In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separately from an album, although it usually also appears on an album. In other cases a recording released as a single may not appear on an album.
An extended play (EP) is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. Contemporary EPs generally contain four to five tracks, and are considered "less expensive and time-consuming" for an artist to produce than an album. An EP originally referred to specific types of records other than 78 rpm standard play (SP) and LP, but it is now applied to mid-length CDs and downloads as well. In K-pop they are usually referred to as mini albums. Ricardo Baca of The Denver Post said, "EPs—originally extended-play 'single' releases that are shorter than traditional albums—have long been popular with punk and indie bands." In the United Kingdom, the Official Chart Company defines a boundary between EP and album classification at 25 minutes of maximum length and no more than four tracks.
Mika Nakashima is a Japanese singer and actress. Five of her studio albums, one of her mini-albums and one of her compilation albums have reached number one in Japan's Oricon album chart. She also embarked on an acting career, most notably as Nana Osaki in the live action film adaptations of Nana. She has sold over 10 million records in Japan.
Crystal Kay Williams is a Japanese-American singer, songwriter, actress and radio host.
A CD single is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term CD single is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD. It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any size, particularly the CD5, or 5-inch CD single. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s. With the rise in digital downloads in the early 2010s, sales of CD singles have decreased.
Wire & Glass is the only EP released from The Who's 2006 album, Endless Wire. The EP was released exclusively to the iTunes Music Store on 17 July 2006 but a Maxi-CD/12" was released a week later in Australia and the United Kingdom. The EP was released as a "mini-opera" in six songs. No North American distribution was secured prior to the release of Endless Wire, but promo copies were pressed in France, Germany, Ireland, and Ukraine.
Love is the second studio album by Japanese entertainer Mika Nakashima, and her third overall album release counting the mini-album Resistance. Its release date was November 6, 2003, in Japan, prior to the Christmas holiday. In contrast to her previous album, True, this album boasts a wider range of styles including ballads, soft reggae, and club jazz. It proved to be a successful move as the album outsold her debut; it topped the Oricon 200 Album Chart upon release and sold just over 437,000 copies in Japan alone the week it came out.
"Legend" is the fourth single from Mika Nakashima's third album, Music. It was released a month after her mini album Oborozukiyo: Inori. It was a minor success, peaking at #5 in the Oricon charts and charting for 11 weeks. Overall, it sold 67,527 units in Japan, of which more than half in its first week. Legend was used as the Sony MD Walkman CM song. The B-sides were "FAKE"; used as the Kanebo Kate CM song, and "Carrot & Whip"; the Meiji CM song.
Oborozukiyo: Inori (朧月夜~祈り) is the 2nd EP or mini-album by Mika Nakashima. This album was limited to only 111,000 copies. The title track, a duet with violinist Taro Hakase, later appears on her Music album. '朧月夜~祈り' translates to "A Misty, Moon-lit Night: Prayer."
"Glamorous Sky" is Mika Nakashima's 16th single overall, her 1st under the name Nana starring Mika Nakashima, and the second most successful single in her career after "Stars". It is her first rock song and it was used as one of the image songs for the film Nana. Hyde of L'Arc-en-Ciel composed "Glamorous Sky". The second and third B-sides, "Blood" and "Isolation" were used as CM songs for Kate cosmetics. Mika Nakashima graces the cover of the single as Nana Osaki. The song is featured as a cover by a jrock band, Girugamesh, in the Konami music games, BEMANI for Drummania V3 and Guitarfreaks V3, as well as the iNiS rhythm game Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2.
Yes is the eighth album by Mika Nakashima; it is the fourth album to be released under her own name. It also was the first of her albums to have been released in both a CD only and a CD+DVD Limited Edition format. The album boasts a slower and more gospel-orientated arrangement.
Voice is the sixth studio album by Japanese singer Mika Nakashima, released via Sony Music Japan on November 26, 2008. It contains all of her singles from "Life" up to "Orion". The album was distributed in two formats: a CD-only version and CD+DVD limited edition.
Pretty Girl Special Edition, is a repackage of South Korean girl group Kara's second EP Pretty Girl (2008). It was released digitally on February 12, 2009, with a physical release on February 18, 2009.
Rock U is the first extended play by South Korean girl group Kara. It was released on July 25, 2008. Rock U was released as the lead single.
Star is the eleventh sixth studio album by Japanese singer Mika Nakashima. It was released via Sony Music Japan on October 27, 2010, and was distributed in two formats: a CD-only standard version and a CD+DVD limited edition. Five singles were spawned from the record, including "Candy Girl", "Always" and "Ichiban Kirei na Watashi o".
So Girls is the second EP by the South Korean girl group Rainbow. It was released in South Korea on April 8, 2011 with "To Me" as the title track. A repackaged version of the EP was released on June 22, 2011 with the song "Sweet Dream" as the title track.
2NE1 is the second eponymous extended play by South Korean girl group 2NE1. It was released through YG Entertainment on July 28, 2011, and was distributed by KMP Holdings. It contains six songs composed and produced by Teddy Park and Kush; five of them were released as digital singles. "Don't Stop the Music" was initially released as the Yamaha Fiore CF Theme Song in late 2010. A Japanese version of the mini-album, titled Nolza, was released by YGEX on September 21, 2011.
Real is a studio album by the Japanese singer Mika Nakashima. The album was first released in Japan on January 30, 2013, in Regular and Limited editions.
"A or B" is a song recorded by Japanese singer Mika Nakashima. It was released as a single by Sony Music Associated Records on October 25, 2017. It was written and composed by Jam Note and arranged by Manaboon. The limited edition of the CD single comes with a DVD including the music video for "A or B" and its making-of. "A or B" was used in televised commercials for Kao's liquid fabric softener "Flair Fragrance", starring actress Satomi Ishihara.
Summer Magic is the second special extended play and the seventh overall by South Korean girl group Red Velvet, marketed as their special "summer" EP following The Red Summer, which was released in July 2017. The EP is also the group's third major release to focus on their "Red" concept, following The Red Summer and the group's debut studio album The Red (2015). Released on August 6, 2018, the EP contains seven tracks, including the lead single "Power Up" and the English version of "Bad Boy" as a bonus track, making it their first song to be released in English.
