Atlantis Princess is the third Korean studio album (fifth overall) by South Korean recording artistBoA, released throughSM Entertainment on May 30, 2003. The record spawned three singles, including theSeoul Metropolitan Government promotional single "Lights of Seoul", the title track "Atlantis Princess", and "Milky Way", with accompanying music videos produced for the latter two songs. An overseas version of the album, containing a bonusvideo CD, was released in several territories in Asia such as thePhilippines,Hong Kong andTaiwan.
Atlantis Princess is primarily a pop record with lyrics touching on themes of pursuing dreams and aspirations. It was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics, withIZM complimenting BoA's performance and the album's production. The single "Atlantis Princess" ranked number one on the music programsInkigayo andMusic Camp for multiple weeks, and wonBest Dance Performance at the2003 Mnet Music Video Festival.
The album was commercially successful in South Korea, debuting at number one on theRecording Industry Association of Korea (RIAK) album chart in May 2003, with monthly sales of 128,000 copies from two days alone.[1] It remained at number one the following month and sold over 345,000 copies in 2003, ranking as the fifth best-selling album of the year in South Korea and the second best-selling album by a female artist.
The album's title track, "Atlantis Princess", was composed by Hwang Sung-jae and is a fast-tempodance song that expresses a bright and hopeful message.[2] Themusic video for the single was filmed in Australia in mid-May 2003.[3] BoA performed the song on live television for the first time onInkigayo on June 1.[2]
The follow-up single "Milky Way" was written and produced byKenzie. The Japanese version of the track was included as a B-side for her single "Double" and was added as a bonus track to her third Japanese albumLove & Honesty (2004). "The Lights of Seoul" is a promo CD single which was a special release given to people who attended Hi Seoul Festival in May 2003, and was introduced on the website of the Seoul Metropolitan Government as a promotional track for the organization.[4]
Lee Min-hee ofIZM gaveAtlantis Princess a positive review, complimenting BoA's performance and the album's production. However, a reviewer from theDaily Vault was not as impressed, feeling that there were a number of "unmemorable filler songs". Retrospectively, "Atlantis Princess" appeared at number 93 onMelon andSeoul Shinmun's list of Top 100 K-pop Songs of All Time[5] and number 1 onThe Forty-Five's list of the 45 best K-pop songs of all time.[6]
AlthoughAtlantis Princess was released at the end of May, it was the best-selling album of the month and debuted at number-one on theRecording Industry Association of Korea (RIAK) album chart issue for May 2003, selling 127,887 copies.[9] It retained its number-one position the following month and sold an additional 124,747 copies.[10]Atlantis Princess ended at number five in the year-end ranking of the best-selling albums in South Korea for 2003, selling a total of 345,313 copies throughout the year. It was the second best-selling album by a female artist in 2003 afterLee Soo-young'sThis Time, which sold 435,904 copies.[11]
^2003.05월 - 가요 음반 판매량 [May 2003 Album Sales] (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived fromthe original on March 15, 2005. RetrievedMarch 13, 2022.
^ab"(연합인터뷰) 3집 발표 앞둔 가수 보아" [(Yeonhap Interview) Singer BoA ahead of her 3rd album release].Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). May 26, 2003.Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. RetrievedOctober 31, 2021 – via Daum.
^"보아, 뮤비촬영마치고 귀국" [BoA returns home after MV shooting].Ilgan Sports (in Korean). May 23, 2003.Archived from the original on October 31, 2021 – via Daum.
^"Hi Seoul 노래 "서울의 빛"" (in Korean). Seoul Metropolitan City Website. Archived fromthe original on May 16, 2012. RetrievedDecember 12, 2022.
^ab2003.05월 – 가요 음반 판매량 [2003.05 – Sales volume] (in Korean). Music Industry Association of Korea. Archived fromthe original on November 19, 2005. RetrievedMay 7, 2021.
^ab2003년 - 가요 음반 판매량 [2003 Album Sales] (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived fromthe original on February 28, 2009. RetrievedMarch 13, 2022.
^"[DA:신곡] 볼빨간사춘기, 보아 '아틀란티스 소녀' 재해석…러블리 청량" [[DA:New song] Bolbbalgan4 reinterprets BoA's 'Atlantis Princess '… Lovely refreshing].Sports Dong-a (in Korean).Naver. August 7, 2020. RetrievedDecember 15, 2023.
^Shim, Eon-kyung (August 21, 2020)."기다림 아깝지 않은 웬디의 존재감"..레드벨벳, 8개월만 완전체 하모니 '밀키 웨이' ["Wendy's presence is worth waiting for." Red Velvet Performs with All Members After Eight Months in Total, 'Milky Way' Harmony].Osen (in Korean).The Chosun Ilbo.Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2021.
^"2003년 – 가요 음반 판매량" [2003 Domestic Album Sales]. Recording Industry Association of Korea. 2004. Archived fromthe original on February 28, 2009. RetrievedOctober 22, 2014.
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