Atlantis Princess is the third Korean studio album (fifth overall) by South Korean recording artist BoA, released through SM Entertainment on May 30, 2003. The record spawned three singles, including the Seoul Metropolitan Government promotional single "Lights of Seoul", the title track "Atlantis Princess", and "Milky Way", with accompanying music videos produced for the latter two songs. An overseas version of the album, containing a bonus video CD, was released in several territories in Asia such as the Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Atlantis Princess is primarily a pop record with lyrics touching on themes of pursuing dreams and aspirations. It was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics, with IZM complimenting BoA's performance and the album's production. The single "Atlantis Princess" ranked number one on the music programs Inkigayo and Music Camp for multiple weeks, and won Best Dance Performance at the 2003 Mnet Music Video Festival.
The album was commercially successful in South Korea, debuting at number one on the Recording Industry Association of Korea (RIAK) album chart in May 2003, with monthly sales of 128,000 copies from two days alone.[1] It remained at number one the following month and sold over 345,000 copies in 2003, ranking as the fifth best-selling album of the year in South Korea and the second best-selling album by a female artist.
The album's title track, "Atlantis Princess", was composed by Hwang Sung-jae and is a fast-tempo dance song that expresses a bright and hopeful message.[2] The music video for the single was filmed in Australia in mid-May 2003.[3] BoA performed the song on live television for the first time on Inkigayo on June 1.[2]
The follow-up single "Milky Way" was written and produced by Kenzie. The Japanese version of the track was included as a B-side for her single "Double" and was added as a bonus track to her third Japanese album Love & Honesty (2004). "The Lights of Seoul" is a promo CD single which was a special release given to people who attended Hi Seoul Festival in May 2003, and was introduced on the website of the Seoul Metropolitan Government as a promotional track for the organization.[4]
Lee Min-hee of IZM gave Atlantis Princess a positive review, complimenting BoA's performance and the album's production. However, a reviewer from the Daily Vault was not as impressed, feeling that there were a number of "unmemorable filler songs". Retrospectively, "Atlantis Princess" appeared at number 93 on Melon and Seoul Shinmun's list of Top 100 K-pop Songs of All Time[5] and number 1 on The Forty-Five's list of the 45 best K-pop songs of all time.[6]
Although Atlantis Princess was released at the end of May, it was the best-selling album of the month and debuted at number-one on the Recording Industry Association of Korea (RIAK) album chart issue for May 2003, selling 127,887 copies.[9] It retained its number-one position the following month and sold an additional 124,747 copies.[10]Atlantis Princess ended at number five in the year-end ranking of the best-selling albums in South Korea for 2003, selling a total of 345,313 copies throughout the year. It was the second best-selling album by a female artist in 2003 after Lee Soo-young's This Time, which sold 435,904 copies.[11]
^2003.05월 - 가요 음반 판매량 [May 2003 Album Sales] (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on March 15, 2005. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
^ ab"(연합인터뷰) 3집 발표 앞둔 가수 보아" [(Yeonhap Interview) Singer BoA ahead of her 3rd album release]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). May 26, 2003. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021 – via Daum.
^"보아, 뮤비촬영마치고 귀국" [BoA returns home after MV shooting]. Ilgan Sports (in Korean). May 23, 2003. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021 – via Daum.
^"Hi Seoul 노래 "서울의 빛"" (in Korean). Seoul Metropolitan City Website. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
^ ab2003.05월 – 가요 음반 판매량 [2003.05 – Sales volume] (in Korean). Music Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on November 19, 2005. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
^ ab2003년 - 가요 음반 판매량 [2003 Album Sales] (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
^"[DA:신곡] 볼빨간사춘기, 보아 '아틀란티스 소녀' 재해석…러블리 청량" [[DA:New song] Bolbbalgan4 reinterprets BoA's 'Atlantis Princess '… Lovely refreshing]. Sports Dong-a (in Korean). Naver. August 7, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
^Shim, Eon-kyung (August 21, 2020). "기다림 아깝지 않은 웬디의 존재감"..레드벨벳, 8개월만 완전체 하모니 '밀키 웨이' ["Wendy's presence is worth waiting for." Red Velvet Performs with All Members After Eight Months in Total, 'Milky Way' Harmony]. Osen (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
^"2003년 – 가요 음반 판매량" [2003 Domestic Album Sales]. Recording Industry Association of Korea. 2004. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
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