State of the Art is a studio album by South Korean boy band Shinhwa. It was released on May 11, 2006, by Good Entertainment, and represents the group's eighth major album release (tenth overall). It was the third best-selling album of 2006 in South Korea with over 215,000 copies.
Background and release
A special edition version of State of the Art also released, containing bonus remix tracks of "Throw My Fist" and "Midnight Girl" and a DVD with behind-the-scenes footage.[1] The album was released in Taiwan on October 5, 2006, by Universal Music Taiwan in two versions, including one with a bonus DVD.
The music video for "Once in a Lifetime", was directed by Cho Soo-hyun, who also directed the music video for Psy's "Gangnam Style" and "Gentleman"; and also the music video for "This Love" from Shinhwa's The Classic album in 2013.[2]
Composition and recording
State of the Art twelve tracks. It was recorded at GoodSound Studio, Rui Studio, Silk Studio, Eungeon (은건) Studio, Dream Factory, and Momo Studio in 2006.[3] Shinhwa member Lee Minwoo composed the lyrics for the song "Paradise", and member Eric Mun composed the rap lyrics for all songs, alongside David Kim.[3]
Commercial performance
The album debuted on the Recording Industry Association Korea (RIAK) chart for the month of July 2006, with 161,452 copies sold[4] The album finished 2006 at number 3 on South Korea's year-end charts, with total sales of 215,641 copies.[5]
Shinhwa embarked on a concert tour shortly after the release of State of the Art on May 13, 2006. They became the first Korean artist to hold a solo concert in Singapore on September 10, 2006, which attracted around 10,000 fans.[10]
^ abc2006년 가요음반판매량 [2006 Album Sales Figures] (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
^"신화, 방송컴백 11일만에 '인기가요' 뮤티즌송 수상" [Shinhwa wins ‘Inkigayo’ Mutizen Song award 11 days after broadcast comeback]. Star News (in Korean). Naver. June 11, 2006. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
^"신화, '인기가요' 2주연속 뮤티즌송 수상" [Shinhwa wins ‘Inkigayo’ Mutizen Song award for 2 weeks in a row]. Star News (in Korean). Naver. June 18, 2006. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
^"<최장수 그룹 신화의 8집 기념 공연의 의미>" [<The meaning of the 8th album commemorative performance of the longest-running group Shinhwa>]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Naver. May 14, 2006. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
^"신화 아시아투어 상해 첫발, 1만여관중 대성황" [Shinhwa Asia Tour debuts in Shanghai, a huge success with over 10,000 spectators]. My Daily (in Korean). Naver. July 9, 2006. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
^"신화 김동완, 공연 중 어깨 탈골..병원行" [Shinhwa's Kim Dong-wan dislocates shoulder during performance... hospitalized]. Star News (in Korean). Naver. July 15, 2006. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
^"신화, 싱가포르서 한국 가수 최초 단독콘서트 성황!" [Shinhwa, the first Korean singer to hold a solo concert in Singapore, a success!]. My Daily (in Korean). Naver. September 11, 2006. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
^2006.08월 – 가요 음반 판매량 [2006.08 – Sales volume] (in Korean). Music Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2021.