Christmas EveL
Digital cover
Single album by
Stray Kids
ReleasedNovember 29, 2021 (2021-11-29)
Studio
  • JYPE (Seoul)
  • Channie's "Room" (Seoul)
Genre
Length13:50
Language
  • Korean
  • English
LabelJYP
Producer
  • 3Racha
  • HotSauce
  • Nickko Young
  • Earattack
  • Versachoi
Stray Kids chronology
Noeasy
(2021)		 Christmas EveL
(2021)		 SKZ2021
(2021)
Singles from Christmas EveL
  1. "Christmas EveL"
    Released: November 29, 2021 (2021-11-29)
  2. "Winter Falls"
    Released: November 29, 2021 (2021-11-29)

Christmas EveL (pronounced "Christmas Evil") is a single album[note 1] by South Korean boy band Stray Kids. It was released on November 29, 2021, through JYP Entertainment, and distributed by Dreamus, as part of the band's Season Song project. Marketed as a "holiday special single", it consists of four tracks, including the dual lead singles "Christmas EveL", and "Winter Falls", with a theme of "Christmas naughty boy" and a Christmas, hip hop, and pop sound. Commercially, the single album debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart, was certified triple platinum by Korea Music Content Association (KMCA), selling 750,000 copies, and was nominated for Album of the Year – 4th Quarter at the 11th Gaon Chart Music Awards.

Background

On January 1, 2021, New Year's Day, Stray Kids released the video Step Out 2021, consisting of the group's achievements in 2020, and 2021's to-do plan, including their project called Season Song.[6] In 2021, the group made history after participating and won the Mnet competitive reality television show Kingdom: Legendary War,[7] and releasing their second studio album Noeasy on August 23 with the lead single "Thunderous", which received an important musical success. The album debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart and sold over 1.2 million copies, becoming the first million-selling album by the group and their label JYP Entertainment.[8] On November 11, the group released a mysterious poster to promote Christmas EveL.[9] The project was later described as a "holiday special single" for their fans as a thank-you gift,[10] as part of the Season Song project.[11]

Music and lyrics

Stray Kids member Felix (left) and Korean-American rapper Junoflo (right) co-wrote the English lyrics of "Domino"

Christmas EveL is thirteen minutes and fifty seconds long, consisting of four tracks, categorized as a Christmas, hip hop and pop record[4] with the theme "Christmas naughty boy".[10] All tracks were produced and written by 3Racha, an in-house production team of Stray Kids, consisting of Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han. The group's member Felix and Korean American rapper Junoflo co-wrote the English lyrics of "Domino", originally included on the group's second studio album, Noeasy, with the original writer, Bang Chan. HotSauce, Nickko Young, Earattack, and Versachoi also participated in co-composing the tracks.[12]

Christmas EveL opens with the title track, "Christmas EveL", a funky hip hop song,[13] expressing the different points of view and downsides of Christmas, rather than romance and warmth.[11] Elite Daily described the title track as an "anti-Christmas song".[14] The Christmas-themed ballad second track, "24 to 25", is about wanting to spend time together from December 24 to 25, especially with their fans, called Stay, driven by a "calm" guitar sound.[15] "Winter Falls", the third ballad pop track, details a person who tries to erase the complicated thoughts about a former relationship that come to mind during winter and the end of the year.[13][16]

Release and promotion

On November 11, 2021, Stray Kids dropped a mysterious poster, titled Christmas EveL without knowing the format. The poster features a horrible, slightly off-smiley face in black, and a blood-like red background, showing 2 torn papers, the one features the red-font "Christmas Eve", and the one writes the "L" in flowing ink, as well as a release date: 2021.11.29.[9][17] Marketed as the group's "holiday special single", previewing and pre-orders for the limited version of the CD began on the same day,[1][18] and the standard version began on November 15.[19][20] The group announced that they would not promote the songs on any music program, as a gift to their fans who have sent warm support and love in 2021.[10]

The individual and group teaser photos were uploaded in two sets. The first shows the members in tartan-patterned outfits in an arcade.[10][11][21] The second expresses the members tying a bow on their necks and wearing Christmas-themed outfits, surrounded by wrapped presents and a Christmas tree in the background.[22][23][24] The official track listing was posted on November 19, serving "Christmas EveL" and "Winter Falls" as a double lead single on the record.[12] Two music video teasers of "Christmas EveL" were released on November 20 and 27,[25][26] while "Winter Falls" was released on November 22 and 28.[27][3][28] A snippet video called "unveil: track" of "24 to 25" was uploaded on November 25,[15] as well as the title track "Christmas EveL" via Instagram Reels on November 27.[29] An accompanying music video for "Christmas EveL" was premiered alongside the single album release,[30] "Winter Falls" the next day,[31] and "24 to 25" on December 6.[32] Although there is no promotion at the music shows, "Winter Falls" was given a debut performance at 2021 SBS Gayo Daejeon on December 25, alongside "Thunderous", arranged in the Christmas version.[33][34] The next year, they performed "24 to 25", and "Christmas EveL" at its 2022 edition of the same program.[35][36]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
NME[37]

Writing for NME, Rhian Daly rated Christmas EveL four out of five stars, and said that aside from the English version of "Domino" that provides a "fiery end to the record", there is a "Christmassy atmosphere that runs neatly through the rest of the tracks". Daly did not see this as a negative though, commenting that "That's typical Stray Kids, though – always keeping us on our toes even when we think we've got them pegged."[37] Christmas EveL was nominated for Album of the Year – 4th Quarter at 11th Gaon Chart Music Awards.[38]

Commercial performance

In South Korea, Christmas EveL debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart for the date issue of November 28 – December 4, 2021, selling 654,658 copies as of November 2021,[39][40] making it the group's sixth number-one album after Clé 1: Miroh, Clé: Levanter, Go Live, In Life, and Noeasy.[41] The lead single "Christmas EveL" and "Winter Falls" entered the Gaon Digital Chart simultaneously at numbers 114 and 151, respectively.[42] All of the single album's four tracks also debuted simultaneously on the Gaon Download Chart, where the lead singles debuted in the top 10.[43] In the United States, the single album landed at number 25 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums,[44] as well as number 9 on Hungary's Album Top 40 Chart.[45] Christmas EveL received a double platinum certification by Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) on February 10, 2022,[46] and later a triple platinum on May 12.[47]

Track listing

Christmas EveL track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Christmas EveL"
  • Bang Chan (3Racha)
  • Changbin (3Racha)
  • Han (3Racha)
  • Bang Chan
  • Changbin
  • Han
  • HotSauce
  • HotSauce
  • Bang Chan
2:59
2."24 to 25"Bang Chan
  • Bang Chan
  • Nickko Young
  • Bang Chan
  • Nickko Young
3:37
3."Winter Falls"Han
  • Han
  • Earattack
Earattack3:35
4."Domino" (English version)
  • Bang Chan
  • Changbin
  • Han
  • Versachoi
  • Versachoi
  • Bang Chan
3:19
Total length:13:50

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an English lyricist.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the official website.[13]

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales figures for Christmas EveL
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
South Korea (KMCA)[55] 3× Platinum 889,684[56]

Release history

Release dates and formats for Christmas EveL
RegionDateFormatVersionLabelRef.
Various November 29, 2021 — JYP [2][5]
South Korea CD
  • Limited
  • standard
 [1][19]

Notes

  1. ↑ JYP Entertainment officially classified Christmas EveL as a single,[1][2] but serves both "Christmas EveL" and "Winter Falls" as the dual lead single. Different sources described Christmas EveL as a single album[3] or an EP.[4][5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Stray Kids(스트레이 키즈) Holiday Special Single <Christmas EveL> LIMITED ver. ALBUM PREVIEW". Stray Kids Official Website. JYP Entertainment. November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Stray Kids (November 29, 2021). "[싱글] Christmas EveL". Melon (in Korean). Kakao Entertainment Corp. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Hwang, You-mee (November 22, 2021). "[Today's K-pop] Twice ranks No. 3 on Billboard 200 with 3rd LP". The Korea Herald. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Lee, Sun-min (November 19, 2021). "Stray Kids reveals track list for upcoming EP 'Christmas EveL'". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Stray Kids (November 29, 2021). "Christmas EveL - EP". Apple Music (US). Apple Inc. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  6. ↑ Lee, Ji-sun (January 1, 2021). "스트레이 키즈, 2021년 대세 굳히기 목표…K팝 선두주자의 열일 예고" [Stray Kids, Goals to Solidify the Trend…K-pop Leader's Hard Work Notice]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Herald. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  7. ↑ Park, Ha-na (June 3, 2021). "스트레이키즈, '킹덤' 우승으로 최종 '킹' 등극…대장정 마무리(종합)" [Stray Kids Won 'Kingdom' and Became the Final 'King'... End of the Great Journey]. News1 (in Korean). Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  8. ↑ Lee, Seung-hoon (September 29, 2021). ""JYP 최초 밀리언셀러"..스트레이 키즈, 정규 2집으로 증명한 'K팝 4세대 선두주자'" ["JYP First Million Seller"..Stray Kids, 'K-Pop 4th Generation Leader' Certified with 2nd Studio Album]. Osen (in Korean). Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  9. 1 2 Ahn, Byung-gil (November 11, 2021). "스트레이 키즈 'Christmas EveL' 포스터 깜짝 공개" [Stray Kids 'Christmas EveL' Poster Surprise Release]. Sport Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Hwang, Hye-jin (November 17, 2021). "'컴백' 스트레이 키즈 방찬X리노X창빈X현진 'Christmas EveL' 티저 공개" ['Comeback' Stray Kids Bang Chan×Lee Know×Changbin×Hyunjin Teaser Release]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 Kim, Na-yul (November 18, 2021). "스트레이 키즈, 'Christmas EveL' 개별 사진 공개..2021 시즌송 예고" [Stray Kids, 'Christmas EveL' Individual Photos Released..2021 Season Song Notice]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  12. 1 2 Kang, Min-kyung (November 19, 2021). "'커리어 하이' 스트레이 키즈, 새 싱글 트랙리스트 공개...STAY에 화답" ['Career High' Stray Kids Unveiled New Single Tracklist...An Answer to STAY]. Tenasia (in Korean). Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  13. 1 2 3 "Christmas EveL". Stray Kids Official Website (in Korean). JYP Entertainment. November 29, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  14. ↑ Mendez, Michele (November 30, 2021). "Stray Kids' Wild "Christmas EveL" MV Is Like A Mini Holiday Movie". Elite Daily. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  15. 1 2 Yoon, Sang-geun (November 25, 2021). "스트레이키즈 '24 to 25' 티저 영상..로맨틱한 크리스마스 분위기" [Stray Kids '24 to 25' Teaser Video..Romantic Christmas Vibes]. StarNews (in Korean). Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Stray Kids Gifts Fans With First-Ever Holiday Release "Christmas EveL"". The Anti Magazine. November 30, 2021. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  17. ↑ Hwang, You-mee (November 11, 2021). "[Today's K-pop] EXO's Kai to return as solo singer". The Korea Herald. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  18. ↑ Stray Kids [@Stray_Kids] (November 11, 2021). "Stray Kids(스트레이 키즈) / Holiday Special Single / <Christmas EveL> / LIMITED ver. / PRE-ORDER" (Tweet). Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Twitter.
  19. 1 2 "Stray Kids(스트레이 키즈) Holiday Special Single <Christmas EveL> STANDARD ver. ALBUM PREVIEW". Stray Kids Official Website. JYP Entertainment. November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  20. ↑ Stray Kids [@Stray_Kids] (November 15, 2021). "Stray Kids(스트레이 키즈) / Holiday Special Single / <Christmas EveL> / STANDARD ver. / PRE-ORDER" (Tweet). Retrieved November 15, 2021 – via Twitter.
  21. ↑ Han, Hae-sun (November 21, 2021). "스트레이 키즈, '크리스마스 악동' 변신..'Christmas EveL' 티저 공개" [Stray Kids, 'Christmas Bad Boy' Transformation... 'Christmas EveL' Teaser Release]. StarNews (in Korean). Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Stray Kids' Bang Chan, Changbin, Hyunjin, and Lee Know get festive in new 'Christmas EveL' concept photos". Allkpop. November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  23. ↑ Ji, Min-kyung (November 24, 2021). "스트레이 키즈, 선물 같은 비주얼..에너제틱한 연말 분위기 가득" [Stray Kids, Gift-like Visuals.. Full of Energetic End-Of-Year Vibes]. Osen (in Korean). Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  24. ↑ Jung, Hye-yeon (November 26, 2021). "'컴백 D-3' 스트레이 키즈 "산타에게 받고 싶은 선물? 팬들 직접 만나는 기회"" ['Comeback D-3' Stray Kids "A Gift You Want to Receive from Santa? Opportunity to Meet Fans in Person"]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  25. ↑ Ahn, Byung-gil (November 20, 2021). "스트레이 키즈 'Christmas EveL' MV 티저" [Stray Kids 'Christmas EveL' MV Teaser]. Sport Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  26. ↑ Kim, Yu-jin (November 27, 2021). "스트레이 키즈, 겨울 산타 변신…악동 산타들의 유쾌한 크리스마스" [Stray Kids, Winter Santa Transformation… Merry Christmas from Naughty Santas]. Xportsnews (in Korean). Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  27. ↑ Kim, No-eul (November 22, 2021). "스트레이 키즈, 공허한 눈빛의 '윈터 폴스' MV 티저 첫 공개" [Stray Kids, Empty Eyes' 'Winter Falls' MV Teaser First Release]. Xportsnews (in Korean). Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  28. ↑ Jeon, Hyo-jin (November 28, 2021). "스트레이 키즈, '윈터 폴스' MV 티저 공개" [Stray Kids, 'Winter Falls' MV Teaser Release]. Sports Donga (in Korean). Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  29. ↑ Cha, E. (November 27, 2021). "Update: Stray Kids Gives A Fun Preview Of Their Holiday Single Album "Christmas EveL"". Soompi. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  30. ↑ Chin, Carmen (November 29, 2021). "Stray Kids save the holidays in music video for 'Christmas EveL'". NME. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  31. ↑ Lee, Min-ji (November 29, 2021). "스트레이 키즈 "팬들에 선물하는 첫 시즌송, 소중한 X마스 선물"" [Stray Kids "First Season Songs Giving to Fans, Precious X'Mas Gift"]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Stray Kids spend a fun and cozy winter's day in official MV for '24 to 25'". Allkpop. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  33. ↑ Yeon, Hwi-seon (December 25, 2021). ""'오징어 게임'이 여기 왜 나와?" 스트레이 키즈, 연말 무대가 이 정도는 돼야 [2021 SBS 가요대전]" ["Why Is 'Squid Game' Here?" Stray Kids, the Year-End Stage Should Be like This [2021 SBS Gayo Daejeon]]. Osen (in Korean). Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  34. ↑ Yeon, Hwi-seon (December 25, 2021). "'2021 SBS 가요대전' 에스파→NCT, MCU 안 부러운 K팝 유니버스 [종합]" ['2021 SBS Gayo Daejeon' Aespa→NCT, K-Pop Universe Not Envy MCU]. Osen (in Korean). Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  35. ↑ Park, Seo-hyun (December 24, 2022). "[SBS 가요대전]"SHOUT OUT" 아이브·뉴진스→차준환까지..케이팝으로 하나 된 축제의 장" [[SBS Gayo Daejeon] "SHOUT OUT" Ive, NewJeans → Cha Jun-hwan… A Venue for a Festival United by K-Pop]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  36. ↑ Cha, E. (December 25, 2022). "Watch: Performances From 2022 SBS Gayo Daejeon". Soompi. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  37. 1 2 Daly, Rhian (December 1, 2021). "Stray Kids' 'Christmas EveL' is a festive flex of creativity and originality". NME. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  38. ↑ "11th GAONCHART MUSIC AWARDS 올해의 가수(오프라인앨범) 후보자" [11th Gaon Chart Music Awards Album of the Year Nominatees]. Gaon Chart Music Awards (in Korean). KMCA. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  39. ↑ Yoon, Sang-geun (December 9, 2021). 아이유 11월 가온차트 2관왕..스트레이키즈 'Christmas EveL' 65만장 1위 [IU wins 2 Gaon Charts in November.. Stray Kids 'Christmas EveL' tops 650,000 copies]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  40. ↑ Lee, Seung-hoon (December 13, 2021). "스트레이 키즈, 'Christmas EveL'로 가온차트 1위→美 타임 '베스트 K팝 앨범' 선정[공식]" [Stray Kids, 'Christmas EveL' topped Gaon Chart → Selected as 'Best K-pop Album' by US Time [Official]]. Osen (in Korean). Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  41. ↑ McIntyre, Hugh (December 9, 2021). "Stray Kids Land Their Sixth No. 1 Album In Korea With Their Seasonal 'Christmas EveL'". Forbes. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  42. ↑ "Digital Chart – Week 49 of 2021". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  43. ↑ "Download Chart – Week 49 of 2021". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  44. ↑ "Heatseekers Albums The week of December 11, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  45. 1 2 "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2022. 2. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  46. ↑ Oh, Ji-won (February 10, 2022). "김민석 '취중고백', 1월 가온차트 디지털차트 1위" [Kim Min-seok 'Drunken Confession' Topped January Gaon Digital Chart]. YTN (in Japanese). Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  47. ↑ Jeon, Hyo-jin (May 12, 2022). "빅뱅, 4월 가온차트 디지털·스트리밍 1위…임영웅 4관왕·아이브 앨범 1위" [Big Bang, April Digital·Streaming #1…Lim Young-woong 4 Crowns·Ive Album #1]. Sports Donga (in Korean). Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  48. ↑ "Christmas EveL – Week 50, 2022" (in Croatian). HDU. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  49. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart – Week 49, 2021". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  50. ↑ "Official Physical Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  51. ↑ "Stray Kids Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  52. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart – November 2021". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  53. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart – 2021". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  54. ↑ "Összesített album- és válogatáslemez-lista - eladási darabszám alapján - 2022" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  55. ↑ "South Korean album certifications – Stray Kids – Christmas EveL" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association (KMCA).
  56. ↑ Cumulative sales for Christmas EveL:
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