''Obsession'' (stylized in

all caps In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...

) is the sixth studio album by South Korean boy band

Exo Exo (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay Zhang, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen (singer), Chen, Chanyeol, ...

. It was released on November 27, 2019, by

SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...

. The album was released for pre-order on November 1, and is available in three versions: ''EXO'', ''X-EXO'', and ''OBSESSION'', which was released on December 4. ''Obsession'' was Exo's first album to be promoted as a six-member group, as members Xiumin and

D.O. Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO or D.O., or in Australia DO USA) is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become lice ...

were undergoing mandatory military service, and member Lay was promoting his solo activities in China. It was also the last album to contain a Chinese version of the title track.

Background and release

''Obsession'' is the band's sixth Korean studio album and seventh overall. The album features 10 songs including the lead single, "Obsession". It follows the band's most recent studio album repackage '' Love Shot'', released in December 2018. The album is the band's first release without members Xiumin and

, who were completing their mandatory military service.

Songs

The title track " Obsession" is described as a

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- ...

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

song featuring repeating spell-like vocal samples and a prominent heavy beat. The album features 10 tracks in a variety of genres. "Trouble" is a dance song that contains various genre elements like trap and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

. The lyrics are about falling for one deeply and having no exit. "Jekyll" is a

dance pop Dance-pop is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developi ...

song with heavy drums, 808 bass along with dynamic vocal composition and transformation. The song's lyrics express an internal conflict with one's alter ego in an impactful way. "Groove" is a song about lovers sharing affectionate feelings as if they were crossing reality & dream through dancing. The song features strings and flute instrumentation with a rhythmical chorus. "Ya Ya Ya" is a hip hop dance song with lyrics expressing the belief that love begins in a single moment. The song has heavy 808 bass and an addictive chorus, featuring sampling from SWV's song " You're the One" (1996). "Baby You Are" is a dance pop song with a romantic vibe and elements of folk instrumentation. The lyrics tell a story about the exciting moment of love at first sight. "Non Stop" is a dance-

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

song with lyrics romanticizing the unstoppable love between two people. The song features prominent brass and guitar instrumentation.

Promotion

On November 29, the band held their comeback showcase titled ''Exo The Stage'', where they performed the lead single "Obsession" for the first time.

Accolades

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 ...

'' ranked ''Obsession'' the 4th best K-pop album of 2019. MTV included "Baby You Are" in their list of the best K-pop b-sides of 2019 and ''

BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet mass media, media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John Seward Johnson III, John S. Johnson III to ...

'' mentioned "Groove" in their year-end list of K-pop releases that helped defined the year.

Track listing

Notes * "Ya Ya Ya" contains a sample of " You're the One" performed by SWV.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2019 albums Exo albums SM Entertainment albums 2010s Korean-language albums IRiver albums Albums produced by Lee Soo-man