Candy (EP)

Candy is the fifth extended play (EP) by South Korean boy band NCT Dream. It was released digitally on December 16, 2022, and physically on December 19, 2022, by SM Entertainment through Dreamus. Marketed as a special winter mini-album, the EP consists of six Christmas-themed tracks, including its lead single of the same name, originally released by H.O.T. in 1996.

Candy
Digital and Photobook version cover
EP by NCT Dream
Released	December 16, 2022 (2022-12-16)
Length	21:22
Language	Korean
Label	SM Dreamus
NCT Dream chronology
Glitch Mode (2022) Candy (2022) ISTJ (2023)
NCT chronology
2 Baddies (2022) Candy (2022) Phantom (2022)
Singles from Candy
"Candy" Released: December 16, 2022 (2022-12-16)

Background

NCT Dream released their second studio album, Glitch Mode, in March 2022, followed shortly afterwards by its reissue, Beatbox.^[1][2] It became their second release to sell more than 3 million copies after Hot Sauce (2021).^[3] The album charted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart in South Korea,^[4] while in the United States it was their first entry on the Billboard 200, charting at number 50. In support of the release, they embarked on their third concert tour, The Dream Show 2: In A Dream, in September 2022, visiting South Korea and Japan.^[3][2] A concert film, NCT Dream The Movie: In A Dream, documenting their opening concert held in Seoul was released in theaters in November.^[5] That same month, the group announced they would release their first Japanese single, "Best Friend Ever", in February 2023.^[6]

Composition

The EP includes six Christmas-themed tracks.^[7][8] "Tangerine Love (Favorite)" is described as a retro song featuring "funky" analog synthesizers. "Take My Breath" is described as a mid-tempo pop song, with lyrics about a "shy" confession.^[8][9] "Moon" is described as a ballad song led by a piano melody.^[10] "Walk with You" is described as a dance pop song that follows the same storyline of the group's 2017 track "Walk You Home" from their first EP We Young.^[11] "Graduation" is described as a R&B song that harmonizes the vocals with the strings.^[12] It was highlighted as the standout track of the EP by Jeff Benjamin of Billboard.^[13]

Release and promotion

NCT Dream first hinted at a new release during an Instagram live broadcast on November 17.^[7] The next day, SM Entertainment released a teaser video clip featuring snow falling on an illustrated house named after NCT Dream covered in Christmas-themed decorations, including bows, mini Christmas trees, candy canes and peppermints.^[2][5] It served to announce the group's fifth extended play (EP), Candy, titled after its lead single of the same name, originally released by H.O.T. for their debut studio album We Hate All Kinds of Violence (1996).^[7] On November 21, it became available for pre-order in both online and offline stores.^[3] Winter themed teaser images of the members wearing colorful outfits reminiscent of H.O.T.'s stage costumes were released on December 2,^[14] and were followed by individual teaser images of the members, released from December 4 to December 9.^[15][12] Marketed as a special winter mini-album, the EP was released digitally on December 16 and physically on December 19.^[7]

NCT Dream performed "Candy" alongside their previous single "Glitch Mode" at the 2022 KBS Song Festival on the same day of release.^[16] The group performed "Candy" and "Graduation" on South Korean music show Show! Music Core on December 17.^[17] NCT Dream held a live broadcast on social media platforms YouTube and TikTok to commemorate the release on December 19.^[18] On December 21, the group performed all of the album's tracks at their fan meeting held at Peace Hall, Kyung Hee University, hosted by H.O.T.'s member Kangta.^[19][20] It was broadcast on Beyond Live.^[19]

Pop-up stores

Three pop-up stores were opened in Seongsu-dong, Hongdae and Yeonhui-dong on December 20.^[21] Fans reportedly queued from dawn on the day of the opening and formed lines of over 3,000 people in front of each store to get the exclusive photo cards sold with the EP.^[22]

Commercial performance

Despite being a special mini-album, Candy achieved 2 million pre-orders, according to SM Entertainment.^[23] The EP debuted at number 28 on the Billboard Japan Japanese Hot Albums in the chart issue dated December 21, 2022,^[24] and two weeks later it peaked at number two.^[25] It debuted at number eight on the Oricon Digital Albums in the chart issue dated December 26, 2022.^[26]

Track listing

Candy track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arrangement	Length
1.	"Candy"	Jang Yong-jin	Jang Yong-jin	Kenzie	3:37
2.	"Graduation"	Kenzie	Kenzie Benjamin 55 Junny Zayson	Kenzie Benjamin 55	3:57
3.	"Tangerine Love (Favorite)"	Choi Seo-yul	Jbach Landon Sears David "Dwilly" Wilson Patrick Lok MZMC	David "Dwilly" Wilson Pat Lok MZMC	2:58
4.	"Take My Breath" (Korean: 입김; RR: Ipgim; lit. Steam of Breath)	Hwang Yu-bin Mark	Willie Weeks Justin Starling Ryan Curtis	Willie Weeks	3:00
5.	"Moon" (문; Mun)	Mingtion Dvwn	Mingtion Dvwn	Mingtion	4:13
6.	"Walk with You" (발자국; Baljaguk; lit. Footprint)	Kim Chae-ah (153/Joombas)	Adrian McKinnon Tak (Newtype) 1Take (Newtype)	Newtype	3:35
Total length:					21:22

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Candy Chart (2022–2023) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[27] 112 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[28] 2 Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon)[29] 2 Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[25] 2 South Korean Albums (Circle)[30] 1

Monthly charts Monthly chart performance for Candy Chart (2022–2023) Peak position Japanese Albums (Oricon)[31] 6 South Korean Albums (Circle)[32] 1 Year-end charts 2022 year-end chart performance for Candy Chart (2022) Position South Korean Albums (Circle)[33] 13 South Korean Albums (Circle)[33] SMC vers. 85 2023 year-end chart performance for Candy Chart (2023) Position Japanese Albums (Oricon)[34] 55 Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[35] 64

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
South Korea (KMCA)[36]	Million	1,727,966[37]
South Korea (KMCA)[38] SMC version	Platinum	395,702[37]

Release history

Release formats for Candy

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Various	December 16, 2022	Digital download streaming	SM Dreamus	[7]
	December 19, 2022	CD

References

1. Yoon, Joo-oh (January 27, 2022). SM "NCT Dream, 3월 목표로 새 앨범 준비 중" [공식입장] [SM "NCT Dream, preparing a new album with the goal of March" [Official Position]]. MyDaily (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via Naver.
2. Bowenbank, Starr (November 18, 2022). "NCT Dream Announce Comeback With Holiday Mini Album Candy". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
3. Kim, Rahn (November 18, 2022). "NCT Dream to release mini-album Candy for winter season". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
4. 2022년 14주차 Album Chart [Week 14 of 2022 - Album Chart] (in Korean). Gaon. April 7, 2022. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
5. Tan, Derrick (November 18, 2022). "NCT Dream to release upcoming winter album Candy next month". NME. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
6. Oh, Yoon-joo (November 11, 2022). NCT 드림, 내년 2월 일본 첫 싱글 발매 [NCT Dream to release its first Japanese single in February next year]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022 – via Naver.
7. Jeong, Jina (November 18, 2022). NCT 드림, 겨울 스페셜 앨범 캔디 리메이크…내달 공개 [NCT Dream, winter special album Candy remake... release next month]. Newsis (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022 – via Naver.
8. Lim, Jeong-won (December 6, 2022). "NCT Dream to release Candy mini album on Dec. 16". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
9. Jeong, Jin-ah (December 6, 2022). NCT 드림, 달콤 사랑이야기 캔디…런쥔 티저 공개 [NCT Dream, sweet love story Candy... Renjun teaser released]. Newsis (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022 – via Naver.
10. Choi, Hye-jin (December 7, 2022). NCT 드림, '캔디'로 전할 고백..비주얼 폭발 재민 티저 [NCT Dream, a confession to be conveyed through Candy... visual explosion Jaemin teaser]. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022 – via Naver.
11. Jeong, Jin-ah (December 8, 2022). NCT 드림, '발자국'으로 설렘 자극…해찬 티저 공개 [NCT Dream stimulates excitement with "Walk with You"... Haechan teaser released]. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved December 8, 2022 – via Naver.
12. Kim, Min-ji (December 9, 2022). '컴백' NCT 드림, 천러 티저 공개…통통 튀는 매력 ['Comeback' NCT Dream, Chenle teaser release... bouncing charm]. News 1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022 – via Naver.
13. Benjamin, Jeff (December 19, 2022). "NCT Dream Remake '90s K-Pop Classic for Sweet Holiday Single: Watch "Candy"". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
14. Hwang, Hye-jin (December 2, 2022). NCT Dream, H.O.T. Candy 재해석…16일 스페셜 앨범 컴백 [NCT Dream, H.O.T. Candy reinterpretation... Special album comeback on the 16th]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022 – via Naver.
15. Kim, Bo-ra (December 4, 2022). NCT Dream 제노, 캔디 처럼 달달하네…H.O.T. 재해석 [NCT Dream Jeno is sweet like Candy... H.O.T. reinterpretation]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022 – via Naver.
16. Jung, Hyeon-tae (December 16, 2022). [2022 KBS 가요대축제]NCT Dream, H.O.T. 리메이크곡 '캔디' 무대 세계 최초 공개..상큼한 비주얼 [[2022 KBS Gayo Daechukje] NCT Dream, H.O.T. remake song "Candy" world premiere... Refreshing visuals]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022 – via Naver.
17. Yeon, Hwi-seon (December 17, 2022). '음중' 르세라핌 1위, NCT드림 'Candy' 재해석·WSG워너비 컴백 [종합] [1st place in Music Core Le Sserafim, NCT Dream "Candy" reinterpretation WSG Wannabe comeback [Comprehensive]]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022 – via Naver.
18. Ji, Min-kyung (December 12, 2022). NCT Dream, 19일 Candy 컴백 라이브 진행..달콤한 시간 예고 [NCT Dream, Candy comeback live on the 19th...Sweet time notice]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022 – via Naver.
19. Kang, Da-yoon (December 9, 2022). NCT 드림, 21일 겨울 앨범 '캔디' 발매 기념 팬이벤트 개최 [NCT Dream held a fan event to commemorate the release of their winter album Candy on the 21st]. News 1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022 – via Naver.
20. Kim, Gun-woo (December 22, 2022). NCT 드림, '캔디'로 세대 통합 "부모와 자녀 세대 함께 즐긴다" [NCT Dream, unifying generations with "Candy" "Parents and children's generations enjoy together"]. Money Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022 – via Naver.
21. Yim, Seung-hye (December 21, 2022). "Thousands brave snow to get their hands on NCT Dream's latest EP Candy". Korea JoongAng Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
22. Kim, Won-hee (December 21, 2022). NCT 드림의 팝핑 ‘캔디’[오늘은 어떤가요] [NCT Dream's popping Candy [How about today]]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022 – via Naver.
23. Lee, Jian (December 19, 2022). "NCT Dream's Candy EP sells over 2 million copies in preorders". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
24. "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of December 21, 2022". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
25. "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of January 4, 2023". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved January 10, 2023.
26. "Oricon Top 50 Digital Albums: 2022年12月26日付" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
27. "Ultratop.be – NCT Dream – Candy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
28. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2023-01-09" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
29. "Oricon Top 50 Combined Albums: 2023-01-09" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
30. "Circle Album Chart – Week 52, 2022". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
31. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2023-01" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
32. "Circle Album Chart – December 2022". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
33. "Album Chart 2022". Circle Chart. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
34. 年間 アルバムランキング 2023年度 [Annual Album Ranking 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. p. 6. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
35. "Billboard Japan Hot Albums Year-End 2023". Billboard Japan. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
36. "South Korean album certifications – NCT Dream – Candy" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association (KMCA). Retrieved February 8, 2023.
37. Accumulated sales for Candy:

    • "Circle Album Chart – December 2022". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
    • "Circle Album Chart – January 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved February 18, 2023.
    • "Circle Album Chart – Week 5, 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved February 14, 2023.
    • "Circle Album Chart – Week 6, 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved February 14, 2023.
38. "South Korean album certifications – NCT Dream – Candy (SMC)" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association (KMCA). Retrieved February 8, 2023.