Ace (Taemin EP)

Ace is the debut extended play by South Korean singer Taemin. It was released by SM Entertainment on August 18, 2014.[3] "Danger" was released as the lead single.

Ace
EP by
Taemin
ReleasedAugust 18, 2014 (2014-08-18)
Genre
Length20:31
LanguageKorean
Label
Taemin chronology
Ace
(2014)		 Press It
(2016)
Singles from Ace
  1. "Danger"
    Released: August 18, 2014

Background and release

On August 11, 2014, SM Entertainment announced Taemin would release an EP titled Ace on August 18.[4] On August 13, a highlight medley video from the EP was uploaded to YouTube.[5] The official music video for the EP's first single, "Danger", came out on August 15.[6]

Composition

The song "Danger" was composed by Thomas Troelsen, who also wrote the theme song for the World Cup in Brazil. On radio show Blue Night Radio, a listener asked Taemin, "I liked the shooting sound in your music program performances. Why isn't it included in the digital version [of the song]?" Taemin said, "It was added right before performing on a music program as effect sounds for performance. It's not included because it may damage the musical completion of the song." Another listener asked, "'Danger' has a Michael Jackson feel. Did you have it in mind while working on the song?". To this, Taemin replied, "The song was composed abroad and bought. It wasn't like our goal or role model but just happened so in the process. The company thought it would suit me well, and it's not a style I dislike."[7]

The song's choreography was created by Ian Eastwood. Shinee member Jonghyun also added that he heard from the managers that after seeing Taemin dance, "I heard he found it amazing for you to copy him so well."[7] Eastwood says of the song is "...like Michael Jackson" and pays homage to Jackson's unique dance moves and that Taemin seems to understand what Jackson's performance means.

Release and critical reception

Ace reached number one on the weekly[8] and monthly[9] Gaon Album Chart, and number two on Billboard's World Albums Chart.[10] "Danger" reached number five on the weekly Gaon Digital Chart.[11] At Korea's annual music awards, Ace won the High1/Mobile Popularity Award at the 24th Seoul Music Awards,[12] plus a Bonsang and Popularity Award at the 29th Golden Disk Awards.[13]

Korean music publication Weiv described the track "Danger" as "[...] a song that showcases the bright sense of Thomas Troelsen good at using multiple tracks, stands out. Most of all, it is a rare song among recent SM songs which doesn't tire you after many replays."[14] IZE said "the young mysterious thief character with light moves but serious business came to life with Taemin's performance."[15]

Track listing
Ace track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Ace"Max Changmin
  • Daniel "Obi" Klein
  • Deez
3:58
2."Danger" (Korean: 괴도; RR: Goedo)
  • Thomas Troelsen
  • Mikkel Remee Sigvardt
  • Command Freaks (Iconic Sounds)
3:11
3."Experience"Hong Ji-yoo
  • Jake K (ARTiffect Music)
  • Tesung Kim (Iconic Sounds)
3:13
4."Pretty Boy" (featuring Kai of Exo[note 1])
  • Daniel Caesar (Caesar & Loui)
  • Ludwig Lindell (Caesar & Loui)
  • Ylva Dimberg (The Kennel)
  • Caesar & Loui (The Kennel)
3:43
5."Wicked" (Korean: 거절할게; RR: Geojeolhalge)Kenzie
  • Kenzie
  • Teddy Riley (Red Rocket)
  • Lee Hyun-seung (Red Rocket)
  • Dominic "DOM" Rodriguez (Red Rocket)
  • Andreas "Mage" Maggiani (Devine Channel)
  • Kenzie
  • Red Rocket
  • Devine Channel
3:25
6."Play Me" (Korean: 소나타; RR: Sonata)Min Yeon-jae
3:01
Total length:20:31
  1. Credited as "Kai of Exo-K"

Charts

Weekly charts
Weekly chart performance for Ace
Chart (2014) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[16] 13
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[8] 1
Taiwanese Albums (G-Music)[17] 14
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[18] 20
US World Albums (Billboard)[10] 2

Monthly charts
Monthly chart performance for Ace
Chart (2014) Peak
position
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[9] 1

Year-end charts
Year-end chart performance for Ace
Chart (2014) Peak
position
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[19] 23

Sales and certifications
Sales for Ace
Chart Amount
Gaon physical sales 97,438[20]
Oricon physical sales 5,105

Awards and nominations
Awards and nominations for Ace
Year Award Category Result
2015 Seoul Music Awards Bonsang (Main Prize) Nominated
High1/Mobile Popularity Award Won
Hallyu Special Award Nominated
Golden Disc Awards Bonsang (Main Prize) Won
Inkisang (Popularity Award) Won
Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards Album of the Year[21] Nominated
Music program awards
Song Program Date
"Danger" Music Bank (KBS) August 29, 2014
Show! Music Core (MBC) August 30, 2014

Release history
Release history and formats for Ace
Region Date Format Label Ref.
South Korea August 18, 2014
[3]
Various
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 SM Entertainment [22]
Taiwan September 26, 2014 CD Avex Taiwan [23]

References
  1. "Genre according to iTunes". Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  2. "Genre according to Taemin's official site". Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  3. "STARHOME > Notice". Taemin Official Website. SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  4. "샤이니 태민, 6년 만에 솔로 활동…남자 된 막내 매력 폭발" [Shinee Taemin begins solo career after six years... the explosive charm of the youngest member who has become a man]. Sports Dong-A (in Korean). August 11, 2014. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2014 – via Nate.
  5. "TAEMIN 태민_The 1st Mini Album 'ACE'_Highlight Medley". Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  6. "TAEMIN 태민_괴도 (Danger)_Music Video". Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  7. "[radio] Taemin at Jonghyun's Blue Night". jujutaem. August 22, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  8. "2014년 35주차 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  9. "Gaon Album Chart Monthly (8/2014)". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  10. "World Albums (September 6, 2014)". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 16, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  11. "Gaon Weekly singles charts". August 18, 2014. Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  12. Kim, Kyung-joo (January 22, 2015). "엑소, 대상 등 3관왕 영예..2014년 최고의 별(종합)[서울가요대상]" [Exo wins three awards including the Daesang... the best star of 2014 [Seoul Music Awards]]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2015 – via Naver.
  13. Kim, Jin-seok (January 2, 2015). "Taemin leads votes at Discs". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  14. "[weekly weiv] 08.08 ~ 08.22". Weiv (in Korean). August 28, 2014. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  15. Kang, Myung-seok (August 27, 2014). "태민, 아이돌의 청춘 증명" [Taemin, An Idol's Way of Proving Youth]. IZE (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  16. "週間 CDアルバムランキング 2014年09月01日付" [Weekly CD Album Ranking – September 1, 2014]. Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  17. "G-Music Combo Chart". G-Music (in Chinese). Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  18. "Heatseekers Albums (September 6, 2014)". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  19. "2014년 총결산 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  20. Cumulative sales for Ace:
  21. "2014 Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards nominees". Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  22. "iTunes – Music – The 1st Mini Album 'ACE' – EP by TAEMIN". iTunes Store. August 18, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  23. "ACE by Taemin" (in Chinese). Avex Taiwan. September 26, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
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