The 1st Mini Album (Strawberry Milk EP)
The 1st Mini Album is the debut mini album by Crayon Pop sub-unit Strawberry Milk, composed of identical twins Choa and Way. It was released on October 15, 2014 by Chrome Entertainment and Sony Music.
| The 1st Mini Album | |
|---|---|
 | |
| EP by | |
| Released | October 15, 2014 |
| Recorded | August–September 2014 |
| Genre | K-pop |
| Length | 29:44 |
| Language | Korean |
| Label | |
| Singles from The 1st Mini Album | |
| |
Production and composition
"OK" was described as an "unplugged dance number with rock sounds".[1] In the lyrics, a girl describes how the man she is in love with is her ideal type—perfect and "okay" in every way. The song was written by Crazy Park (Park Hyun-joong) of the agency Crazy Sound, in collaboration with Shinto and Peter Pan.[2] These songwriters had previously written songs such as "Oppa, You're Mine" and "Oh My God". Choa and Way also took part in the song's production, including concept, costumes, and choreography.[3]
"Let Me Know" is a ballad written by Way, who had previously written songs as a member of indie band N.Dolphin, and the lyrics are based on her and Choa's struggle to become singers.[4] At Strawberry Milk's debut press showcase, Way said, "It was my dream to become a singer since I was young. As I was preparing to become a singer, whenever I experienced hardship, I always prayed to let me know if this is the right path for me. The lyrics are about those prayers."[5]
Promotion and music videos
Strawberry Milk performed "Let Me Know" for the first time at the First Chrome Family in Japan Concert on October 4. Their debut showcase was held on October 15 in Cheongdam, Seoul, and their music show debut stage for "OK" was on M! Countdown on October 16.[6] "OK" was promoted through November on all the major music shows, including The Show, where they were nominated for first place.[7]
The music video for "OK", released on October 15, was directed by Lee Gi Baek. It received one million views on YouTube in less than five days, and ranked high on China's YinYueTai V Chart.[8][9] The beginning of the music video depicts Choa and Way transforming into Tetris characters and falling into a pink room. In other scenes of the video they are dressed as strawberries or strawberry milk, with oversized forks or straws on their backs. G.Low of K-Much played the "OK" man in the music video.[10] On October 18, a choreography music video for "OK" was released. This video was filmed at a farm, and the twins danced in front of a strawberry greenhouse.
Reception
Scott Interrante, writing for PopMatters, described "OK" as an "overly saccharine Hi-NRG dance song filled with cute vocals, adorable imagery, and a biting wit." He said "Hello" and "Let Me Know" showcase the twins' "surprisingly impressive vocals", but "OK" lacks a "distinct personality", and regretted that the sub-unit didn't show a different side than they already show with the main group. However, he concluded that the song is "great for what it is" and noted some similarity with J-pop and Orange Caramel's songs.[11]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "OK" |
|
| 3:50 |
| 2. | "Feel So Good" | Eun Jong Tae | Eun Jong Tae | 3:09 |
| 3. | "Hello" |
| Eun Jong Tae | 3:43 |
| 4. | "Let Me Know" (알려주세요; Allyeo Juseyo) | Heo Min-seon (Way) | Heo Min-seon (Way) | 4:10 |
| 5. | "OK (Inst.)" |
| 3:50 | |
| 6. | "Feel So Good (Inst.)" | Eun Jong Tae | 3:09 | |
| 7. | "Hello (Inst.)" | Eun Jong Tae | 3:43 | |
| 8. | "Let Me Know (Inst.)" | Heo Min-seon (Way) | 4:10 | |
| Total length: | 29:44 | |||
Personnel
These credits were adapted from the album liner notes.[12]
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|
Charts
| Country | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | Gaon Album Chart (weekly) | 8 |
| Gaon Album Chart (monthly)[13] | 21 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | October 15, 2014 | Digital download | Chrome Entertainment, Sony Music |
| October 16, 2014 | CD | ||
| Worldwide | Digital download |
References
- Kim Dong-Joo (October 2, 2014). "Crayon Pop's 1st unit group, Strawberry Milk, release their 1st teaser image". Star News. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
- "Crayon Pop to comeback as sub-unit "Strawberry Milk"". KBS News. October 20, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
- Jackson, Julie (September 30, 2014). "Crayon Pop unit group to debut 'Break Out' EP". The Korea Herald. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
- "Strawberry Milk to Make Unit Group Debut with 'Ok' in October". Mnet America. September 30, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- Chung, Esther (October 16, 2014). "Strawberry Milk Way, "My Song 'Please Let Me Know' Were My Prayers When I Was Going Through Hardship"". KpopStarz. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- Han In-gu. 크레용팝 유닛 딸기우유, 15일 앨범 쇼케이스 개최. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved October 8, 2014.
- 딸기우유, 유닛 데뷔 후 첫 1위 후보 '승승장구'. SEGYE (in Korean). Naver. October 28, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
- Hong, Grace Danbi (October 10, 2014). "Strawberry Milk is Bouncy, Bubbly, and Sweet for 'OK' MV Teaser". CJ E&M enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- Kim Dong-Joo. "Strawberry Milk's new music video getting explosive reactions from all over the world". StarN News. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
- Hong, Grace Danbi (November 4, 2014). "Strawberry Milk Reveals that OK Man in MV is a K-Much Member". enewsWorld. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
- Interrante, Scott (November 6, 2014). "K-Pop Roundup - October 2014". PopMatters. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
- The 1st Mini Album (booklet). Strawberry Milk. Chrome Entertainment. 2014.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "2014년 10월 Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- "2014년 43주차 Download Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved October 22, 2014.