Waterfall (B.I album)

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Waterfall
B.I Waterfall Album Cover.jpg
Studio album by
B.I
ReleasedJune 1, 2021 (2021-06-01)
StudioTitan Recording Studio, Seoul, South Korea
Genre
Length40:07
LanguageKorean
Label
  • IOK Music
  • 131 Label
ProducerB.I
B.I chronology
Midnight Blue (Love Streaming)
(2021) 		Waterfall
(2021)
Singles from Waterfall
  1. "Re-Birth"
    Released: April 15, 2021
  2. "Waterfall"
    Released: May 20, 2021
  3. "Illa Illa"
    Released: June 1, 2021

Waterfall is the debut studio album by South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer B.I. It was released on June 1, 2021, by IOK Music X 131 Label, and distributed by Dreamus.[3] The album contains 12 songs including the lead single "Illa Illa", all written and composed by B.I. Waterfall tells a condensed story of B.I's year-and-a-half-long hiatus from his perspective.[4]

Background[]

On May 7, 2021, 131 Label announced the release schedule for the highly anticipated comeback of B.I as a solo artist, 7 years after debuting as the leader of iKon. This included a global single, "Got It Like That", featuring Destiny Rogers and Tyla Yaweh (released on May 14, 2021), and his first full-length album, Waterfall (released on June 1, 2021).[5][6] The 12-track full-length record, Waterfall, is written and composed by B.I, with collaborations from other producers on compositions and arrangements. The album features K-pop vocalist Lee Hi (on "Daydream") and rapper Tablo of Epik High (on "Stay"). A cinematic music video for the title track "illa illa" was also released alongside the album.[7]

"I wrote the song wishing that it could provide comfort to those that listen to it. Everyone has their own struggles whether it be with relationships, work, family, loneliness," B.I stated of "Illa Illa" in a press release. "As much as it can seem difficult at the time, there is a beach in the distance. To remember that every chapter that closes just means that a new chapter is about to begin."[7]

"This album is an expression of my past, my present and my future. That every ending has a new beginning," said B.I speaking about Waterfall in an interview.[8]

Release and promotion[]

All the promotions before the release were handled through the social media accounts of 131 Label and IOK Music. On May 17, 2021, at midnight KST, B.I's team released a detailed "plan poster" that outlined what fans can expect in the weeks leading up to his comeback.[9] This included a live film and performance film for the intro track of the album titled "Waterfall" and short video teaser films for all the other 10 tracks in the album, excluding the title track. In addition, title and concept posters, a lyric mood film, and an M/V spoiler commentary video were released for the title track "illa illa". B.I then held a live broadcast via YouTube, 1 hour prior to the new album release.[10]

The album was released to digital music and streaming platforms on June 1, 2021,[11] along with the music video for "illa illa".[12] The album's CDs were made available for pre-order prior to the album release, and were released on June 1, 2021 as well. Two different versions of the CDs are available, Waterfall and Seaside.

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
NME4/5 stars

NME praised the album Waterfall, stating "B.I may have once reached his lowest, but this self-proclaimed waterfall has since been able to smoothen out the ground beneath him and start anew, from creating his own label to making a triumphant return to the music scene with Waterfall. Though he does not claim to be a one-man island; in the songs, there is also an underlying sense of gratitude and appreciation for those who supported and stood by him."[4]

Time magazine included B.I's title track, "Illa Illa", on its list of "The Best K-Pop Songs of 2021 So Far", stating "with the breadth and depth of emotions he conveys, B.I. shows he's as much a storyteller as he is a songwriter."[13]

Commercial performance[]

Since its release, Waterfall topped the iTunes album charts in a total of 24 countries including Russia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Turkey, Japan, and Norway. The album also entered the top 10 list on iTunes chart in the US, while reaching top 3 on the European iTunes album chart and top 2 on the Worldwide iTunes album charts.[14]

In South Korea, Waterfall debuted at No. 6 on the Gaon Album Chart.[15] In Japan, the album debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Japan download albums chart, No. 16 on Oricon's weekly digital album chart and No. 44 on Oricon's weekly album chart.[16] [17] Waterfall peaked at No. 1 and achieved certified 3x (Triple) on QQ Music's best-selling daily album chart in China, selling over 40,000 digital copies.[14] Additionally, all 12 tracks of the album, including the title track 'illa illa', were charted-in on the latest 24hit chart of Melon, a domestic music platform of South Korea.[14]

The official music video of B.I's title track "Illa Illa" surpassed 12.7 million views on YouTube, within the first 24 hours of its release. With this, B.I broke the record for the most viewed male solo artist debut M/V within the first 24 hours.[18]

Track listing[]

All lyrics are written by B.I.

Waterfall track listing
No.TitleMusicArrangementLength
1."Waterfall"
  • Choice37
  • Hae
2:45
2."Illa Illa" (해변; Haebyeon [lit. "Beach"])
  • B.I
  • Millennium
  • Kang Uk-jin
  • Diggy
  • Sihwang
  • Millennium
  • Sihwang
3:25
3."Daydream" (featuring Lee Hi) (긴 꿈; Gin Kkum [lit. "Long Dream"])
  • B.I
  • Saint Leonard
Saint Leonard3:14
4."Numb"
  • B.I
  • Stally
  • Basecamp
  • Stally
  • Basecamp
3:46
5."Illusion" (꿈결; Kkumgyeol [lit. "Dream"])
  • B.I
  • JFKID
JFKID3:18
6."Flow Away"
  • B.I
  • Millennium
Millennium3:44
7."Help Me"
  • B.I
  • Millennium
  • Sihwang
  • Millennium
  • Sihwang
3:20
8."Remember Me" (역겹겠지만; Yeokgyeobgetjiman [lit. "It May Be Disgusting"])
  • B.I
  • Millennium
Millennium3:39
9."Stay" (featuring Tablo; lyrics co-written by Tablo)
  • B.I
  • Choice37
  • Hae
  • Choice37
  • Hae
2:56
10."Gray" (비 온 뒤 흐림; Bi On Dwi Heurim [lit. "Cloudiness After Rain"])
  • B.I
  • Kang Uk-jin
  • Diggy
  • Eddy
  • Kang Uk-jin
  • Diggy
3:22
11."Then" (그땐 내가; Geuttaen Naega [lit. "Back Then, I"])
  • B.I
  • Padi
Padi3:11
12."Re-Birth" (다음 생; Daeum Saeng [lit. "Next Life"])
  • B.I
  • Sihwang
  • Millennium
  • Sihwang
  • Millennium
3:23

Charts[]

Weekly chart performance for Waterfall
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Japan Albums (Oricon)[16] 44
Japan Download Albums (Billboard Japan)[17] 8
South Korea Albums (Gaon)[15] 6
Monthly chart performance for Waterfall
Chart (2021) Peak
position
South Korea Albums (Gaon)[19] 9

References[]

  1. ^ Shravani (June 4, 2021). "B.I releases full length album 'WATERFALL'". Hallyure. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  2. ^ "Melon Album Information: Waterfall". Melon.
  3. ^ Chavez, Adriana (June 1, 2021). "B.I Drops First Full-length Album 'WATERFALL'". Vacancy.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b C, Ruby (June 7, 2021). "B.I – 'Waterfall' review: a message of hope amid turbulent tides". NME. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  5. ^ "Kim Han-bin to release solo album next month". Rappler. May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  6. ^ Moon, Byoung-eon (June 7, 2021). "아이오케이, 음원사업 호조…'비아이' 앨범 폭발적 인기". Daily Korea (in Korean). Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Yeo, Gladys (June 1, 2021). "B.I drops debut solo album 'Waterfall', featuring collabs with Lee Hi and Tablo". NME. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  8. ^ "B.I Wants To Collaborate With Post Malone". ET Canada. June 25, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  9. ^ Hong, Hye-min (May 17, 2021). "비아이, 첫 정규는 'WATERFALL'...본격 컴백 시동" [B.I, the first full-length album 'WATERFALL'. Full-fledged comeback start.]. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  10. ^ Hwang, Hye-jin (June 1, 2021). "'컴백' 비아이 "이하이·타블로, 피처링 부탁 흔쾌히 받아줘…진심 감동"" ['Comeback' B.I, "Lee Hi, Tablo gladly accepted my featuring request. I'm so touched."]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  11. ^ Hong, Hye-min (June 1, 2021). "비아이, 7년 만 첫 정규에 담은 #공백기 #해변 #이하이 #타블로" [B.I, first full-length album in 7 years. #Blank #Beach #LeeHi #Tablo]. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  12. ^ Park, Sang-woo (June 1, 2021). "[알쓸신곡] "외롭고 미숙한 나"…비아이, '해변'에 담은 심경" [(New Song) "Lonely and inexperienced me." B.I, how you feel about the "beach".]. Ilgan Sports (in Korean). Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  13. ^ Moon, Kat (July 1, 2021). "The Best K-Pop Songs of 2021 So Far". Time. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b c Hong, Hye-min (June 2, 2021). "돌아온 비아이, 글로벌 차트 휩쓴 저력" [B.I is back, global chart sweep potential.]. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b "Gaon Album Chart – Week 23, 2021". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b "2021年06月07日～2021年06月13日 オリコン週間 アルバムランキング 41～50位". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b "Billboard Japan, Download Albums: 2021-06-09". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  18. ^ Eujean, Chung (June 3, 2021). "[Record of the week] B.I's Solo Debut Music Video Became the Most Viewed Male Solo Artist Debut MV in the First 24 Hours". Hanteo News. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  19. ^ "Gaon Album Chart – Month of June, 2021". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved July 8, 2021.
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