Ace (EP)

Ace is the debut extended play by South Korean singer Taemin. It was released by SM Entertainment on August 18, 2014.^[3] "Danger" was released as the lead single.

Ace
EP by Taemin
Released	August 18, 2014 (2014-08-18)
Genre	K-pop^[1] dance^[2]
Length	20:31
Language	Korean
Label	SM KT Music
Taemin chronology
Ace (2014) Press It (2016)
Singles from Ace
"Danger" Released: August 18, 2014

Background and release

On August 11, 2014, SM Entertainment announced Taemin would release an EP titled Ace on August 18.^[4] On August 13, a highlight medley video from the EP was uploaded to YouTube.^[5] The official music video for the lead single, titled "Danger", came out on August 15 and was directed by Kim Sung-wook, who said that through the video he aimed to explore "the themes of masculinity".^[6]

Composition

The song "Danger" was composed by Thomas Troelsen, who also wrote the theme song for the World Cup in Brazil. On radio show Blue Night Radio, a listener asked Taemin, "I liked the shooting sound in your music program performances. Why isn't it included in the digital version [of the song]?" Taemin said, "It was added right before performing on a music program as effect sounds for performance. It's not included because it may damage the musical completion of the song." Another listener asked, "'Danger' has a Michael Jackson feel. Did you have it in mind while working on the song?". To this, Taemin replied, "The song was composed abroad and bought. It wasn't like our goal or role model but just happened so in the process. The company thought it would suit me well, and it's not a style I dislike."^[7]

The song's choreography was created by Ian Eastwood. Shinee member Jonghyun also added that he heard from the managers that after seeing Taemin dance, "I heard he found it amazing for you to copy him so well."^[7] Eastwood says of the song is "...like Michael Jackson" and pays homage to Jackson's unique dance moves and that Taemin seems to understand what Jackson's performance means.

Reception

Ace reached number one on the weekly^[8] and monthly^[9] Gaon Album Chart, and number two on Billboard's World Albums Chart.^[10] "Danger" reached number five on the weekly Gaon Digital Chart.^[11] At South Korea's annual music awards, Ace won the Album Bonsang at the 29th Golden Disc Awards, and received further nominations at the Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards and Seoul Music Awards.^[12][13]

Korean music publication Weiv described the track "Danger" as "[...] a song that showcases the bright sense of Thomas Troelsen good at using multiple tracks, stands out. Most of all, it is a rare song among recent SM songs which doesn't tire you after many replays."^[14] In a review for the publication, Park Jun-woo said that the EP showed that Taemin had become an adult, contrasting with his image as the youngest Shinee member. He observed that it was unusual for a member of an SM group to release a solo album.^[15] IZE said "the young mysterious thief character with light moves but serious business came to life with Taemin's performance."^[16] IZM reviewer Jeong Yu-na noted the influence of Michael Jackson and felt that the EP displayed Taemin's growth as a vocalist. She particularly highlighted "Danger", which she thought created a synergistic effect when combined with the choreography, and "Pretty Boy", which she described as a "hidden weapon". She explained that collaborating with Kai allowed them both to overcome their weaknesses.^[17]

Track listing

Ace track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arrangement	Length
1.	"Ace"	Max Changmin	Daniel "Obi" Klein Charli Taft Deez [ko] Ylva Dimberg (The Kennel)	Daniel "Obi" Klein Deez	3:58
2.	"Danger" (Korean: 괴도; RR: Goedo)	Seo Ji-eum	Thomas Troelsen Mikkel Remee Sigvardt	Thomas Troelsen Mikkel Remee Sigvardt Command Freaks (Iconic Sounds)	3:11
3.	"Experience"	Hong Ji-yoo	Winston Sela Marcus Brosch	Jake K (ARTiffect Music) Tesung Kim (Iconic Sounds)	3:13
4.	"Pretty Boy" (featuring Kai of Exo^[note 1])	Jonghyun	Daniel Caesar (Caesar & Loui) Ludwig Lindell (Caesar & Loui) Ylva Dimberg (The Kennel)	Caesar & Loui (The Kennel)	3:43
5.	"Wicked" (Korean: 거절할게; RR: Geojeolhalge)	Kenzie	Kenzie Teddy Riley (Red Rocket) Lee Hyun-seung (Red Rocket) [ko] Dominic "DOM" Rodriguez (Red Rocket) Andreas "Mage" Maggiani (Devine Channel)	Kenzie Red Rocket Devine Channel	3:25
6.	"Play Me" (Korean: 소나타; RR: Sonata)	Min Yeon-jae	Harvey Mason Jr. (The Underdogs) Damon Thomas (The Underdogs) Mike Daley Adonis Shropshire	The Underdogs Mike Daley Adonis Shropshire	3:01
Total length:					20:31

1. Credited as "Kai of Exo-K"

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Ace Chart (2014) Peak position Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[18] 13 South Korean Albums (Gaon)^[8] 1 Taiwanese Albums (G-Music)^[19] 14 US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)^[20] 20 US World Albums (Billboard)^[10] 2

Monthly charts Monthly chart performance for Ace Chart (2014) Peak position South Korean Albums (Gaon)^[9] 1 Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Ace Chart (2014) Position South Korean Albums (Gaon)^[21] 23

Sales and certifications

Sales for Ace

Chart	Amount
Gaon physical sales	97,438^[22]
Oricon physical sales	5,105

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for Ace

Ceremony	Year	Category	Result	Ref.
Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards	2015	Album of the Year	Nominated	^[23]
Golden Disc Awards	2015	Album Bonsang (Main Prize)	Won	^[12]
		Album Daesang (Grand Prize)	Nominated
Seoul Music Awards	2015	Bonsang (Main Prize)	Nominated	^[13]

Music program awards

Song	Program	Date	Ref.
"Danger"	Music Bank	August 29, 2014	^[24]
	Show! Music Core	August 30, 2014	^[25]

Release history

Release history and formats for Ace

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
South Korea	August 18, 2014	CD digital download streaming	SM Entertainment KT Music	^[3]
Various		Digital download streaming	SM Entertainment	^[26]
Taiwan	September 26, 2014	CD	Avex Taiwan	^[27]

References

1. "Genre according to iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
2. . Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
3. . Taemin Official Website. SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
4. "샤이니 태민, 6년 만에 솔로 활동…남자 된 막내 매력 폭발" [Shinee Taemin begins solo career after six years... the explosive charm of the youngest member who has become a man]. Sports Dong-A (in Korean). August 11, 2014. from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2014 – via Nate.
5. "TAEMIN 태민_The 1st Mini Album 'ACE'_Highlight Medley". YouTube. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
6. Kwak, Yeon-soo (December 13, 2018). "Director behind iconic K-pop music videos". The Korea Times. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
7. "[radio] Taemin at Jonghyun's Blue Night". jujutaem. August 22, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
8. "2014년 35주차 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
9. "Gaon Album Chart Monthly (8/2014)". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
10. "World Albums (September 6, 2014)". Billboard. from the original on December 16, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
11. . August 18, 2014. Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
12. Kim, Hyun-sik (January 16, 2015). '대세' 엑소, 골든디스크 음반 부문 대상 영광 ['Popular' Exo win the Grand Prize in the album category at the Golden Disc Awards]. No Cut News (in Korean). from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021 – via Naver.
13. . Sports Seoul (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 12, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
14. "[weekly weiv] 08.08 ~ 08.22". Weiv (in Korean). August 28, 2014. from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
15. Park, Jun-woo (September 11, 2014). "태민 – The 1st Mini Album 'Ace' (2014)". Weiv (in Korean). Retrieved August 14, 2022.
16. Kang, Myung-seok (August 27, 2014). "태민, 아이돌의 청춘 증명" [Taemin, An Idol's Way of Proving Youth]. IZE (in Korean). from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
17. Jeong, Yu-na (September 2014). "Ace". IZM (in Korean). Retrieved August 14, 2022.
18. [Weekly CD Album Ranking – September 1, 2014]. Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
19. . G-Music (in Chinese). Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
20. "Heatseekers Albums (September 6, 2014)". Billboard. from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
21. "2014년 총결산 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
22. Cumulative sales for Ace:
    • "Gaon Album Ranking Yearly (2014) - see #23". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
    • . Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016.
    • . Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016.
    • "Gaon Album Ranking Monthly (2/2018) - see #92". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
    • . Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019.
23. "2014 Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards nominees". December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
24. Kim, Ji-in (August 29, 2014). 태민, '뮤직뱅크'서 솔로곡 '괴도'로 첫 1위 [Taemin wins first place on 'Music Bank' with his solo song 'Danger']. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Retrieved March 19, 2022 – via Naver.
25. Kim, Mi-hwa (August 30, 2014). 태민, '뮤뱅' 이어 '음중'도 1위..민호와 격한 포옹 [Following 'Music Bank', Taemin also ranked first on 'Music Core'... A big hug with Minho]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved March 19, 2022 – via Naver.
26. "iTunes – Music – The 1st Mini Album 'ACE' – EP by TAEMIN". iTunes Store. August 18, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
27. "ACE by Taemin" (in Chinese). Avex Taiwan. September 26, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2014.