Antifragile is the second extended play by South Korean girl group Le Sserafim, released by Source Music on October 17, 2022. It contains five tracks, including the lead single of the same name. Antifragile marks their first release as a quintet, following the departure of Kim Ga-ram in July 2022.
The album debuted at number two on the Circle Album Chart and was certified million by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) for selling 1,000,000 units. In the United States, it debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200, becoming the group's first entry on the chart.
Background and release On September 1, it was revealed that Le Sserafim would be making their first comeback with new music in the fall. Through a short video clip published on September 19, Le Sserafim announced the title and release date of their upcoming extended play (EP). Source Music then shared the EP's physical release details on social media platforms. Three sets of concept photos titled "Midnight Onyx", "Iridescent Opal" and "Frozen Aquamarine" were also revealed in the weeks leading up to the release of Antifragile. The track samplers and track list were released on October 3 and 4, respectively. The music video for the lead single was released prior to the EP.
Composition The EP contains five songs, including the lead single of the same name, "Antifragile". Member Huh Yun-jin participated in the songwriting process of the third, fourth, and fifth tracks. In addition, member Sakura participated in writing and composing the fifth track.
The record opens with "bass-heavy" intro, "The Hydra". The track references a "mythological creature", where each member speaks in their native language. The second track, "Antifragile", is described as an "Afro-Latin style" pop song with a "heavy" Latin rhythm. The lyrics of the song convey the message that difficult times are stimulus for growth and that with this mindset, they will become stronger. It is followed by "Impurities", which is described as a "sophisticated" R&B track. The fourth track, "No Celestial", is a punk-pop song, characterized with heavy guitar sound. The lyrics are "all about embracing their flaws". The closing track "Good Parts (When the Quality Is Bad but I Am)", is another R&B track, where the members sing about finding "true courage in embracing one's flaws".
Awards and nominations +Awards and nominations for Antifragile Year Ceremony Award Result 2023 Circle Chart Music Awards New Artist of the Year – Physical Korean Music Awards Best K-pop Album
Commercial performance and reception
Following the commencement of pre-orders on September 19, the album sold more than 400,000 copies within a week. As of October 6, Antifragile had sold 560,000 copies, and as of October 14, it surpassed 600,000 copies.
Promotion On the day Antifragile was released, Le Sserafim hosted a live showcase on Mnet to introduce the extended play and to communicate with their fans. "Antifragile", "Impurities", "No Celestial", and "Good Parts (When the Quality Is Bad but I Am)" were all performed at the showcase.
Track listing
Credits and personnel Credits adapted from the EP liner notes.
Musicians
Le Sserafim – vocals (all tracks) Score (13) – production, keyboard (tracks 1–4); drums (tracks 2–4); digital editing, vocal arrangement (all tracks) Megatone (13) – production (tracks 1–4); bass, guitar (tracks 2–4); digital editing, vocal arrangement (all tracks) Alex Bilowitz – production, guitar, keyboard, strings (track 5) Sir Nolan – production (track 5) Nolan Lambroza – bass, drum programming, keyboard (track 5) Lee Won-jong – vocal arrangement, digital editing, additional programming (track 5) Isabella Lovestory – background vocals (track 2) Paulina Cerrilla – background vocals (track 2) Chrali Taft – background vocals (track 3) Jonna Hall – background vocals (track 3) Nathalie Boone – background vocals (track 4) Shorelle – background vocals (track 4) Cazzi Opeia – background vocals (track 4) Ellen Berg – background vocals (track 4) Young Chance – background vocals (track 4)
Technical
Geoff Swan – mixing (track 1) Manny Marroquin – mixing (track 2) Chris Galland – mixing (track 2) Tony Maserati – mixing (track 3) David K. Younghyun – mixing (track 3) Adam Hawkins – mixing (track 4) Yang Ga – mixing (track 5) Chris Gehringer – mastering Kim Hyeon-soo – recording engineering (tracks 1, 4, 5) Lee Yeon-soo – recording engineering (tracks 2–5) Hwang Min-hee – recording engineering (tracks 2–4) Ramiro Fernandez-Seoane – mixing assistance (track 2) Henry Lunetta – mixing assistance (track 4)
Charts
Weekly charts + Chart (2022–2023) Peakposition Croatian International Albums (HDU) 5 Greek Albums (IFPI) 14 Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon) 1 Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan) 1 South Korean Albums (Circle) 2
Monthly charts + Chart (2022) Peakposition Japanese Albums (Oricon) 5 South Korean Albums (Circle) 3
Year-end charts + Chart (2022) Position Japanese Albums (Oricon) 65 Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan) 82 South Korean Albums (Circle) 26
+ Chart (2023) Position South Korean Albums (Circle) 78
Sales and certifications
Release history + Region Date Format Label Various October 17, 2022 South KoreaCD Various October 21, 2022 South Korea July 10, 2026 NFC
See also
Fearless (EP) List of Billboard Japan Hot Albums number ones of 2022
References