''Step'' is the fourth studio album and third Korean release by South Korean
girl group
A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...
Kara
Kara or KARA may refer to:
Geography Localities
* Kara, Chad, a sub-prefecture
* Kára, Hungary, a village
* Kara, Uttar Pradesh, India, a township
* Kara, Iran, a village in Lorestan Province
* Kara, Republic of Dagestan, a rural locality in ...
, released on September 6, 2011. A special limited edition was available for pre-order starting August 25, 2011.
By the end of 2011, ''Step'' sold 100,662 copies in South Korea.,
the album was shortlisted in Asia Association Music Prize.
Background and recording
On August 4, 2011, the group confirmed that they would be releasing their third official album in mid-September and would resume their activities in South Korea for the first time in over six months. It was also reported by industry representatives that the group had been recording songs for the album during their spare time while they were busy promoting their fourth Japanese single, "
Go Go Summer!
is a song performed by South Korean girl group Kara (South Korean band), Kara. It was released as the fourth Japanese single on June 29, 2011 but was earlier released digitally on iTunes Store, iTunes Japan on June 22, 2011.
It was released in ...
".
DSP Media
DSP Media () is a South Korean entertainment company established in 1991 by Lee Ho-yeon. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and music publishing hous ...
stated that the group were in the process of reviewing which songs to be used as the lead songs from the album.
Concept and artwork
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, in which they ultimately chose the latter.
Composition
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.
The album's title track was released as the lead single.
Release and promotion
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 to purchase the album would be chosen to attend a special showcase by KARA on September 14, 2011. DSP Media also teamed up with
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
to deliver a special online series of three episodes titled "KARA Channel", which covered the group's preparations for the release of the album. The series began airing on Kara's official YouTube channel on September 7, 2011, and ended on September 21, 2011.
Due to the group's commitments with their schedule in Japan, they only promoted the album for three weeks.
Track listing
Notes
* "I Am... (Ing) (Acoustic Version)" is a re-recorded version of a song that was previously included in the group's second mini-album "
Pretty Girl".
* "With My Heart (Dear Kamilia)" is a Korean version of "Ima, Okuritai 「Arigatou」", from their Japanese single "
Jet Coaster Love".
Charts
Weekly charts
Yearly charts
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2011 albums
Kara (South Korean group) albums
2010s Korean-language albums