Maps of Music

Tree (2014)

Where the lyrics of Tree take you, and where it was really made.

This Japanese album came in four versions, and its fourth version was sold only to members of the fan club Bigeast.

Place unknown

Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.

Tree: seventh Japanese studio album by TVXQ (Tohoshinki), fourteenth overall
Released by Avex Trax on March 5, 2014
Four physical versions: A (CD+DVD), B (CD+DVD), C (CD), and the Bigeast fan club edition (CD-Extra)
Varied pop album drawing on electronic dance music, hip hop, R&B, swing jazz, rock, power ballads, and reggae
Fourteen tracks in total, including two bonus tracks

Officially announced January 10, 2014 through the duo's official website
Follows the convention of titles beginning with the letter T; the name is a metaphor for the duo's growth as artists
Recording began well before the sixth Japanese album Time, which launched in early 2013
Recording sessions overlapped with the Korean seventh album Tense, released in January 2014
Four commercially successful singles: Ocean, Scream, Very Merry Xmas, and Hide & Seek / Something
Promoted with the nationwide arena and dome tour Tree: Live Tour 2014, running from April to June 2014

The title track Tree of Life draws on classical and gospel elements
Ai o Motto was written after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, and its lyrics refer to hope and faith
The power ballad I Love You was arranged with only 22 people playing piano, guitar, cello, and strings
Yunho caught a cold during production, and some tracks use a husky voice that turned the problem into a new sound
Track six was mixed by Yoo Young Jin, while other tracks were mixed by Japanese engineers

Each version's cover represents one season: Spring/Summer for A, Autumn for B, and Winter for C
Version D shows bare-shouldered Yunho and Changmin on the cover and was exclusive to Bigeast members
The official covers were revealed on January 28, 2014 in Japanese newspapers, music retailers, and on the official website

1	OCEAN
2	SCREAM
3	Very Merry Xmas
4	White
5	Something
6	TREE OF LIFE
7	OCEAN (Dance Version)
8	SCREAM (Dance Version)
9	Something (Dance Version)
10	Catch Me -If You Wanna- (a-nation 2013 Stadium Fes.)
11	SCREAM (a-nation 2013 Stadium Fes.)
12	Humanoids (a-nation 2013 Stadium Fes.)

Formed in 2003 by SM Entertainment as a five-member boy band; debuted December 26, 2003 with the single "Hug" (2004).
Yunho was appointed the band's leader; the name Dong Bang Shin Ki was finalized after several alternatives.
Tohoshinki (東方神起) was the Japanese-market name adopted after signing with Avex Group in late 2004.

Current members: U-Know Yunho (leader) and Max Changmin.
Former members Hero Jaejoong, Micky Yoochun and Xiah Junsu left in 2010 and formed JYJ.

Early Korean albums Tri-Angle (2004), Rising Sun (2005), "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. (2006) and Mirotic (2008) topped domestic charts; "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. won Album of the Year at the 21st Golden Disk Awards.
In Japan, the band became mainstream stars after The Secret Code (2009); their Best Selection 2010 was the first album to top the Oricon Albums Chart.
After a 2010 split, Yunho and Changmin returned as a duo with Keep Your Head Down (2011); later albums include Tone (2011), Time (2013), Tense (2014), Tree (2014), New Chapter #1 (2018) and XV (2019).
The duo held a three-day performance at Tokyo Dome on April 27, 2025 for their 20th anniversary.

Debuted at number one on the daily Oricon Albums Chart with 156,491 copies sold on its first day
Debuted at number one on both the weekly Oricon Albums Chart and the Billboard Japan Top Albums, with about 225,000 copies in the first week
Gave TVXQ (Tohoshinki) their fourth consecutive number one album in Japan
Became the first foreign group in Japan to have three consecutive studio albums with first-week sales over 200,000 copies, breaking Bon Jovi's thirteen-year record
Topped the Oricon monthly album chart, the second studio album to do so, with 252,155 copies sold by March 31, 2014

Certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments over 250,000, less than four weeks after release
All four commercially successful singles debuted at number two on the Oricon Singles Chart and earned RIAJ gold certification
Very Merry Xmas earned RIAJ gold certification within a week of release for shipments over 100,000
Ocean is the album's best-selling single, with nearly 150,000 copies sold in its first week

Recording started before the sixth Japanese album Time came out in early 2013, overlapping with the Korean album Tense.
The song I Love You was arranged with only 22 people playing piano, guitar, cello, and strings.
Ai o Motto was written after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, and its lyrics refer to hope and faith.
Yunho caught a cold during production, and some tracks adopted a husky voice as a result.
The title track Tree of Life brings classical and gospel elements into the album.