crossed off until a kiss mark on the 31st, pointed out to the day the music video was released.

A choreography practice video for "Mr. Chu" was released on May 29.[7]

Performances

Apink performed "Mr. Chu" for the first time at KBS's Music Bank on April 4, together with a snippet of another track from their album, "Sunday Monday" [8] This was followed by additional comebacks on music programs including MBC's Show! Music Core, SBS's Inkigayo, MBC Music's Show Champion and Mnet's M! Countdown. On April 7, industry professionals reviewed Apink's comeback stage on the three public broadcasts and SBS's Inkigayo comeback stage was chosen to be the best one. One choreographer said, " The camera work was perfect. Because a lot of the choreography in 'Mr. Chu' has Apink putting their hands near their face, close up shots are necessary to show the entirety of the choreography well. The camera work on Inkigayo did the close-up better than the other two shows. Plus, Apink's live performance was especially strong on this stage."[9][10]

On April 16, Apink decided to halt promotional activities and cancel all their schedules including their third anniversary fanmeeting on April 19 to pay respect for the victims of Sewol Tragedy. A Cube Entertainment released a statement, "Due to the magnitude of the passenger ship sinking, Apink felt too much pain and did not think they could sing for their fans with a light heart, which is how this decision came to be made. We plan on having the canceled fan meeting some other time in the future and will later announce the new date and location."[11][12]

The group resumed promotions after 3 weeks, performing at Mnet's M! Countdown on May 8.[13] They wrapped up promotions for Pink Blossom on May 25.[14]

Reception

Critical reception

One music representative stated, "Sexy girl groups poured out in January and February and came out with similar sexy concepts that can get tiring. But Apink used the idea of purity and brightness for their music, which is appealing to the listeners."[15] While Jeff Benjamin reviewed, "Continuing Apink's slew of bubblegum-pop singles, "Mr. Chu" doesn't necessarily push Apink into new or unexplored territory. Rather, "Mr. Chu" seems to be a way to try to further solidify themselves as K-pop's ultimate sweethearts."

One of the reasons behind the group's decision to continue with its bright and innocent concept instead of following the trend of sexy concept was their fans. During an interview, Apink said, “The first teaser we released was the album cover photo. We were wearing red lipstick in the photo and so many fans were worried that we might change our concept from before.”[16] This decision had positive responses from public and fans as "Mr. Chu" topped various music sites’ real-time charts as soon as it was released.

Awards

On April 8, 2014, "Mr.Chu" won first place on the MBC Music music show, Show Champion. It was Apink's second win on the show after "NoNoNo" in 2013. On April 9, "Mr. Chu" won first place on the Mnet's M! Countdown, It was Apink's second win after "My My" in 2012 and on the next day, the song won another first-place trophy on KBS's Music Bank K-Chart, Apink's second win on the show after "NoNoNo" in 2013. On April 11–12, Apink ended the week with full sweep of the week's music shows with their first trophies from MBC's Show! Music Core and SBS's Inkigayo. The song got its second first-place trophy from M! Countdown after the show returned to broadcast after a three-week-long hiatus on May 8, making a total of six trophies for "Mr. Chu".[17]

In November 2014, Apink received "Best Female Dance" for "Mr. Chu" at the Melon Music Awards.[18] In January 2015, "Mr. Chu" received a Bonsang Award at Seoul Music Award[19]

Chart Performance

"Mr. Chu" entered the Gaon Digital Chart at number 2 in the first week of its release and the song became the eighth best selling digital song in 2014 on Gaon's year-end chart.[20][21] The song peaked at number 2 on Billboard's K-Pop Hot 100.[22]

Commercial

"Mr. Chu" was used for G9 TV commercial featuring Apink and comedian Lee Guk-Joo. In the commercial video, Apink started with dancing the choreography of "Mr. Chu" and Lee Guk-Joo entered and dance a comical dance along with the song.[23]

Japanese version

On 19 December 2014, Apink announced they would release a Japanese version of "Mr. Chu (on stage)" for their second Japanese single on 18 February 2015, 4 months after the release of their debut single "NoNoNo".[24] Four different cover photos for "Mr. Chu" album cover were released on January 14.[25]

On January 22, 2015 the short PV for "Mr. Chu" 'on-stage' Japanese version was released through Universal Music YouTube channel ahead of their comeback. The music video used similar tennis theme concept just like the Korean version. In the video, the group wears a pink tennis dress and black-and-white school uniforms. The video features Apink members dance to the song chorus, use their signature moves of blowing kisses at the tennis court.[26]

On February 18, Universal Music Japan released "Mr. Chu" as a CD single with "Hush" as a B-side. Instrumental versions of both songs were also included. It will be released in nine versions: eight limited editions (two CD+DVD versions and six limited CD only editions, including a solo jacket cover and a trading card of the correspondent member) and a regular edition.[27] [28] The Japanese lyrics were written by Japanese lyricist Shoko Fujibayashi who had previously written lyrics for South Korean singer BoA while "Hush" were written by Japanese lyricist Hasegawa.

For the album's promotion, the group launched album release events in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka and Nagoya. The release events, which took place in the forms of fan meetings successfully sold out all seats and gathered around 9,300 people.[28][29]

The single debuted at number three on Oricon’s daily album chart and climbing up to second place on the next day ranked behind "SMAP" the nation Japanese Boygroup. They ranked second on Oricon single weekly chart, sold 54,161 copies on the first week. They broke their own record since their Japanese Single Debut, "Nonono" only managed to peak at no 3 at the Oricon weekly chart last November.[29][30]

"Mr. Chu" enters at No. 89 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 on the first week and climbing up to no. 5 for the week after.[31][32]

Track listing

Japanese version
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Mr. Chu (On Stage)" (Japanese version)Shoko FujibayashiDuble Sidekick, David Kim 
2."Hush" (Japanese version)HASEGAWAHyuWoo, Rado 
3."Mr. Chu (On Stage)" (Instrumental) Duble Sidekick, David Kim 
4."Hush" (Instrumental) HyuWoo, Rado 

Charts

Credits and personnel

  • Apink – vocals
  • Duble Sidekick – producing, songwriting, arranger, music
  • David Kim - Lyricist
  • SEION – Composer
  • Glory Face - Arranger, Producer

References

  1. ^ "A Pink plans its comeback". March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  2. ^ "Apink Takes Adorable Photos in 'Pink Blossom' Teaser". Mwave. 21 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Apink Unveils Rolling Music Teaser for 'Pink Blossom'". 24 March 2014.
  4. ^ "A Pink Watches a Tennis Match for 'Mr. Chu' Teaser". Mwave. 27 March 2014.
  5. ^ "A-Pink Blossoms for 'Mr. Chu' in New MV". Archived from the original on 2014-04-05. Retrieved 2015-03-21.
  6. ^ "Mr. Chu MV". A Cube Entertainment and Digipedi. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  7. ^ "[Video] A Pink Gets into Practice with 'Mr Chu' Choreography Video". Mwave. 29 May 2014.
  8. ^ "A Pink's New Song 'Mr. Chu' Tops Real Time Music Charts". Mwave. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  9. ^ "[핫스테이지] 에이핑크 컴백무대, 지상파 3사 가요프로 비교해보니... [출처] 본 기사는 조선닷컴에서 작성된 기사 입니다". Chosun. April 7, 2014.
  10. ^ "Which A Pink's Comeback Stages Were The Best?". April 9, 2014.
  11. ^ "진도 여객선 세월호 침몰 사고, 에이핑크 팬 미팅 공연 취소.. 애도 물결". Financial News. 17 April 2014.
  12. ^ "EXO, Block B, A Pink, MBLAQ, BoA, and More Postpone Promotional Activities". Mwave. April 17, 2014.
  13. ^ "Music Programs Are Half Resumed - How Are They Different Now?". May 9, 2014.
  14. ^ "[Video] A Pink Teases 'Crystal' with MV and Typography Version". Mwave. 26 May 2014.
  15. ^ "IU - A Pink - Akdong Musician - 'Pure' Is The Selling Point For April". JoongAng Ilbo. April 23, 2014.
  16. ^ "A Pink Says Fans Were Worried About Possible Sexy Concept". Mwave. April 6, 2014.
  17. ^ "에이핑크, 친대중화 열매 맺었다..올해 1위 트로피 17개". Osen. December 24, 2014.
  18. ^ Lee Hye-rin (November 13, 2014). 태양-아이유-지오디, '2014MMA' 대상..비스트-위너-악동뮤지션 2관왕 [Taeyang-IU-god win '2014 MMA' Daesang... Beast, Winner, Akdong Musician awarded double crowns]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  19. ^ "에이핑크, 애교 넘치는 본상 수상 소감 "핑크팬더 사랑해요" (서울가요대상)". TVDaily. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  20. ^ a b "Gaon Digital Chart - 2014년 15주차". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on February 28, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  21. ^ Kim Jin-u (January 15, 2015). 2014년 음악시장 결산 [2014 Year-end Chart]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  22. ^ a b Benjamin, Jeff; Oak, Jessica (April 15, 2014). "K-Pop Hot 100: Park Hyo Shin Edges Out Apink". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  23. ^ "이국주, 에이핑크 새 멤버 등극? '대세들의 만남". TenAsia. August 22, 2014.
  24. ^ "Apink Breaking News". Universal Music. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  25. ^ "Apink Breaking News". Universal Music. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  26. ^ "Apink's 2nd Japanese single due in February". KpopHerald. January 25, 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  27. ^ "Discography of Apink". Universal Music Japan. January 3, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  28. ^ a b "Apink Wraps Up Promotions in Japan Gathering Over 9,300 Fans". Mwave. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  29. ^ a b "Apink successful second comeback". TenAsia. 1 March 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  30. ^ a b "Oricon Weekly Chart 16-22 Feb 2015". Archived from the original on February 25, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  31. ^ "Amber's 'Beautiful' Solo Debut Swoops Into World, Heatseekers Albums Charts". Billboard. February 19, 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  32. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100: Week of March 7, 2015". Billboard. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  33. ^ "Japan Hot 100 - 2015/03/02". Billboard Japan. March 2, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  34. ^ "Gaon 2014 Digital Sales Chart" (in Korean). Gaon. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved 2015-05-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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