Odd is the fourth Korean studio album (seventh overall) by South Korean boy band Shinee. It was released digitally and physically on May 18,2015,under SM Entertainment and distributed by KT Music. The album contains 11 songs,including the lead single,"View". The repackaged album,Married to the Music,was released on August 3,2015,with four additional songs.
The album received favorable reviews from music critics,who praised Shinee's experimental and playful sound which results in a "fresh and evolved album",as well as the group's return to their R&B side. The album was commercially successful in South Korea—it charted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart,selling over 165,000 copies during the first month of release. It also sold over 2,000 copies in the US.
Composition
Odd contains a total of 11 songs,[1] including songs produced by international producer teams The Stereotypes and the Underdogs,British composing group LDN Noise,G'harah "PK" Degeddingseze,composer Kenzie,and Steven Lee.[2] The lead single,"View",is produced by LDN Noise and is an upbeat song of the deep house genre. It has been described as having a "refined and sensual" sound,expressing love's beauty as a "mixture of diverse senses". Shinee member Jonghyun wrote the lyrics to the song.[3] Member Minho stated that he was worried about the new concept since the musical style was different to what the group had done before,which explains the title.[4]
The repackaged album Married to the Music includes four additional songs:"Married to the Music","Savior","Hold You" and "Chocolate".[5][6][7] "Married to the Music" is described as funky disco and is the work of LDN Noise,Kenzie,Zak Waters,and Adrian McKinnon. "Savior",produced by Zak Waters and written by Kenzie,is characterized by trendy and sensual lyrics. Jeff Benjamin of Billboard described it as "a journey of different genres,opening with what initially sounds like a "beatbox-heavy,hip-hop sound" before flipping to a "sexy,bouncy electronic beat on the verses until we get to a funk-inspired chorus that mixes in horn blasts,groovy guitar strums and classic boy-band harmonies".[8] "Hold You" is a R&B song which was produced by Stereotypes and Deez. "Chocolate",a medium-tempo R&B track written by group member Jonghyun and Yankie,is described as a charming love story that is sweet like chocolate.[9]
Release and promotion
On May 11,2015,SM Entertainment uploaded a trailer video to their YouTube channel,announcing the upcoming release of Shinee's fourth Korean album,Odd.[10] They later uploaded two more album trailers and teaser images of the members.[11] Shinee performed five songs from the album at their concert,Shinee World IV:lead single "View","Love Sick","An Ode to You","Woof Woof",and "An Encore".[12]Odd was digitally and physically released on May 18,2015,and was the group's first Korean release after a two-year hiatus.[10] On May 21,the group began their promotions for "View" on music shows,starting with Mnet's M Countdown and followed by KBS' Music Bank,MBC's Show! Music Core and SBS' Inkigayo.[2] As part of the promotion,the group members guested on several variety shows including Hello Counselor,Saturday Night Live Korea and Non-Summit.[13][14][15] They also appeared on fellow member Jonghyun's radio show,Blue Night.[16]
On July 29,SM announced that the album would be reissued under the title Married to the Music,with the addition of four new songs.[5] Snippets of the new songs were uploaded to social media to promote its release.[7]Married to the Music was released on August 3.[5] Shinee performed the title track,"Married to the Music",on music shows,with choreography provided by Tony Testa and Hwang Sang-hoon.[17]
Melon's pop music critics chose Shinee's Odd as one of the best albums for the first half of 2015,praising the vocal skills of the members and stating:"Shinee made an exemplary display of both 'pleasure of listening and joy of watching' once again."[19]Odd was also selected as one of MTV IGGY's "25 Best Albums of 2015",praising the "experimenting and playing with old and new sounds,resulting in a fresh and evolved album". The title song,"View",got a positive response,describing it as a great,laid back summer jam even though "the song fools us into thinking it's an uptempo ballad before reaching its techno peak at the chorus."[20][21]
Shinee performing "Married To The Music" at the SBS Inkigayo 'Korea Music Festival' in Sokcho on August 9,2015.
Jeff Benjamin of Billboard praised the title song,stating,"Despite boasting completely different vibes,'View' isn't that different from 'Everybody' in that both have the same repetitive chorus structures,but the latter throws piles of electronica into the chorus while 'View' keeps its instrumentation very simple. By going against what's expected,Shinee actually ends up taking more of a risk by doing less and it pays off handsomely." Album track "Odd Eye" also received praise,which is written and composed by member Jonghyun. Benjamin states the group "return to the R&B side of Shinee with feathery vocals,tight harmonies and member Onew's falsetto howls acting a centerpiece to this grooving opener." But he also criticized some of the songs of the album,like "An Ode to You",saying the "unnecessary electric guitar riffs are added to the mix that soils the pure production." "Black Hole" is also criticized,stating,"it's not only the shortest song of the album,but also one of the most forgettable." Overall he gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5.[18] The title song,"View",was also included in Billboard's "Top 20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2015".[22]
Odd was also nominated as one of the "albums of glory" by Arena Homme+ magazine. Shinee was the only idol group on the list.[23] Kim Yunha,a music critic of Arena Homme+,writes:"K-pop,captivating the pop genre for years,may seem like it’s on its journey to find the 'real pop' in the music industry that have been defined as either ballads or dance music at a glance. If you agree on this idea,Shinee is definitely a front-runner that leads this movement. Every time,without any fears,they’ve been opening doors for entirely new levels and after having reached the limit of being a human with 'Everybody' what they have arrived to is a very Shinee-ish stateless world of pop. They are still dancing and singing in a place where nobody dares to covet."
Commercial performance
Odd debuted at number nine on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums Chart,becoming Shinee's fourth album to enter the top ten. It reached number one on Billboard's World Albums Chart,Shinee's first album to do so 2013's Why So Serious? –The Misconceptions of Me,making Shinee the fifth K-pop act to earn multiple number one albums on this chart. It sold 2,000 copies in the US.[24] The album stayed in the top ten of the Billboard World Albums Chart for three consecutive weeks after its release on May 18.[25] In South Korea,Odd debuted at number one on the weekly Gaon Album Chart.[26] It was the best-selling album of the month,selling over 165,000 copies,[27] and the eighth best-selling album of the year.[28] As of 2022,it has sold over 193,000 copies in South Korea,[29] as well as 41,000 copies in Japan.[30]
Married to the Music debuted at number one on the weekly Gaon Album Chart.[31] It was the second best-selling album of August 2015.[32] It sold over 87,000 copies in 2015,[28] and has sold over 107,000 copies overall since its release.[29]
↑Kim, Dong-joo (May 13, 2015). 샤이니 컴백, 마지막 트레일러..긴장감 가득+감각적 영상 '시선압도'[Shinee release the final trailer for their comeback... A tense and sensory video that will captivate attention]. Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Retrieved November 20, 2025– via Naver.
↑Seon, Mi-kyung (July 31, 2015). 샤이니, 역대급 퍼포먼스로 온다..내달 7일 '뮤뱅' 컴백[Shinee returns with a performance of unprecedented calibre... Comeback on 'Music Bank' on the 7th of next month]. Osen. Archived from the original on August 2, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
↑Kim, Mi-hwa (June 12, 2015). 엑소·샤이니, 美빌보드 월드앨범차트 동반 톱10..2위·8위[Exo and Shinee both enter the top ten of Billboard's World Albums chart, ranking 2nd and 8th, respectively]. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
↑オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹[Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree'] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
↑Kim, Sa-ra (May 27, 2015). 샤이니, '쇼챔' 1위 "생각도 못 했다" 감동 소감[Shinee's emotional reaction to winning first place on 'Show Champion': "We never expected it."]. Osen. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2015– via Naver.
↑Pyo, Jae-min (May 28, 2021). 샤이니, ‘엠카’ 1위..음악방송 올킬하나[Shinee wins first place on 'M Countdown'... will they achieve a music show all-kill?]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021– via Naver.
↑'엠카운트다운' 샤이니, 1위 했나View? 2주 연속 정상 차지[Shinee earns first place on 'M Countdown' with 'View'? They've been on top for two weeks in a row.]. Hankyung (in Korean). June 4, 2021. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
↑샤이니, '쇼챔·엠카' 이어 '뮤직뱅크' 1위 '올킬 진행 중'[Shinee's all-kill streak continues on 'Music Bank', following 'Show Champion' and 'M Countdown']. News1 (in Korean). May 29, 2015. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
↑샤이니 키, '뮤직뱅크' 2주 연속 1위 기념샷… "축하한다요"[Shinee's Key celebrates second consecutive win on 'Music Bank' with a commemorative photo: "Congratulations!"]. Sports Dong-A (in Korean). June 5, 2015. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
↑Jo, Seul-gi (June 6, 2015). '음악중심' 샤이니, 컴백 후 첫 '음악중심' 1위, 7관왕 달성[Shinee wins first place on 'Music Core', achieving seventh win of the comeback]. Ten Asia (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 6, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
↑Kim, Dong-ju (May 31, 2015). 인기가요 샤이니 1위로 4관왕, "늘 도와주는 보아누나 감사" 훈훈[Shinee take fourth win on Inkigayo: "Thank you, BoA, for always helping us."]. Hankyung (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2021– via Naver.
↑Hong, Bo-ram (June 8, 2015). '인기가요' 샤이니, 카라-자이언티 제치고 1위.. 8번째 트로피 차지[Shinee beat Kara and Zion.T to take first place on 'Inkigayo', securing their eighth trophy]. Ten Asia (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 7, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
↑Pyo, Jae-min (June 9, 2015). 샤이니, '더쇼' 1위..트로피 9개째 '역시'['As expected', Shinee wins first place on 'The Show', earning their ninth trophy]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015– via The Chosun Ilbo.
↑Han, In-gu (August 12, 2015). 샤이니, '쇼챔'서 컴백 첫 1위…빅뱅·비스트 꺾었다[Shinee takes first win for comeback on 'Show Champion', beating BigBang and Beast]. Xports News (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2015– via Naver.
↑Moon, Ji-yeon (August 14, 2015). '뮤직뱅크' 샤이니 또 1위, 공약대로 눈물바다 'Married to the Music'[Shinee wins again on 'Music Bank'. 'Married to the Music' is awash with tears, as promised.]. TV Report (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
↑Lee, Yoon-min (January 21, 2016). '골든디스크' 엑소·샤이니 종현 3관왕 'SM 쌍끌이 활약' [종합][Exo and Shinee's Jonghyun win three awards at the 'Golden Disc Awards']. TV Daily. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
↑Hwang, Hye-jin (December 3, 2015). 'MAMA' 엑소, 빅뱅 꺾고 3년연속 '올해의 앨범상' 수상[Exo beat BigBang to win 'Album of the Year' at 'MAMA' for the third year in a row]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
↑Jung, Jun-hwa (January 14, 2016). 빅뱅·샤이니까지..본상 최종 12팀 수상 [25th 서울가요대상][From BigBang to Shinee... Twelve artists won the main prizes [25th Seoul Music Awards]]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021– via Naver.
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