''Tree'' (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 seventh Japanese studio album (fourteenth overall) by South Korean pop duo

Tohoshinki TVXQ (stylized as TVXQ!; , ), known as Tohoshinki in Japan, is a South Korean pop duo formed by SM Entertainment, composed of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin. Originally a five-member boy band which also consisted of members Hero Jaejoong, Mick ...

, released by

Avex Trax is a record label owned by Japanese entertainment conglomerate Avex Inc. The label was launched in September 1990, and was the first label by the Group. History Two years after Max Matsuura began a career distributing studio albums from othe ...

on March 5, 2014. The record was released in four physical versions, each with a seasonal theme cover – Version A (Spring/Summer), a CD+DVD version with music videos; Version B (Autumn), another CD+DVD version with off-shot movies; Version C (Winter), a CD only version with two bonus tracks; and Version D, a fan club limited edition with a CD-Extra. Musically, ''Tree'' is a varied

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

album that is influenced by a broad range of musical genres, such as

electronic dance music Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and List of electronic dance music festivals, festivals. It is generally ...

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- ...

, R&B,

swing jazz Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became nationally popular from the mid-1930s. Swing bands usually featured soloists who would improvise on the melody over the arrangement ...

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...

s, 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 ...

. Recording for the album began well before the launch of their sixth Japanese studio album ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' in early 2013. ''Tree'' was Tohoshinki's fourth consecutive album to debut at number one on the

Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon A ...

and 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 ...

'' Japan Top Albums, selling 225,000 copies on its first week of release. With ''Tree'', Tohoshinki became the first foreign group in Japan to have three consecutive studio albums with first-week sales of over 200,000 copies, breaking

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

's thirteen-year record. Less than four weeks after release, the album earned a platinum certification by the

Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pro ...

(RIAJ) for shipments of over 250,000 copies. All four of the album's commercially successful

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

– "

Ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...

", " Scream", " Very Merry Xmas", and " Hide & Seek /

Something Something may refer to: Philosophy and language * Something (concept) * "Something", an English indefinite pronoun Music Albums * ''Something'' (Chairlift album), 2012 * ''Something'' (Shirley Bassey album), 1970 * ''Something'' (Shirley Scot ...

" – debuted at number two on the

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard Single (music), singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track down ...

and achieved gold certifications by the RIAJ. To promote the album, Tohoshinki embarked on their seventh nationwide tour, Tree: Live Tour 2014 from April to June 2014.

Background and release

''Tree'' was officially announced on January 10, 2014 through Tohoshinki's official website. It contains a total of fourteen tracks, including two bonus tracks, all which were revealed on January 21, 2014. Following the convention of using the first letter 'T' in their album titles, the duo explained in a January 2014 interview that the name "Tree" was meant to be used as a metaphor for their growth as artists. Tree is also an element of growth in East Asian mythology. Yunho and Changmin added in a later interview that the name was actually inspired by the children's picture book ''

The Giving Tree ''The Giving Tree'' is an American Children's literature, children's picture book written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. First published in 1964 by Harper & Row, it has become one of Silverstein's best-known titles, and has been translate ...

'', and that ''Tree'' sends a message about giving. Recording sessions for ''Tree'' coincided with the duo's seventh Korean album, '' Tense'', which was released in January 2014. Similar to the duo's last two Japanese records, ''Tree'' delves into the usual

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

landscape in its dance tracks, some with

and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

influences. The duo also experimented with genres they previously have not attempted before, such as

and

. A variety of different

s permeate throughout the album; "I Love You", written by Katsuhiko Yamamoto, emphasizes the duo's emotive vocal harmony with minimalist programming. Only 22 people were behind the song's instrumental arrangement, playing the piano, guitar, cello, and strings. However, Yamamoto's other composition in the album, , uses smooth R&B arrangements. The song was written after the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...

and its lyrical content refers to hope and faith. On January 28, 2014, the official covers for ''Tree'' were revealed on Japanese newspapers, music retailers and Tohoshinki's official website. Each album cover represented a season of the year; Version A, a CD+DVD version with music videos, fell on Spring/Summer; Version B, a CD+DVD version with off-shot movies and live performances, fell on Autumn; and Version C, a CD-only version with two bonus tracks, fell on Winter. Version D, which features bare-shouldered Yunho and Changmin on the cover, was a limited edition that was exclusive for registered members of Bigeast, Tohoshinki's official fanclub in Japan. First press limited editions also included a photo card. A short version of the music video for the album's

promotional single A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...

"Tree of Life" premiered on February 4, 2014. ''Tree'' was introduced on TV Osaka's ''Japan Countdown'' on February 9, 2014. On February 15, the special website for ''Tree'' was opened, and the lyrics to seven songs in the album were revealed. In early March 2014, Tohoshinki celebrated the album release with an exhibition opened in Shibuya Tower Records in Tokyo. Pre-orders for ''Tree'' were sent out a few days prior to the official March 5 release date.

Promotion

In August 2013, the duo performed "Ocean" and "Scream" at the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, the last stop of their Time: Live Tour 2013. In November 2013, during their fan-meet concert ''The Mission II'' in Saitama, Tohoshinki revealed plans for a new nationwide tour in 2014. Following the duo's unveil, twenty-six dates for their tour were announced, and Tree: Live Tour 2014 was officially announced in January 2014. The tour is set to begin in April 2014 with three shows in the

Yokohama Arena is an indoor arena located in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 17,000 and was opened in 1989. The arena was modeled after US sports venue Madison Square Garden in New York City. It is a five-minute walk from the ...

Singles

" was released as the first single from the album, on June 12, 2013. Released three months after their sixth Japanese album ''

'', the duo promoted "Ocean" in their 2013 Japan-wide concert tour, Time: Live Tour 2013. The duo performed "Ocean" at the

Nissan Stadium Nissan Stadium may refer to: * Nissan Stadium (Nashville) * Nissan Stadium (Yokohama) The , currently known as for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, which opened in March 1998. It is ...

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, the last stop of the tour. "Ocean" is the album's best-selling single, with nearly 150,000 copies sold on its first week of release. "Scream" was released as the album's second single on September 4, 2013. Serving as the theme song for the Japanese horror film ''

Sadako 3D 2 is a 2013 Japanese supernatural horror film directed by Tsutomu Hanabusa and the sequel to 2012's ''Sadako 3D'' and was the final installment in the ''Rasen'' timeline until ''Sadako DX'' in 2022. Plot Takanori Andō (Kōji Seto) is waiting w ...

'', the song was first revealed in July 2013. Like "Ocean", Tohoshinki also promoted "Scream" in their Time Tour, and debuted their first performance of "Scream" at the Nissan Stadium. "Scream" debuted at number two on the

and peaked at number two on ''

's''

Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and Hanshin Contents Link since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thursday ...

. Also debuting at number two, the album's third single, " Very Merry Xmas", was released on November 27, 2013 as a special Christmas single. Supported by the holiday season, the song charted considerably well in radio airplay charts compared to "Ocean" and "Scream", both which have failed to chart in the top fifteen. "Very Merry Xmas" charted in the top ten in the ''

'' Japan Hot Top Airplay, and peaked at number nineteen on the ''Billboard'' Japan Adult Contemporary Airplay. Within a week of its release, the single was certified gold by the

(RIAJ) for shipments of over 100,000. The double A-sided " Hide & Seek / "

" was released as the album's fourth and final single, on February 5, 2014, one month before the official release date of ''Tree''. "Something", originally recorded in Korean, was first released in South Korea on January 6, 2014 as the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

of the duo's seventh Korean studio album '' Tense''. "Hide & Seek" was featured as the theme song for the

Japanese television drama , also called or J-drama, are television programs that are a staple of Television in Japan, Japanese television and are broadcast daily. Format All major Television networks, TV networks in Japan produce a variety of Drama (genre), drama serie ...

, ''Team Batista 4'', which premiered on Japan's

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...

on January 7, 2014.

Commercial performance

Debuting atop the daily

and selling 156,491 copies on its first day of release, ''Tree'' maintained its number one spot for the next four days, making it Tohoshinki's first studio album and second overall release to top the daily Oricon Albums Chart for five days in a row. ''Tree'' debuted at number one on both the weekly Oricon Albums Chart and the ''Billboard'' Japan Top Albums, selling approximately 225,000 copies on its first week of release. It gave Tohoshinki their fourth consecutive number one album in Japan. The album was Tohoshinki's third studio album and fourth record to shift over 200,000 copies on its first week, breaking a record previously set by

thirteen years ago. The album was Tohoshinki's second studio album to top the Oricon's monthly album chart, selling 252,155 copies by March 31, 2014. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan less than four weeks after it was released.

Track listing

;Notes *Version D is only available on the Bigeast Official Shop, which requires Bigeast membership.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Tree''. ; Performers and musicians *Tohoshinki (

Yunho Jung Yunho (; born February 6, 1986), better known by his stage name U-Know Yunho () or simply U-Know, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and a member of the pop duo TVXQ. Born and raised in Gwangju, South Korea, Yunho started his musi ...

Changmin Shim Chang-min (; born February 18, 1988), better known by his stage name Max Changmin (), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and a member of the pop duo TVXQ. Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Changmin was scouted by an SM Ente ...

) – vocals, background vocals *

Yoo Young-jin Yoo Young-jin is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer and vocal trainer formerly under SM Entertainment. He has produced and written songs for H.O.T., S.E.S, BoA, Shinhwa, TVXQ, CSJH The Grace, Super Junior, Girls' Generatio ...

– background vocals (track 6) *Kim Hyeon-a – background vocals (track 6) *Kumi Sasaki – background vocals (track 13) *Yuko Ohtaki – background vocals (track 13) *Hiroaki Takeuchi – background vocals (track 13) *Robin – background vocals (track 14) *Katsuhiko Yamamoto – piano (tracks 1, 15) *Tomohiko Osakabe – bass (track 4) *Kadowaki strings – strings (tracks 4, 15) *Shinjiroh Inoue – background vocals (track 13); all instruments (tracks 5, 8, 12); piano (track 13); guitar (tracks 7, 13) *Kang Soo-ho – drums (track 6) *Jeon Seong-sik – double bass (track 6) *Sam Lee – guitar (track 6) *Kim Dong-ha – trumpet (track 6) *Lee Han-jin – trombone (track 6) *Kim Sang-il – saxophone (track 6) *Taizo Nakamura – bass (tracks 7, 13) *Shika strings – strings (tracks 7, 13) *

Steven Lee Steven Lee (born 6 August 1962) is an Australian alpine skier. He competed in the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics, and had a competitive career lasting just on 25 years. He is the second of only 3 Australian skiers ever to claim victory o ...

– keyboards (track 9, 11) *hitchhiker – guitar, keyboards (track 10) *Andreas Stone Johansson – keyboards (track 11) *Andreas Oberg – guitar (track 11) *Kentaro Kawai – guitar (track 15) *Tomoji Sogawa – piano (track 16) *Kiyoto Konda – guitar(track 16) *Konno strings – strings (track 16) ;Technical personnel *Katsutoshi Yasuhara – direction (tracks 1–5, 7–9, 11–16) *

– direction, recording, mixing (track 6) *hitchhiker – direction, sound processing (track 10) *Atsushi Hattori – mixing, recording (tracks 1, 7, 15, 16); mixing (track 14) *Jung Eui-seok – mixing, recording (track 10) *Naoki Yamada – mixing (track 2–5, 8, 9, 11–13) *Hideaki Jinbu – recording (tracks 1–5, 7–9, 11–16) *Oh Sung-gun with assistant Song Ju-yong – recording (track 6) *Kwang Jung-shin with assistant Jeong Mo-yun – recording (track 6) *Junichi Shinohara – editing (track 3) *Makoto Yamadoi – editing (track 4) *Katsuhiko Yamamoto – programming (tracks 4, 15) *Shinjiroh Inoue – programming (tracks 7, 13) *

– programming (tracks 9, 11) *Andreas Stone Johansson – programming (track 11) *Tomoji Sogawa – programming (track 16)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales and certifications

Release history

References

External links

Special website
{{Authority control 2014 albums TVXQ albums Avex Group albums 2010s Japanese-language albums