Stylish... is the debut solo studio album by South Korean recording artist Lee Hyori. It marked her solo debut since becoming a member of girl group Fin.K.L in 1998. The album was released through DSP Media on August 13, 2003, and was distributed by CJ E&M Music.[1] It is primarily a pop and R&B record containing influences from hip-hop, featuring songwriting contributions from various musicians including MayBee, Won Tae-yeon, Yoon Il-sang, and Lee Hyun-do of Deux.
| Stylish... | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 13, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2003 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 54:51 | |||
| Language | Korean | |||
| Label | ||||
| Lee Hyori chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Stylish | ||||
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Upon release, the album saw commercial success and catapulted Lee to superstar status in the country; papers even dubbed her popularity the "Hyori Syndrome". "10 Minutes" won various prominent awards at domestic award shows, including the Grand Prize (daesang) at both the KBS Music Awards and SBS Gayo Daejeon, as well as the Most Popular Music Video at the Mnet Music Video Festival. By 2004, the album had sold over 150,000 copies.
Stylish... featured "10 Minutes", "Hey Girl", and "Remember Me" as its singles, each with its own music video. Rolling Stone characterized the "10 Minutes" video as a choreography-filled visual that "showcased the country to Western pop's trends". Lee appeared and performed on various South Korean music programs to promote the album, including Music Camp and Inkigayo, with "10 Minutes" ranking at number one on the charts of these programs for several weeks.
Background edit
Lee became well known in South Korea as a member of girl group Fin.K.L, who made their debut under DSP Media in May 1998 with the album Blue Rain. However, the group's activities began to slow down following the release of their fourth studio album Forever in March 2002. The members of Fin.K.L began exploring individual activities beginning in 2003, thus putting group activities in a temporary hiatus.[2] Lee embarked solo career with the release of her debut studio album Stylish...E on August 13, 2003, spawning the lead single "10 Minutes".[3]
Singles edit
The first lead track, "10 Minutes", is a R&B and hip hop number. It was composed by Kim Do-hyun who also composed "That's Right" from Shinhwa's 11th album The Classic in 2013.[4] The song's lyrics were penned by MayBee, with the lyrical content conveying how Lee can seduce a man in only ten minutes.[5][6] The track was originally intended to be released by hip hop group People Crew, but was instead given to Lee Hyori. Upon its release, however, the music video was banned by SBS from public broadcast due to its "erotic" choreography.[7]
"Hey Girl" was the follow-up single; the video was banned on some networks due to its sexual imagery, although Lee said that it was the same as her first video and therefore she did not see why this had to be banned. The single was not performed as frequently as the first one, and promotions for the album were completed soon after. Originally, "Eve, Sleeping in Paradise" was intended to serve as the second single for the album. A music video for the third single, "Remember Me", was also released.
Reception edit
In 2021, "10 Minutes" was ranked the 16th best K-pop song of all-time by Melon and Seoul Shinmun.[8] Rolling Stone ranked the single "10 Minutes" number 24 in their list of the 100 greatest Korean pop songs all time, remarking how she became "an inescapable presence in Korea around the release of her solo debut." The publication compared the song to the music of Aaliyah and Jennifer Lopez, describing it as a "groovy, synth-fueled R&B-pop perfection" and a "change from the cutesy music she performed with Fin.K.L".[9] The music video for "10 Minutes" won the Most Popular Music Video (daesang) at the 2003 Mnet Music Video Festival.[10]
Commercially, the album was reportedly in such high demand that 70,000 copies were pre-ordered. The album's success allowed Lee to become the highest-paid female artist in South Korea at the time. It debuted at number three on the RIAK monthly chart for August 2003, selling 79,361 copies in the first month of its release.[11] It sold 144,182 copies by the end of 2003, making it the 15th best-selling record of the year in South Korea. It sold an additional 9,408 copies in 2004 according to the RIAK charts. At the 18th Golden Disc Awards, the record was one of the Album Bonsang (main prize) winners and was nominated for the Album Daesang (grand prize).[12] It has since sold over 150,000 copies.[13]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Prologue (Drum & Bass)" | Lee Hyori | Lee Hyori | 1:48 |
| 2. | "One Two Three N'Four" | Kim Yeong-a | Kim Do-hyun | 3:56 |
| 3. | "Like a Fool (Sadness)" (바보처럼; Babocheoreom) | Hong Ji-yoo | John K | 3:54 |
| 4. | "10 Minutes" | MayBee | Kim Do-hyun | 3:54 |
| 5. | "Ice" (얼음; Eoleum) | Won Tae-yeon | Yoon Il-sang | 3:40 |
| 6. | "Eve, Sleeping in Paradise" (이브, 낙원에 잠들다; Ibeu, Nakwone Jamdeulda) | Kim Yeong-a | The Jun | 3:50 |
| 7. | "Remember Me" | MayBee | Kim Geon-woo | 3:59 |
| 8. | "Like Today" (오늘따라; Oneulttara) | Jo Gyu-man | Jo Gyu-man | 4:42 |
| 9. | "Do Me" | Lee Hyun-do | Lee Hyun-do | 3:45 |
| 10. | "Hey Girl" | Lee Hyori | Kim Do-hyun | 3:59 |
| 11. | "Erase" (지워 버려; Jiwo Beoryeo) | Kim Ji-woong | Kim Ji-woong | 4:07 |
| 12. | "A Jazz Bar" (어느 재즈바; Eneu Jaejeuba) | Han Jin-woo | Ahn Jeong-hoon | 4:11 |
| 13. | "Only One" | Lee Hyori | Ryu Hyeong-seop | 3:51 |
| 14. | "I'm Sorry (Ghost)" (미안해요; Mianhaeyo) | Lee Hyori | Ahn Jeong-hoon | 5:15 |
| Total length: | 54:51 | |||
Credits and personnel edit
Credits adapted from album liner notes[14]
- Musicians
- Lee Hyori – vocals, chorus
- Yoon Il-sang – acoustic/electronic piano, chorus
- Jo Gyu-man – acoustic/electronic piano, chorus
- John+K, Mad SoulChild, Kim Ji-woong – acoustic/electronic piano
- Lee Geun-hyung, Hong Jun-ho, Ryu Hyeong-seop – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Ahn Jung-hoon – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica
- Huh Jae-hyuk – bass guitar
- Lee Seon-ah, Kang Seon-ju, Park Mi-hyun, Lee Jung-hyun, Kim In-seon, Kim Ji-sook, Lee Ji-yeon, Jo Hyun – first violin
- Lee Jang-woo, Son Tae-hee, Seon Woo-hyun, Kim Min-jung, Yoon Hyun-ji, Cha Hyun-ah, Lee Hyun-young, Kim Hye-jin – second violin
- Ahn Ji-woo, Kim Hye-sun, Park Geun-suk, Oh Hye-min, Ha Ji-hyun – viola
- Hong Mi-jeong, Um Jeong-hee, Ko Hyeon-jeong – cello
- Kim Da-young, Kim Hyuna, Lee Ji-eun, Soul-trip, Kim Hyo-su – chorus
- Choi Jae-hwa (DJ Rex) – scratch
- Production and design
- Lee Hyori – production
- Ahn Jung-hoon – production
- Lee Ho-yeon (DSP Entertainment) – executive producer
- Kim Do-hyeon, Yoon Il-sang, Lee Chang-ui, Kim Ji-woong, Lee Hyun-do, Mad SoulChild, Jo Kyu-man, Bae Young-jun, Kim Seok-chan – computer programming
- Park In-young, Kim Ji-woong – string arrangement
- Jeong Moo-kyung, Ha Jung-su, Kim Young-sik, Kim Dong-hee, Choi Jae-young, Kim Hae-goo, Kim Gyun-jung, Choi Young-ui, Han Jae-eung, Kim Moon-hye – recording
- Im Chang-deok, Ko Seung-wook, Park Byeong-jun, Han Jong-jin, Jo Jun-seong, Jeong Doo-seok – mixing
- Choi Hyo-young (Sonic Korea) – mastering
- Gugram Design – design, artwork
- Yoon Woo-taek – photography
- Jeong Bo-yoon, Jang Hyo-jin, Park Mi-ra – stylist
- Myungjin Art – printing
- Gil Jong-hwa, Shim Byeong-cheol, Yoon Woo-taek, Choi Sung-pil, Yoon Hong-kwan – management
Charts edit
Sales edit
| Region | Sales amount |
|---|---|
| South Korea | 153,590[16][17] |
References edit
- ^ "1집 STYLISH..E hyolee". Mnet (in Korean). Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ [신작 DVD 포커스] 핑클 라이브 콘서트 [[New DVD] Fin.K.L releases live concert]. Digital Times (in Korean). March 28, 2003. Retrieved November 30, 2021 – via Naver.
- ^ "Stylish... – Album by Lee Hyori" (in Korean). Melon. August 13, 2003. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ Lee, Sun-min (May 17, 2013). "Shinhwa's latest album tops charts". Joongang Daily. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ 이효리 '애인 강탈' [Hyori Lee "robbing her lover"]. Ilgan Sports (in Korean). August 12, 2003. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021 – via Daum.
- ^ Choi, Min-young (August 25, 2003). "'두얼굴'의 매력 이효리" [The charm of Lee Hyori's 'duality']. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021 – via Naver.
- ^ 이효리 "방송퇴출" [Lee Hyori 'banned from broadcasting']. Ilgan Sports (in Korean). August 26, 2003. Retrieved November 20, 2021 – via Daum.
- ^ "Top 100 K-pop Masterpieces: 10 Minutes – Lee Hyori" (in Korean). Melon. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music". Rolling Stone. July 20, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ "Winners from 2003 Mnet Asian Music Awards". Mnet Asian Music Awards' official website. Archived from the original on October 29, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ a b 2003.08월 – 가요 음반 판매량. Recording Industry Association of Korea. August 2003. Archived from the original on October 16, 2004.
- ^ 조성모 골든디스크 대상 [Jo Sung-mo Golden Disc Awards]. Segye Ilbo (in Korean). December 5, 2003. Retrieved November 20, 2021 – via Naver.
- ^ Byung-yeul, Baek (May 6, 2013). "Lee Hyo-ri is Miss Korea in new album". The Korean Times. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
- ^ Lee, Hyori (2003). Stylish (Liner notes - from Korean Wikipedia). Lee Hyori. South Korea: DSP Media.
- ^ 2003년 가요음반판매량 [2003 Album Sales Figures] (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
- ^ "MIAK: Album Sales in 2003" (in Korean). Music Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on May 16, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
- ^ "MIAK: Album Sales in 2004" (in Korean). Music Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on June 16, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2012.