Countdown (Exo album)

Countdown (stylized COUNTDOWN) is the debut Japanese studio album by South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo. It was released on January 31, 2018 by Avex Trax.[1] The album contains previously released Japanese tracks along with four new songs, including the lead single "Electric Kiss".[2]

Countdown
Digital and Blu-ray edition cover
Studio album by
Exo
ReleasedJanuary 31, 2018 (2018-01-31)
Recorded2015–2017
StudioSM Studios, Seoul, South Korea
GenreJ-pop
Length36:08
LanguageJapanese
Label
ProducerLee Soo-man (exec.)
Exo chronology
Universe
(2017)		 Countdown
(2018)		 Don't Mess Up My Tempo
(2018)
Singles from Countdown
  1. "Love Me Right ~romantic universe~"
    Released: November 4, 2015
  2. "Lightsaber"
    Released: December 17, 2015
  3. "Coming Over"
    Released: December 7, 2016
  4. "Electric Kiss"
    Released: January 31, 2018

Release

On November 4, 2017, Exo was announced to be releasing their first Japanese studio album on January 24, 2018.[3] Ahead of the release of the music video for "Electric Kiss", Exo shared individual member teaser clips from November 18 to November 25 for their upcoming Japanese album.[4] The release was later postponed to January 31, 2018.[5] Member Lay is heard in the six previously released songs but did not participate in recording for the new songs due to conflicts with his promotional schedules in China.

Promotion

Exo performed "Electric Kiss" for the first time on January 26, 2018 on the Japanese morning TV show Sukkiri.[6] On January 27 and 28, Exo added "Electric Kiss" and "Cosmic Railway" to the set list of their tour Exo Planet #4 – The ElyXion in Saitama and Osaka.

Commercial performance

The album debuted atop the Oricon Weekly Album Chart, making Exo the first international group to have their first single and full album in Japan reach number one on Oricon's weekly chart.[7][8] Countdown also continued in first place on Oricon's daily album chart for three consecutive days after its release, marking first place four times in total during the first week.

According to Oricon, Exo's album recorded an estimated 89,000 units in sales within the first week of release.[9]

On February 9, the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) announced that Countdown had sold over 100,000 copies and received a gold certification. The album reached the benchmark within only ten days of its release on January 31, 2018.[10]

Track listing

Credits adapted from Naver and iTunes.[11]

Countdown
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Electric Kiss"
3:27
2."Coming Over"
  • Amon Hayashi (Digz Inc.)
  • Andreas Öberg
  • Darren "Baby Dee Beats" Smith
  • Drew Ryan Scott
  • Sean Alexander (Avenue 52)
  • Avenue 52
3:22
3."Love Me Right ~romantic universe~"
3:26
4."Lightsaber"
3:05
5."Tactix"
  • Kami Kaoru
  • Hanif Sabzevari (Hitmanic)
  • Daniel Kim
  • Hitmanic
3:43
6."Into My World"
  • Sara Sakurai
  • Joonathan Kettunen
  • Daniel Kim
  • Joonathan Kettunen
3:43
7."Lovin' You Mo'"
  • Amon Hayashi (Digz Inc.)
  • KAY
  • Sean Alexander (Avenue 52)
  • Darren "Baby Dee Beats" Smith
  • Avenue 52
3:44
8."Drop That"
  • Maria Marcus (Cosmic Music)
3:36
9."Run This"
  • Amon Hayashi (Digz Inc.)
  • Mark Alvin Thompson
  • David Anthony Eames
  • David Anthony Eames
3:23
10."Cosmic Railway"
  • Sara Sakurai
4:38
Total length:36:08

Charts
Weekly charts
Chart (2018) Peak
position
French Download Albums (SNEP)[12] 126
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[13] 1
Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[14] 1
US World Albums (Billboard)[15] 4
Year-end charts
Chart (2018) Position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[16] 31

Sales
Region Sales
Japan (Oricon)[17] 123,489

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[18] Gold 100,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history
Region Date Format Label
Japan January 31, 2018
Worldwide Digital download, streaming
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References
  1. "EXO(エクソ)JAPAN 1st ALBUM「COUNTDOWN」SPECIAL SITE". yokohama LANDMARK HALL -横浜ランドマークホール-. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  2. "EXO Drops New Japanese 'Electric Kiss' Music Video Ahead of 'Countdown' Album". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  3. "EXO announces that it will make their Japanese comeback in 2018 with their 1st full album. - iHeart Korea". iHeart Korea. 2017-11-04. Archived from the original on 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  4. "EXO's Upcoming Japanese Title Track Trends Worldwide After Surprise Short MV Release | Soompi". www.soompi.com. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  5. "EXO(エクソ) OFFICIAL WEBSITE". EXO(エクソ) OFFICIAL WEBSITE (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  6. "[룩@재팬] "모닝 라이브, 성공적" 엑소, 日 NTV '슷키리' 출연" (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  7. "【オリコン】EXO、日本1stアルバム首位　海外グループ初の記録も". ORICON NEWS (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  8. "[Oh! 재팬] 엑소, 日 첫 싱글→정규앨범도 오리콘 주간차트 1위.."해외 최초"" (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  9. "EXO Tops Weekly Oricon Chart With 1st Japanese Studio Album | Soompi". www.soompi.com. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  10. EXO's "Countdown" Certified Gold In Japan In Just 10 Days
  11. "Countdown by EXO on Apple Music". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  12. "Top Albums Téléchargés". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. February 2, 2017. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  13. "2018年01月29日～2018年02月04日 オリコン週間 CDアルバムランキング". ORICON NEWS (in Japanese). Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  14. "Billboard Japan Hot Albums | Charts | Billboard JAPAN". Billboard JAPAN (in Japanese). Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  15. "Exo Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  16. "2018 Oricon Yearly Album Chart". Oricon (in Japanese). December 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  17. "【オリコン2018年上半期音楽ランキング】AKB48がV８　乃木坂46・欅坂46がミリオンを記録". Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  18. "一般社団法人 日本レコード協会" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
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