After a 6-month long world tour with 29 shows across 21 cities, K-pop stage-breakers SEVENTEEN return with their 10th Mini Album FML at 5 AM ET/6 PM KST on April 24.

The mini album arrives 9 months after SECTOR 17—the repackage of the band’s 4th full-length album—which charted at No.4 on the Billboard 200. The 4th full-length album Face the Sun, released last May, was the best-selling album in Korea in 2022 with 3.28M copies sold.

Determined never to be set back in their upward trajectory, SEVENTEEN reach back out to their listeners from the world they set foot in in SECTOR 17, to tell the stories inspired by everyone around the world, and in doing so, to relay their wish to together make the journey upward in this ‘perfectly unhappy world.’

# An album inspired by, and made for everyone around the world

“In the middle of this f*cking world,
you deserve to be happy.
So fight. Fight for your life.”

One of the album’s two lead singles and the first track “F*ck My Life” expands the title of the album in its full form, directly uttering the words commonly used to voice frustration at the end of a distressing story.

In line with what the title suggests, the track lyrically captures a state of mind engulfed with racing negative thoughts, speaking to the everyday life stories of everyone just making it through life. But comforting those in distress is not a task to be taken lightly, and even the best-intended words sometimes turn into an attempt to simply silence these negative thoughts.

So instead, the 13 members choose to tell themselves to ‘Fight for my life.’ It’s a form of consolation for those fighting their own battles everyday, delivered in its bare bones without the luster of embellished words. Repeatedly reminding themselves to ‘Fight for my life’ through the track, SEVENTEEN subtly but surely let those tuning in know that at the very least, they will always be on ‘your’ side doing the same.

# As performers and your companions - two lead singles that signify SEVENTEEN’s end-goals

With FML, SEVENTEEN offer two lead singles for the first time since their debut. Presenting double lead singles of astutely contrasting nature, the act aims to boast their flair as both unrivaled performers and a companion to their fans and their listeners.

“Super,” the second track of the album and the lead single coupled with “F*ck My Life,” is a fast-paced, impassioned alternative jersey club track characterized by diverse builds of kicks. The track likens the 13 members’ journey to that of a character named ‘Sun Wukong,’ from the Chinese classic ‘Journey to the West’—told through many iterations of the classic in the form of cartoons, films, and video games around the world—who defies continued defeats that come his way and rises back up stronger.

Adding to the grandeur, a blockbuster performance accompanies the track. The members and over 200 dancers featured in the music video shed light on the idea and the value of ‘coming together as one,’ as the single-minded crew perfect a complex and powerful choreography of a never-before-seen scale. As K-pop performance icons, SEVENTEEN will bring to the stage shows only they can present, and captivate the audience both visually and sonically.

# Team of 13 creatives once again generating buzz in the K-pop scene
In addition to the two lead singles “F*ck My Life” and “Super,” the mini album features 3 unit tracks that reflect the wide range of characters and panache within the group. ”Fire” (Hip-hop Unit), “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U” (Performance Unit), “Dust” (Vocal Unit) follow the lead singles, and the full group track “April shower” brings the album to a close on a hopeful note.

SEVENTEEN’s main producer and Vocal Unit leader WOOZI led the way once again with his frequent collaborator BUMZU, while members S.COUPS, HOSHI, WONWOO, MINGYU, VERNON and DINO contributed to penning the lyrics and composition to complete an album that highlights a sense of warmth and the level of energy SEVENTEEN resolutely bring to the K-pop scene.


Tracklist

1. F*ck My Life *Lead Single
Composed by WOOZI, BUMZU / Lyrics by WOOZI, BUMZU / Arranged by BUMZU, BuildingOwner

“F*ck My Life” is an old school hip-hop track of retro, nostalgic sentiments that overlays contrasting chord work on a bed of drum sounds. As the title implies, the track starts off by pouring out a pessimistic state of mind characterized by angst and anger. Past a certain point, however, the frustration culminates in a moment of determination and SEVENTEEN declare their decision to continue to ‘fight for one’s life,’ suggesting that perhaps what we need is just to feel all we need to feel to move forward to the next stage.

2. Super (손오공) *Lead Single
Composed by WOOZI, BUMZU, August Rigo / Lyrics by WOOZI, BUMZU, S.COUPS, Vernon

Resembling Alternative Jersey Club music in its composition, repetitive drum samples and Afrobeats come together in the impassioned second track “Super.” While staying within the same BPM, the rhythmic variation between Jersey Club, Afrobeats and Drill music build towards the level of energy that mirrors the growth of SEVENTEEN as a group, likening the 13-piece act to ‘Sun Wukong,’ a mythical figure from a Chinese classic. The lyrics adopt motifs from the qualities the different versions of the character share in the many iterations of the classic told over the years, in the form of cartoons, films, and video games among many others.

3. Fire
Composed by BUMZU, WONWOO, Vernon / Lyrics by WOOZI, BUMZU, S.COUPS, WONWOO, MINGYU, Vernon / Arranged by BUMZU

“Fire” is the Hip-hop Unit’s track of Afrobeats and vocal chops that sonically expresses the idea of ‘fire.’ The 4 members of the unit—S.COUPS, WONWOO, MINGYU and VERNON—each pitch in their distinct characters and their own perspective to the idea of passion in the track, while staying tightly knit together under a single theme.

4. I Don’t Understand But I Luv U
Composed by WOOZI, BUMZU, Nmore / Lyrics by WOOZI, BUMZU, HOSHI, DINO / Arranged by BUMZU, Nmore

Being the Performance Unit’s take on R&B, “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U” centers around a comment from a fan the members hold close to their hearts. Elements of R&B and Slow Jam add weight to the guitar loop that acts as the basis to the song. When the track reaches its climax with the line “You know, there are things between us that are more important than words,” layers of notes stack together to form a harmony and echo the wonders of being able to love another regardless of a language barrier.

5. Dust (먼지)
Composed by WOOZI, BUMZU, Park Kitae / Lyrics by WOOZI, BUMZU / Arranged by BUMZU, Park Kitae

The retro synths and drum sounds of the Vocal Unit track, “Dust,” evoke a bittersweet sense of nostalgia. Describing the view of a dusty jacket left by a loved one who is now gone, words about longing and the nostalgic sound of the track meld into a sentimental expression about missing someone. Unlike the lightly laid vocals of the unit’s members, the more you listen to the track, the heavier your heart gets with memories from those who are no longer there.

6. April shower
Composed by WOOZI, BUMZU, SOFTSERVEBOY, Kareem James / Lyrics by WOOZI, BUMZU, SOFTSERVEBOY, Kareem James

Inspired by the saying “April showers bring May flowers,” the mid-tempo Pop track of “April shower” invites the listeners to imagine the sight of rain on our way to something we have long waited for. SEVENTEEN take on the attitude of welcoming whatever hurdle come our way even if the rain slows us down on the way, because all challenges along the way are a part of the ‘rising action’ that will only make the climax that much more grand.