Wikipedia

Phenomenon (Monsta X album)

Phenomenon is the second Japanese-language studio album of the South Korean boy group Monsta X. It was released and distributed by Universal Music Japan on August 21, 2019. It is also the last Japanese album to feature Wonho, who left the group in October 2019.

Phenomenon
Album cover of Phenomenon
Studio album by
Monsta X
ReleasedAugust 21, 2019
GenreJ-pop
Length30:42
LanguageJapanese
LabelUniversal Music Japan
Monsta X chronology
Take.2 We Are Here
(2019) 		Phenomenon
(2019) 		Follow: Find You
(2019)
Singles from Phenomenon
  1. "Livin' It Up"
    Released: September 12, 2018
  2. "Shoot Out (Japanese version)"
    Released: March 27, 2019
  3. "Alligator (Japanese version)"
    Released: June 12, 2019
  4. "X-Phenomenon"
    Released: July 15, 2019

Background and release

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The album was announced on June 18, 2019 as a surprise announcement, following a live performance. The album contains nine main tracks, with special tracks varying by versions. The album included two previously released Japanese versions of the Korean title tracks "Alligator" and "Shoot Out".[1]

The title track "X-Phenomenon" was pre-released on July 15, 2019 ahead of the album's full release. A music video was simultaneously released for the song.[2]

Like their previous Japanese album, the album was released in three versions for the physical release; the regular version, and limited editions A and B. The regular version has the special track "Thriller", and limited editions A and B have the special tracks "Champagne" and "Polaroid", respectively.[1]

In August and September 2019, following the release of the album, Monsta X held a Japanese tour.[2]

Critical reception

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Chris Gillett of SCMP wrote that Phenomenon, with the exception of the Japanese versions of "Alligator" and "Shoot Out", presented "a different sound from their previous album Take.2 We Are Here", with "a less of the EDM focused style" and "a more aggressive tone".[3]

Commercial performance

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"Livin' It Up" and the Japanese versions of "Alligator" and "Shoot Out" were all certified gold singles by RIAJ.[4][5]

The album sold more than 56,000 copies in Japan,[6] and debuted at number two on both Oricon Albums Chart and Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart.[7][8]

Track listing

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Phenomenon track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."X-Phenomenon"ZERO
  • Sean Michael Alexander
  • Phil Schwan
  • Drew Ryan Scott
2:57
2."Livin' It Up"ZERO
  • Albin Nordqvist
  • Tommy Clint
3:45
3."My Beast"ZERO
  • Scott Russell Stoddart
  • Mark Angelico Thomson
  • Warren David Meyers
3:16
4."Alligator" (Japanese version)
  • Kevin Charge
  • Andres Oberg
  • Drew Ryan Scott
  • Stereo14
  • Daniel Kim
3:13
5."Shoot Out" (Japanese version)
  • Seo Ji Eum
  • Joohoney
  • I.M
  • TI
  • Stereo14
  • Daniel Kim
3:28
6."Black Swan"ZERO
  • Tommy Clint
  • Atsushi Shimada
3:26
7."Flash Back"ZERO
  • Albin Nordqvist
  • Yoshi Breen
  • Peter St. James
3:27
8."Swish"
  • ZERO
  • Galactika
  • Johan Becker
  • Andres Oberg
  • Robin Padam
  • Jonatan Gusmark
3:31
9."Carry On"ZERO
  • Albin Nordqvist
  • Tommy Clint
3:39
Total length:30:42
Physical release exclusives
No.TitleLength
10."Champagne" (limited edition A)3:29
11."Polaroid" (limited edition B)3:30
12."Thriller" (regular edition)3:39

Charts

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Album

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Weekly charts

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Chart performance for Phenomenon
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[8] 2
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[7] 2

Songs

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Weekly charts

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Certification and sales

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Region Work Certification Certified units/Sales
Album
Japan Phenomenon — 56,244[11]
Songs
Japan (RIAJ)[12] "Livin' It Up" Gold 126,895 (Phy.)[13]
"Shoot Out" (Japanese version) Gold 158,089 (Phy.)[14]
"Alligator" (Japanese version) Gold 170,292 (Phy.)[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b MONSTA X「スッキリ」生出演が話題…日本2ndアルバム「Phenomenon」8月21日発売をサプライズ発表！. Kstyle (in Japanese). June 18, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  2. ^ a b MONSTA X、日本2ndアルバムの収録曲「X-Phenomenon」MV公開！メンバーの様々な表情は必見. Kstyle (in Japanese). July 15, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  3. ^ Gillett, Chris (August 28, 2019). "Monsta-X's 'Phenomenon' album review: K-pop idols go from strength to strength with latest Japanese release". SCMP. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  4. ^ MONSTA X『Phenomenon』ダイジェスト映像公開、アルバムの内容が明らかに. Dwango JP News (in Japanese). August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  5. ^ Kim, Na-kyung (July 14, 2019). 몬스타엑스, 日 싱글 'Alligator'로 4연속 골드디스크. Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  6. ^ Billboard Japan Top Albums Sales: 2019/08/28 公開. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  7. ^ a b 週間 アルバムランキング - 2019年09月02日付. Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2019/08/28 公開. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c "Monsta X Chart History: Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c Monsta Xのシングル売上ランキング [Monsta X single sales ranking]. Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  11. ^ "Billboard Japan Top Albums Sales Chart for September 2, 2019 (see #2)". Billboard Japan. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  12. ^ Certifications:
  13. ^ Cumulative sales for Livin' It Up:
  14. ^ Cumulative sales for Shoot Out:
  15. ^ "Billboard Japan Top Singles Sales Chart for June 24, 2019 (see #2)". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved June 19, 2019.
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