''Bluetory'' is the Korean debut

mini-album A mini-LP or mini-album is a short record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A mini- ...

by South Korean

pop-rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

idol band CNBLUE. It was released on January 14, 2010, under FNC Music and distributed by

Mnet Media Stone Music Entertainment (Hangul: 스톤 뮤직 엔터테인먼트), is a South Korean music distribution company under CJ ENM, as part of a partnership with the music streaming store Genie Music since 2021. It was one of the largest co-publish ...

. After being signed to the record label, the quartet was sent to Japan, where it independently released two mini-albums. While working with the band, frontman Jung Yong-hwa was cast in the television drama '' You're Beautiful'' (2009), where he first garnered recognition. Following a series of video teasers for each member, ''Bluetory'' and its lead single " I'm a Loner" were concurrently released. CNBLUE was met with immediate commercial success; the mini-album topped the

Gaon Music Chart The Circle Chart (), previously known as the Gaon Music Chart or the Gaon Chart (), tabulates the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in South Korea. Founded in 2010, it is produced by the Korea Music Content Association and sponsored ...

for two consecutive weeks, and "I'm a Loner" peaked at number two on the

Gaon 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 ...

. The latter earned the quartet two music show wins, the first being on '' Music Bank'' two weeks into its debut.

Background

After being scouted by FNC Music's casting director, Jung Yong-hwa,

Lee Jong-hyun Lee Jong-hyun (born May 15, 1990), also known by his mononym Jonghyun, is a South Korean musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He was the former lead guitarist and vocalist of South Korean rock band CNBLUE. He made his acting debut in an om ...

, and Kang Min-hyuk met while auditioning for the agency. The three kept in contact before being accepted by the record company. FNC Music decided to send CNBLUE to Japan "where the idea of a band is more recognized"; the band saw it as an opportunity to "improve on our skills". The quartet initially debuted there under AI Entertainment in 2009, where it released its first two independent mini-albums '' Now or Never'' and ''

Voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound produ ...

''. The band would perform on the streets and in small venues throughout the country. Unable to speak Japanese, the members learned the language "in order to survive out there". In late September, bassist Kwon Kwang-jin left the band due to "personal reasons" and was replaced by Lee Jung-shin later that year. During this time period, Jung was cast in

Seoul Broadcasting System Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS; ) is one of the leading Television in South Korea, South Korean television and radio broadcasters. The broadcaster legally became known as SBS in March 2000, changing its corporate name from Seoul Broadcasting ...

's (SBS) television series '' You're Beautiful'', where he played guitarist Kang Shin-woo in the fictional band A.N.Jell. The drama saw popularity in international markets, which fostered the growth of his popularity.

Music structure

Musically, ''Bluetory'' is a

record. Jung described it as being an

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

mini-album, which also incorporated

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

, rap, and

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

ry. Originally sung in English for the band's Japanese mini-albums, the tracks "Y, Why...", "Now or Never", and "I Will... Forget You..." were re-recorded in

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

for inclusion on ''Bluetory''. "Y, Why..." encompasses a "refreshing" guitar, while the latter was classified as a

modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. ...

song with an "explosive" guitar in the chorus. Frontman Jung identified the lattermost track as the first ballad in CNBLUE's catalog.

Release and promotion

CNBLUE was dubbed "the second" F.T. Island since its inception. In early December 2009, Jung first revealed that CNBLUE was set to debut in South Korea "early" the following year. On January 5, 2010, CNBLUE's debut was announced to be on January 14. In addition to video teasers, each member was accompanied by a word that made up the acronym ''BLUE'', which was meant to portray their individual images. The first 35-second teaser was released on January 7, which revealed

and the word "burning". The following day, Kang Min-hyuk and the word "lovely" were revealed. The video teaser for Lee Jung-shin with the accompanying word "untouchable" was published on January 11. The fourth and final teaser featuring Jung with the word "emotional" was revealed one day prior to the release of the mini-album. ''Bluetory'' and the lead single " I'm a Loner" were concurrently released on January 14. The band partook in an album showcase later that day at the Textile Center in the Samseong-dong area of

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. On the following day, CNBLUE began promoting "I'm a Loner" by performing the song on weekly music chart shows, beginning with

Korean Broadcasting System The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS; ) is the public broadcasting, national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters under the government of South Korea. The KBS ope ...

's (KBS) '' Music Bank'' and SBS's ''

Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' (; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform on stage. ...

''. On the January 29 broadcast of ''Music Bank'', CNBLUE ranked number one on program's music chart, earning the band its first music show win. CNBLUE won the Mutizen Song award on ''

'' two days later, the band's second and final win. At the time, CNBLUE's initial win two weeks into its debut was unprecedented. It held the record for shortest amount of time to win a music show award after debut until Winner won its first music show on August 17, 2014, five days into its debut. Performing only in Japan up to its debut, CNBLUE also sought to execute a series of guerrilla concerts in South Korea. The quartet decided to go in order of its acronym for the members' individual images (BLUE). The first performance was decided by guitarist Lee; dubbed the "Burning Street Concert", it took place in Hongdae, Seoul.

Commercial performance

On the chart dated January 10–16, 2010, ''Bluetory'' debuted at number one on the

Gaon Album Chart The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Koreabased on their Record sales, physical sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, ...

. It went on to top the chart for a second consecutive week. By the end of the year, the mini-album sold 77,183 copies and was ranked at the 12th best-selling album in South Korea. In the four years that followed, the record sold an additional 41,782 copies in the country, accumulating sales of 118,965 in total.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly

Year-end

Release history

Notes

References

{{Authority control 2010 debut EPs CNBLUE EPs Alternative rock EPs Pop rock EPs FNC Entertainment EPs Warner Music Taiwan EPs Korean-language EPs 2010s Korean-language albums