Step (Kara album)
Step is the third full-length album by South Korean K-pop girl group Kara. It was released on September 6, 2011. A special limited edition was available for pre-order starting August 25, 2011.
Background and recording
On August 4, 2011, the group confirmed that they will be releasing their third official album on mid-September and will resume their activities in South Korea for the first time in over six months. It was also reported by industry representatives that the group has been recording songs for the album during their spare time while they were busy promoting their fourth Japanese single, "Go Go Summer!". DSP Media stated that the group are in the process of reviewing which songs to be used as the lead song 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.
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.
Step (Meg album)
Step (stylized STEP) is the fifth full-length studio album by Japanese singer-lyricist Meg, released on June 18, 2008 in Japan by Universal Music Japan. This is Meg's highest selling album in her career as well as the second electropop album to reach the top ten in the Oricon charts since Perfume's Game (released two months prior), debuted and peaked at number 8 in the Oricon charts, selling 15,801 units on its first week of release and a total of 29,048 units in Japan.
Tracklist
All lyrics written by Meg; all songs composed, arranged and produced by Yasutaka Nakata.
CD
DVD
References
Step (ClariS song)
"Step" is a pop song by the Japanese duo and idol unit ClariS, written by Kz. It was released as the unit's tenth single on April 16, 2014 by SME Records. The song was used as the second opening theme to the 2014 anime series Nisekoi. A music video was produced for "Step", directed by Jungo. The single peaked at No. 3 on Japan's weekly Oricon singles chart.
Composition
"Step" is a synthpop song with instrumentation from a synthesizer. It is set in common time and moves at a tempo of 146 beats per minute in the E minor key throughout the song. The introduction starts with the synthesized music to transition into the first verse, followed by the chorus. After a short bridge, this pattern is repeated for the second verse and chorus featuring the same music with different lyrics. A break is used to transition into the third verse, immediately followed by the chorus used as the outro to close the song.
Release and reception
"Step" was released in a regular edition and two limited editions on April 16, 2014 as a CD by SME Records in Japan. One of the limited edition versions was packaged with Nisekoi artwork and also contained a short version of "Step" instead of its instrumental version. The other limited edition version came bundled with a DVD containing the music video for "Step". The song peaked at No. 3 on Japan's weekly Oricon singles chart and charted for 8 weeks. "Step" debuted and peaked on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 at No. 5.
Kyo (musician)
Kyo (京 Kyō, born February 16, 1976) is a Japanese musician, poet and singer-songwriter. He is best known as the vocalist of the metal band Dir en grey. He has been with the band since its inception in 1997 and was formerly in La:Sadie's. Kyo was inspired to become a musician when he saw a picture of Buck-Tick vocalist Atsushi Sakurai on the desk of a junior high school classmate. His vocals span a tenor range.
Artistry
Lyrics
While he has only composed a handful of Dir en grey's songs (for example, "The Domestic Fucker Family" and "Hades"), Kyo is responsible for all the lyrics, which usually have negative implications and touch on a variety of dark, sometimes taboo, subjects, such as sexual obsessions ("Zomboid"), child abuse ("Berry"), and mass media ("Mr. Newsman"). Several songs deal with specifically Japanese issues, such as the country's casual attitude towards abortion ("Mazohyst of Decadence" and "Obscure") and its conformity-oriented society ("Children"). Others deal with more traditional subject matter such as personal feelings, emotions, and lost love ("Undecided", "Taiyou no Ao", "Mushi").
