| Step | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Kara | ||||
| Released | September 6, 2011 (see release history) |
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| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Genre | Pop, dance-pop | |||
| Length | 32:01 | |||
| Language | Korean | |||
| Label | DSP Media, CJ E&M | |||
| Kara chronology | ||||
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| Alternative Cover | ||||
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Special limited edition cover
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Poster included on the normal edition of the album[1]
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| Singles from Step | ||||
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Step is the third full-length album by South Korean K-pop girl group Kara. It was released on September 6, 2011.[2][3] A special limited edition was available for pre-order starting August 25, 2011.[4][5]
Contents |
On August 4, 2011, the group confirmed that they will be releasing their third official album on mid-September and will resume their activities in South Korea for the first time in over six months. It was also reported by industry representatives that the group has been recording songs for the album during their spare time while they were busy promoting their fourth Japanese single, "Go Go Summer!". DSP Media stated that the group are in the process of reviewing which songs to be used as the lead song from the album.[6]
Regarding the concept of the album, the group was also faced with a choice between maintaining their usual bright, cute and youthful concept or transforming into something new.[7]
The title track of the album is "Step" which is a rock-electronica themed song. It was written by producer duo Han Jae Ho and Kim Seung Soo (also known as 'Sweetune') the producers behind "Mister". The limited edition of the album contains a bonus track called "With My Heart (Dear Kamilia)" which is the Korean version of "Ima, Okuritai 「Arigatou」" from their third Japanese single.[5] The outro track of the album, "Kara 4 U", was featured in the group's album teaser video.
A special edition of the album was available for pre-order on August 25, 2011, 10 days ahead of the official release. The special edition includes a 32-page booklet, a digipack and a bonus track. According to DSP Media, the first 100 people who purchased them will be chosen to attend a special showcase by KARA on September 14, 2011. DSP Media also teamed up with YouTube to deliver a special online series of three episodes titled “KARA Channel” which covers the group's preparations for the release of the album. The series began airing at Kara's official YouTube channel on September 7, 2011 and ended on September 21, 2011.[8]
A teaser video for the full-length album was uploaded on the group's YouTube page on August 29, 2011, showing the girls dressed in glittering dresses and holding onto microphone stands while the song "Kara 4 U (Outro)" can be heard playing in the background. The second teaser was released on September 1, 2011, which was the teaser for their title track's music video. The full music video officially premiered on September 6, 2011.
Due to the group's commitments with their schedule in Japan they will only promote the album for three weeks.[6] The promotions of the album in TV music shows started in September 15, on Mnet's M! Countdown. The songs "Date (My Boy)" and "With My Heart (Dear Kamilia)" were chosen to be promoted and performed for the comeback. They won 1st place on that show on the same day and they won another award on the following week. They won another award during the comeback week on KBS's show Music Bank and on the following week. The group made their comeback on SBS' Inkigayo on September 18, 2011 and won a mutizen in the show on September 25. The promotions ended on October 9.
A DVD for the song "Step" will be released in Japan on January 25, 2012, called "Step It Up". The DVD will come with the music video of Step, making of, close-up version, dance versions and solo versions of the five girls.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "EY! OH!" (Intro) | 1:01 |
| 2. | "Step" | 3:21 |
| 3. | "Rider" | 3:03 |
| 4. | "Strawberry" | 3:31 |
| 5. | "Follow Me" (따라와) | 3:29 |
| 6. | "Date (My Boy)" | 3:22 |
| 7. | "I Am... (Ing)" (나는..) (Acoustic Version) | 3:58 |
| 8. | "Kara 4 U" (Outro) | 1:03 |
| 9. | "Step" (Instrumental) | 3:21 |
| 10. | "With My Heart (Dear Kamilia)" (Bonus Track) | 5:49 |
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Total length:
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32:01 | |
| DVD (Taiwan CD+DVD version) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Step" (Music Video) | ||||||||
| 2. | "Step" (Teaser 1) | ||||||||
| 3. | "Step" (Teaser 2) | ||||||||
Within hours after the digital release, the album had already ranked number one on various online music charts across South Korea including Melon, Olleh, Bugs, and Soribada.[9] The album entered in the position #17 on the Oricon's Weekly albums chart, one month before the official Japanese release, due to importation of the album from South Korea.