Universe () is the sixth extended play by South Korean–Chinese boy band Exo. It was released by SM Entertainment on December 26, 2017, and is the group's first album to be released without a Chinese edition.
Release On December 14, 2017, Exo was announced to be releasing their sixth extended play and fourth "winter special" album titled Universe on December 21. Following the death of labelmate Jonghyun of Shinee, the album's release was postponed. Universe and the music video for its title track were eventually released on December 26, 2017.
Single The lead single "Universe" debuted at number one on the Melon Realtime Chart. "Universe", produced by Shin Hyuk and MRey, is described as a rock ballad that talks about how a person will search the universe just to find their lover. The single debuted at number two on the South Korean Gaon Digital Chart. It also topped the Billboard Korea Kpop Hot 100 for the first week of 2018.
Promotion Exo performed "Universe" for the first time on December 31 on MBC's year-end show, MBC Gayo Daejejeon.
Reception Upon release, Universe was praised by fans for using gender-neutral pronouns such as "me" and "you" instead of "he" and "she" in the lyrics.
Commercial performance The album debuted atop the South Korean Gaon Album Chart and at number two on the Billboard World Albums Chart.
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2017–18) Peak position French Download Albums (SNEP) 73 Japanese Albums (Oricon) 8 Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan) 20 New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ) 8 South Korean Albums (Gaon) 1
Monthly charts Chart (2017) Peak position South Korean Albums (Gaon) 1
Year-end charts Chart (2017) Position South Korean Albums (Gaon) 6
Sales Region Sales ChinaCumulative sales for "Universe": 212,511 Japan 20,917South KoreaCumulative sales for "Universe": 556,435
Awards and nominations
YearAwardNominated workCategoryResult2017Gaon Chart Music AwardsUniverseAlbum of the Year – 4th Quarter2018Melon Music AwardsAlbum of the Year (Daesang)
Music program awards Song Program Date "Universe" M Countdown (Mnet) January 4, 2018 Music Bank (KBS) January 5, 2018 January 12, 2018 Show! Music Core (MBC) January 6, 2018
Release history Region Date Format Label South Korea December 26, 2017 Various
References