Kiss My Lips is the eighth Korean-language studio album (seventeenth overall) by South Korean singer BoA. It was released digitally on May 12, 2015, and physically a day later by SM Entertainment, and distributed by KT Music. The album features twelve tracks in total, including two singles; "Who Are You" and the title track. The self-produced record (for celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of BoA's debut) is her first Korean full-length release since Only One (2012).[1]

Kiss My Lips
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 12, 2015
Recorded2014–2015
Genre
Length45:19
LanguageKorean
Label
Producer
BoA chronology
Who's Back?
(2014)
Kiss My Lips
(2015)
Watashi Kono Mama de Ii no Kana
(2018)
Singles from Kiss My Lips
  1. "Who Are You"
    Released: May 6, 2015
  2. "Kiss My Lips"
    Released: May 12, 2015

Release and promotion

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On May 8, the album's track listing was revealed online, and an image teaser video for the lead single came out via SM Entertainment's official YouTube channel the following day.[2][3] Commercials for the album aired from May 11 until 17.[4] On May 12, the whole album was released with an official music video for the title track.

BoA began promoting her comeback album on various music programs, starting on Music Bank aired on May 15, 2015.[5] Along with the lead single, she performed "Fox" on Music Bank,[6] "Green Light" on Show! Music Core,[7] and "Smash" on Inkigayo.[8] On KBS's You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook, BoA performed the album's two lead singles and "Double Jack",[9][10][11] along with her previous hits "My Name" and "No. 1".[12] She also covered "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, who the singer stated was particularly her role model.[13] Promotions for the album was wrapped up by BoA's performance on Inkigayo aired on May 31, 2015.[14]

Singles

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"Who Are You"

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The album's pre-release single "Who Are You", written by BoA herself, is an electronic dance-pop tune with sounds of guitar and bass. Featuring a rap by Gaeko from hip-hop twosome Dynamic Duo, the lyrics of the self-penned song expresses excitement of a man and woman until meeting each other on a blind date.[15][16] The single was released on May 6, 2015, with its accompanying music video.[17]

The singer's labelmate Sehun (from Exo) and actress Kim Hyun-ji co-starred in the music video as blind date partners.[18] The music video shows varied places and props, and also sensory images mixing reality and fantasy through a lot of CG-based special effects.[19] Commercially, "Who Are You" reached number three on the Gaon Digital Chart, and has sold over 566,000 digital copies in South Korea.[20][21]

"Kiss My Lips"

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The self-composed title track "Kiss My Lips" is a minimal pop song incorporated with unique synthesizer riffs and sound. Emphasizing her deep voice, BoA's vocals redouble the single's dreamlike atmosphere. In the song's lyrics, the speaker provocatively urges her counterpart not to hesitate about coming up to her.[22][23]

The single was released on May 12, 2015, the same day as the album's release. Its corresponding music video was directed by the singer's elder brother Kwon Soon-wook, who also directed the video for the album's pre-release track.[24][25][26]{{efn|group=upper-alpha|Kwon has previously directed some of the music videos for BoA's singles such as "Game", "Only One", and "Disturbance".[citation needed] Commercially, "Kiss My Lips" peaked at number eighteen on the Gaon Digital Chart and has sold nearly 128,000 digital copies domestically.[27][28]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Billboard     [29]
IZM     [30]

Upon its release, Kiss My Lips debuted at number five on the Gaon Weekly Albums Chart.[31] The album also entered Billboard's World Albums Chart on the issue date of May 30, 2015, debuting at number six.[32] It sold 15,234 copies in South Korea and over 1,000 copies in Japan by the end of the year.[33][34] IZM ranked it among the 10 best albums of 2015 and Idolator ranked it number 13 in their list of the 25 best K-pop songs of 2015.[35][36]

Awards and nominations
Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards Best Female Artist Nominated
2016 Seoul Music Awards Record of the Year Won [37]

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by BoA, except where noted; all music is composed by BoA, except where noted

Kiss My Lips track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Kiss My Lips" 3:46
2."Who Are You" (featuring Gaeko of Dynamic Duo)
 3:44
3."Smash" 
2:34
4."Shattered" 
3:56
5."Fox"  3:59
6."Double Jack" (featuring Eddy Kim) 
  • BoA
  • ZigZag Note
3:48
7."Home" 
3:38
8."Clockwork"  3:56
9."Love and Hate" 
  • BoA
  • Kim Tae-sung
  • Oberg
4:03
10."Green Light"  4:01
11."Hello"  4:22
12."Blah"  3:39
Total length:45:19
Notes
  • According to the album's booklet, the original title of track 1 was "Soft Lips".

Charts

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Release history

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Release dates and formats for Kiss My Lips
Region Date Format Label Ref.
South Korea May 12, 2015 Digital download
Various SM Entertainment [40]
South Korea May 13, 2015 CD
  • SM Entertainment
  • KT Music

See also

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Footnotes

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References

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  1. ^ "BoA releases additional image and audio teasers for 'Kiss My Lips'". KpopStarz. May 8, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  2. ^ "보아, 정규 8집 트랙리스트 공개. 12곡 모두 작사, 작곡, 프로듀싱에 참여 ("BoA Reveals Full Track Listing for Her Eighth Studio Album. All Tracks Written and Produced by Her")" (in Korean). Sports Chosun. May 8, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  3. ^ SMTOWN (May 9, 2015). "BoA 보아_Kiss My Lips_Image Teaser" (YouTube). YouTube.
  4. ^ Elizabeth, Hailie (May 12, 2015). "BoA To Launch Large Scale Comeback Promotions". KpopStarz. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  5. ^ Kim, Ah-reum (May 13, 2015). "보아, 컴백 첫 주 음악방송 통해 수록곡 4곡 공개…'Kiss My Lips'부터 'Smash'까지 ("BoA to Perform Four Tracks from Her New Album...From "Kiss My Lips" to "Smash"")" (in Korean). Newsway. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  6. ^ KBSKpop (May 15, 2015). "[HIT] 뮤직뱅크 – 보아, FOX + KISS MY LIPS '여왕의 귀환'.20150515" (YouTube). YouTube.
  7. ^ Choi, Eun-jung (May 16, 2015). "보아, 여왕의 화려한 귀환.. 'Kiss My Lips' ("BoA, The Queen's Splendid Return")" (in Korean). Energy Economy Newspaper. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  8. ^ Kim, Hee-kyung (May 17, 2015). "'인기가요' 보아(BoA), 존재 자체만으로도 묵직한 무대… 'Smash-KISS MY LIPS' ("BoA on The Music Trend, A Grave Stage for Her Presence Itself")" (in Korean). TopStarNews. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  9. ^ KBSKpop (May 29, 2015). "[HIT] 유희열의 스케치북 – 보아 – Kiss My Lips.20150529" (YouTube). YouTube.
  10. ^ Son, Hyo-jung (May 27, 2015). "[단독] 보아, '유희열의 스케치북' 3년만 출격…의리 빛났다 ("BoA to Appear on Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook for the First Time After Three Years")" (in Korean). TVREPORT. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  11. ^ KBSKpop (May 29, 2015). "[HIT] 유희열의 스케치북 – 보아 – Double Jack [Feat. 에디킴].20150529" (YouTube). YouTube.
  12. ^ Jeong, Hee-seo (May 30, 2015). "'스케치북' 보아, 추억의 무대 선사…역시 K팝 '넘버원' ("BoA Presents Nostalgic Stage on Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook")" (in Korean). XPORTSNEWS. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  13. ^ Choi, Eun-jeong (May 31, 2015). "아시아의 별 보아, 마이클 잭슨으로 완벽 변신 ("BoA Perfectly Transformed into Michael Jackson")" (in Korean). Energy Economic News. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  14. ^ Son, Jae-eun (May 31, 2015). "[영상]'인기가요' 보아, 8집 막방…상큼 발랄 러블리걸 ("BoA to Perform Her Last Stage for the album "Kiss My Lips" on The Music Trend"")" (in Korean). SBS funE. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  15. ^ Jeon, Won (May 1, 2015). "보아, 자작곡 '후아유' 선공개…개코 랩 피처링 ("BoA to Release Her Self-Penned Song "Who Are You"...Featuring Rap by Gaeko")" (in Korean). MyDaily. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  16. ^ "BoA (feat. Gaeko) – Who Are You – pop!gaga – kpop translation lyrics". pop!gasa. May 5, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  17. ^ SMTOWN (May 6, 2015). "BoA 보아_Who Are You (Feat. 개코)_Music Video" (YouTube). YouTube.
  18. ^ Elizabeth, Hailie (May 7, 2015). "Rising Star Kim Hyunji Appears in BoA's 'Who Are You' Music Video Alongside EXO's Sehun". KpopStarz. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  19. ^ Choo, Young-jun (May 6, 2015). "보아 맞아? 컴백 전 공개한 신곡-뮤비-티저 모두 화제로 떠올라 (""Is It Really Her?" BoA's Pre-Comeback Song, MV, and Even Teaser Video Becoming Issues")". Segye Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  20. ^ "South Korean Gaon Chart: Singles – The 20th Week of 2015". Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  21. ^ Sales references for "Who Are You":
  22. ^ "Kiss My Lips – The 8th Album" (in Korean). Neowiz Internet Corp. May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  23. ^ "BoA – Kiss My Lips – pop!gaga – kpop translation lyrics". pop!gasa. May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  24. ^ SMTOWN (May 12, 2015). "BoA 보아_Kiss My Lips_Music Video" (YouTube). YouTube.
  25. ^ "보아 'kiss my lips' 뮤비, 섹시-도발적 자태 '시선 강탈' 몽환적 분위기 ("BoA's "Kiss My Lips" MV Showed Off Its Sexiness and Provocativeness")" (in Korean). Sports Chosun. May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  26. ^ Lee, Yoon-ji (May 6, 2015). "'후아유' 보아, 친오빠 권순욱 감독이 MV 만들어 팬들 기대만발 ("BoA's "Who Are You" MV Was Directed by Her Elder Brother Kwon Soon-wook")" (in Korean). Electronic Times Internet. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  27. ^ "South Korean Gaon Chart: Singles – The 21st Week of 2015". Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on May 21, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  28. ^ Sales references for "Kiss My Lips":
  29. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (May 15, 2015). "BoA Makes a Stylish Return to Her K-Pop Throne on 'Kiss My Lips': Track-by-Track". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  30. ^ Jung, Minjae (May 18, 2015). "Star of Asia becomes unrivaled K-pop Muse". Seoul. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  31. ^ a b c "South Korean Gaon Chart: Album – The 21st Week of 2015". Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on May 21, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  32. ^ a b "Billboard World Albums Chart – The Week of May 30, 2015". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  33. ^ Sales references for Kiss My Lips:
  34. ^ Sales references for Kiss My Lips:
  35. ^ "The 10 best albums of 2015". IZM. December 8, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  36. ^ "The 25 Best K-Pop Songs Of 2015". idolator. December 29, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  37. ^ "보아, 데뷔 16년만에 프로듀서로 인정받았다 (서울가요대상)". TV Daily (in Korean). January 14, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  38. ^ "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon. Retrieved May 29, 2015. (subscription only)
  39. ^ "South Korean Gaon Monthly Album chart – May 2015". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  40. ^ "iTunes – Music – Kiss My Lips – The 8th Album by BoA". iTunes Store. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
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