Maps of Music

The Dream Chapter: Magic (2019)

Where the lyrics of The Dream Chapter: Magic take you, and where it was really made.

The album was postponed twice, first from August to September and then to October, after members fell ill with conjunctivitis and back pain.

Key places

Live showcase at Yonsei University (2019)

Live show Big Hit Studios, Seoul — On the release day, the band held a live showcase at the concert hall of Yonsei University in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, while promoting the lead single on South Korean music shows. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: Private company studio, not open to visitors.

Album story

Overview

• The Dream Chapter: Magic: debut studio album by South Korean boy band Tomorrow X Together
• Released October 21, 2019 by Big Hit Entertainment and Republic Records
• Follow-up to the debut EP The Dream Chapter: Star (March 2019)
• Eight songs, including the lead single 9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)
• Genres include R&B, tropical house, acoustic pop, and hip-hop
• Released physically and digitally on the same day as the lead single's music video

Background

• Originally planned for August; postponed to September after member illness
• Postponed again from September to October after Taehyun and Huening Kai were also diagnosed with conjunctivitis
• October 1: teaser video released on YouTube, announcing the album and its October 21 release
• October 3: first concept trailer released, combining 2D graphics with projection mapping
• Two concepts, Sanctuary and Arcadia, with concept photos released October 7 and 8
• October 11: full tracklist and album cover released
• Lead single teaser released October 17, showing members in a school hallway setting
• Magic Island and Angel or Devil received individual member teasers and music videos in November 2019

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Tomorrow X Together (TXT) is a South Korean boy band formed by Big Hit Entertainment.
• The group was officially revealed on January 10, 2019, and debuted on March 4, 2019 with the EP The Dream Chapter: Star.
• The name refers to five individuals who come together under one dream to build a better tomorrow.

Members

• Yeonjun, Soobin (leader), Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai.

Career

• The debut EP topped the Gaon Album Chart and Billboard World Albums Chart and entered the US Billboard 200 at number 140, the highest-charting debut album by any male K-pop group at the time.
• The band was the first Korean boy band to perform and headline at Lollapalooza, and the first K-pop act to perform there twice.
• Early awards include Rookie of the Year at the 34th Golden Disc Awards and Best New Male Artist at the 2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards.
• In 2020 the group made its Japanese debut and topped the Oricon Albums Chart with The Dream Chapter: Eternity.
• The Chaos Chapter: Freeze debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, the band's highest US chart placement.
• The group announced in 2025 that all five members renewed their contracts with their agency.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Billboard described the album as a complex, varied soundscape inspired by its titular theme, with elements of groove, punk-pop, R&B, and house
• Billboard counted the five members among one of that year's most sonically exciting rookie acts
• Writing for MTV, Crystal Bell commended the eclectic mix of genres, saying it diversifies the group's sound without losing its signature energy
• Dazed ranked the lead single No. 2 on its list of the 20 best K-pop songs of 2019
• Billboard included the lead single in its 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2019 Critics' Picks list
• MTV included Magic Island in its Best K-pop B-sides of 2019 list

Records

• Gaon Album Chart: debuted at No. 1, with first-week sales above 124,000
• Second chart-topping album for the group after The Dream Chapter: Star
• Billboard World Albums Chart: No. 3
• Heatseekers Albums Chart: No. 6
• Billboard World Digital Songs: four tracks charted; lead single debuted at No. 2, New Rules at No. 16, 20cm at No. 18, Angel or Devil at No. 21
• Sales: 5,600 in Japan, 202,302 in South Korea, 2,000 in the United States (Nielsen SoundScan)
• Gaon Album Chart year-end 2019: No. 27

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The Magic Island music video runs about 14 minutes and plays more like a short mini-film than a standard video
• Before the Magic Island video, individual member teasers were released from November 13 to 16
• The lead single won first place on SBS MTV's The Show on October 29
• The album shipped with two concept versions, Sanctuary and Arcadia, with the Arcadia photos taking a darker theme
• The band's first release date was pushed back twice in 2019 before October 21

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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