Rock U

Kara
From left to right: Nicole, Han Seung-Yeon, Park Gyuri, Kang Jiyoung, Goo Hara
EP by
Kara
ReleasedJuly 25, 2008
Recorded2008
GenreDance-pop
Length17:51
LanguageKorean
LabelDSP Media
Kara chronology
The First Bloooooming
(2007) 		Kara
(2008) 		Pretty Girl
(2008)
Singles from Rock U
  1. "Rock U"
    Released: July 25, 2008

Rock U (also known as Kara 1st Mini Album)[1] is the first extended play by South Korean girl group Kara. It was released on July 25, 2008. Rock U was released as the lead single.[2]

This was also the first album to feature the two new members of the group; Kang Jiyoung and Goo Hara, following the departure of former member Kim Sunghee. The release also showed a big transition from the group's original "strong female" image to a "cute and natural" appeal, shifting from the R&B sound of their debut to bubblegum pop.

History

After a 10-month hiatus, Kara returned with 2 new members: 17-year-old Goo Hara and 14-year-old Kang Jiyoung. They replaced Kim Sunghee, who left for educational purposes. The song was promoted in music shows, KBS's Music Bank, MBC's Show! Music Core, SBS's Inkigayo and Mnet's M! Countdown. A new version of the song "Good Day" called "Good Day: Season 2" was released on October 13, 2008 as a digital single. A remix version of the song "What's This" entered in the special edition of the group's second EP "Pretty Girl".

Chart performance

The Gaon Music Chart was launched in February 2010 as the official chart for South Korea. The album entered at number 81 for the second week of 2010 on the Gaon Album Chart and peaked at number 8 for the week ending July 3, 2010.[3][4] The album spent four non-consecutive weeks in the Top 10 in 2010 and became the group's second Top 10 album on the chart.[5][6][7]

Track listing

Digital download
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Rock U"
  • Han Jae-ho
  • Song Su-yun
  • Han Jae-ho
  • Song Su-yun
  • Han Jae-ho
  • Song Su-yun
3:34
2."Baby Boy"Kim Hyun-seoKim Hyun-seo 3:49
3."What's This" (이게뭐야)
  • Han Jae-ho
  • Song Su-yun
  • Han Jae-ho
  • Kim Seung-soo
  • Han Jae-ho
  • Kim Seung-soo
3:24
4."Good Day"
  • Han Jae-ho
  • Kim Seung-soo
  • Han Jae-ho
  • Kim Seung-soo
  • Han Jae-ho
  • Kim Seung-soo
3:17
5."Wait"Hwang Seong-jeHwang Seong-jeHwang Seong-je3:45
Total length:17:51

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2010) Peak

position

South Korea (Gaon)[4] 8
Chart (2011) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[8] 106

Release history

Country Date Format Label
South Korea[2] July 25, 2008 Digital download CJ E&M
DSP Media
July 31, 2008 CD
Japan[9][10] February 23, 2011 CD, Digital download Universal Sigma
Taiwan November 7, 2022 CD, Digital download Warner Music

References

  1. ^ "Kara Mini Album". Retrieved 2014-09-15.
  2. ^ a b "Rock U (mini Album) – Kara on Soribada". Soribada. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
  3. ^ "The 2nd Weel of 2010 - Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "The 28th Week of 2010 - Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  5. ^ "The 3rd Week of 2010 - Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  6. ^ "The 5th Week of 2010 - Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  7. ^ "The 40th Week of 2010 - Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  8. ^ "１ｓｔ・ミニ・アルバム ＫＡＲＡのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
  9. ^ "KARA / 1st Mini Album【国内盤】【CD】 / CD / UNIVERSAL MUSIC STORE" (in Japanese). Universal Music Group. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
  10. ^ "KARA「1st Mini Album – EP」 – iTunes で「1st Mini Album – EP」をダウンロード" (in Japanese). iTunes. Retrieved 2011-09-13.