"Not Alone" (Japanese: ひとりじゃない, Hepburn: Hitorijanai) is a song by South Korean boy group Seventeen. It was released as the group's third non-album and fifth overall Japanese single through Pledis Japan on April 21, 2021. The single debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart, becoming the group's second consecutive chart-topper after "Fallin' Flower" in 2020.
Background and release
In February 2021, Pledis Entertainment announced that Seventeen would be releasing their new Japanese single "Not Alone", following the success of the group's 2020 Japanese mini-album 24H and single "Fallin' Flower".[1] The CD single, which includes "Not Alone" alongside the Japanese versions of the group's Korean tracks "Run To You" and "Home:Run",[1] was marketed with six physical variations: Limited Edition A, Limited Edition B, and Limited Edition C, which each comes with a unique 36-page photo book; Limited Edition D, which comes with an M-Card; Regular Edition, which comes with a 16-page photo book; and Carat Edition, which features a special blu-ray.[2]
"Not Alone" was digitally made available on music streaming platforms on April 15, 2021; its CD was physically released on April 21.[2] A Korean version of the song was later released on Seventeen's greatest hits album17 Is Right Here on April 29, 2024.[3]
Composition
Continuing the theme of youth set forth by the group's previous EPs Heng:garæ and Semicolon, "Not Alone" has been described to be a song that conveys the courage and determination of those standing at the starting line of their dreams.[4] It has further been dubbed as a song of encouragement for those "spending their youth in the difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic".[5] Relatedly, the track, which conveys the message of being connected despite being apart,[6] has also been noted to be an ode to Seventeen's fanbase, as well as a depiction of the group's yearning to meet them in person again, following the restrictions put into place on live performances by the pandemic.[1]
The song was produced by Woozi, with Park Ki-Tae credited as an arranger and composer. Songwriting credits were provided to Bumzu and Woozi, while Japanese lyrics were credited to Haru.Robinson.[7]
Music video
The music video for "Not Alone" was released on April 18, 2021.[1] It depicts the group's members scattered across various locations while staying remotely connected before reuniting during the video's climax.[2] Commenting on the music video's theme, member DK shared, "There is a scene where the members, who were spending time in different places, connect via video call to celebrate my birthday. That scene left a particularly strong impression on me because it conveys the message that even though we were apart, we were not alone and were still connected."[2]
Promotion
On April 27, 2021, Seventeen hosted a special online fan meeting titled Hare to commemorate the single's release.[8] A special performance of the song was aired on Asahi TV's weekly music program Music Station on May 7.[9]
Commercial performance
In Japan, "Not Alone" debuted at number one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, selling 372,913 copies in its opening week of April 19–25, 2021.[10][11] In the same period, it debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart,[12] recording 315,000 units sold.[13] It is Seventeen's second consecutive Japanese work to top the chart, after their 2020 single "Fallin' Flower" sold 334,000 copies in its first week of release.[13] This made Seventeen the second group in history to have two consecutive singles each exceed a first-week sales total of 300,000 units, after BTS, as well as the first foreign male artist to have three consecutive singles each exceed a first-week sales total of 200,000 units.[13]
^ abcdSEVENTEEN、新曲「ひとりじゃない」MV公開 [SEVENTEEN Releases New Music Video for "Hitorijanai"]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). April 19, 2021. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
^SEVENTEEN、新曲MVでDKの誕生日祝福「離れていても、ひとりじゃない」 [SEVENTEEN celebrates DK's birthday in new music video: "Even if we're apart, we're not alone"]. Oricon News (in Japanese). April 18, 2021. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
^Kuramoto, Yoshimi (April 21, 2021). SEVENTEEN『ひとりじゃない』人と人が会うことすらためらわれる時代だからこそ、彼らが今一番伝えたい思いが形に ["SEVENTEEN's 'Not Alone': In an era where even meeting people is something to hesitate about, they have turned the feelings they most want to convey right now into a song]. Mikiki (in Japanese). Tower Records. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
^세븐틴, 日 스페셜 토크쇼+온라인 팬미팅 성료 [SEVENTEEN, Japanese Special Talk Show + Online Fan Meeting Success]. Sports Dong-A (in Korean). April 28, 2021. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024 – via Naver.
^Kyung, Jimin (May 8, 2021). 세븐틴, 日 ‘뮤직 스테이션’ 또 휩쓸었다..고품격 퍼포먼스 선사 [Seventeen, sweeping Japan's 'Music Station' again..high-quality performance]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024 – via Naver.
