"Attention" is the debut single by the South Korean girl group

NewJeans NewJeans (), also known as NJZ (), is a South Korean girl group formed by ADOR, a sub-label of Hybe Corporation, Hybe. The group is composed of five members: Minji (singer), Minji, Hanni (singer), Hanni, Danielle Marsh, Danielle, Haerin, and H ...

. The music video for the song was surprise-released on July 22, 2022, and the track was released for

download In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar systems. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote ...

and

streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

as part of their self-titled debut EP in August 2022. Written and composed by

250 __NOTOC__ Year 250 (Roman numerals, CCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Traianus and Gratus (or, less frequently, year 1003 ''Ab urbe condita''). The den ...

, Duckbay, Gigi, and the group member

Danielle Danielle is a modern French female variant of the male name Daniel, meaning "The God(dess)" in the French language. The name "Daniel" originates from the Hebrew Bible and is associated with the prophet Daniel. In Hebrew, the name is composed of ...

, "Attention" is a

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

and R&B track with elements of late-1990s and early-2000s music such as

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

on a

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Te ...

beat, and it incorporates dynamic key changes between the

major and minor In Western music, the adjectives major and minor may describe an interval, chord, scale, or key. A composition, movement, section, or phrase may also be referred to by its key, including whether that key is major or minor. The words derive ...

chords. Its lyrics are about the sensations of young infatuation. Music critics generally praised the catchy production of "Attention". The single appeared on lists of the best songs of 2022, including those by ''Billboard'', ''

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'', ''

Music Y ''Music Y'' () is a South Korean online magazine that publishes music reviews, articles, and interviews with artists. The magazine was officially founded in 2014, and was previously an unofficial webzine in the form of a Naver cafe where criti ...

'', ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'', and ''

Teen Vogue ''Teen Vogue'' is an American progressive online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to '' Vogue'', targeted at teenage girls and young women. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and ...

.'' Commercially, "Attention" peaked atop the South Korean

Circle Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...

, reached number 54 on the ''Billboard'' Global 200, and charted in Argentina, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The single received

certifications Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

in Japan and South Korea.

Background and release

On July 22, NewJeans released the music video for "Attention" as a

surprise release A surprise album or surprise release is an album or single with little or no prior announcement, marketing or promotion. The strategy contrasts traditional album releases, which typically feature weeks or months of advertising in the form of sing ...

, without previously revealing the members' identities or the group concept. The choreography video was released on the same day, and followed swiftly by the announcement of the quintet's debut self-titled extended play, which was confirmed to contain four tracks, including two additional singles.

Composition

With a length of 2 minutes and 58 seconds, "Attention" switches between the

chords. Built on minimal instrumentation, the track incorporates influences of pop and R&B from the late-1990s and early-2000s in its beats, which evoke the rhythms of

and

. The production includes vocal samples and sounds of applause, and the

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features sounds of chimes. In the

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, all five members harmonize vocally. NewJeans' member

participated in writing lyrics for the track.

Reception

Jang Jun-hwan wrote for ''

'' that "it aims for a comfortable listening experience, but will never be boring" and "satisfies the concept and significance of debut in many ways". Carmen Chin of ''

'' thought that the track has a "groovy ''je ne sais quoi''" and described its beat as "bustling".

Commercial performance

"Attention" debuted at number one and number two on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' South Korea Songs and on the

, respectively. It peaked at number one on the

in the chart issue dated August 14–20. Overseas, it debuted at number 26 on the

RMNZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

Hot Singles on the chart issue dated August 8, 2022. On the

Global 200 The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature ( WWF), the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or w ...

the song peaked at 54. In Singapore and Vietnam the song debuted at eleven.

Accolades

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the EP's photo book. Locations * Recorded and engineered at Hybe Studio * Mixed at Chapel Swing Studios,

Valley Glen Valley Glen is a neighborhood in the southeastern section of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California. Once part of Van Nuys and North Hollywood, it became a separate neighborhood in 1998. Valley Glen is home to Los Angeles Valley Coll ...

Credits and personnel *

– producer, composition,

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

, vocal directing * Duckbay (

Cosmos Studios X-Level Studios, formerly known as EMI Studios, Abbey Road Studios and Cosmos Studios, is a recording studio in Skärmarbrink on the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden. It has been running since the early 1960s. It was founded by Kent Isaacs, who ...

, Stockholm) – composition, lyrics,

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

* Gigi – lyrics *

– lyrics * Jungwoo Jang – vocal directing *

–

* Emily Kim – background vocals * Hyejin Choi – engineering *

Tony Maserati Tony Maserati is an American record producer and audio engineer specializing in mixing. He was involved in the development of the New York R&B and hip-hop scene in the 1990s, working with Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, and Queen ...

– mixing * David K. Younghyun – mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{NewJeans 2022 songs 2022 debut singles NewJeans songs Songs in Korean Billboard Korea K-Pop number-one singles Circle Digital Chart number-one singles Hybe Corporation singles Music videos directed by Shin Hee-won South Korean pop songs South Korean contemporary R&B songs Songs written by Danielle Marsh Song recordings produced by 250 (musician)