Persona (Kangta album)

Persona (Korean: 가면; RR: Ga-myeon; MR: Kamyŏn; lit. mask; stylized as pɘrsona) is the third studio album by South Korean singer-songwriter Kangta. It was first released in South Korea on March 4, 2005, under S.M. Entertainment. Directed by Lee Sang-kyu, the music video for his title song "Persona" was shot in San Francisco.^[4][5]

Persona
Studio album by Kangta
Released	March 4, 2005[1]
Genre	Pop R&B soul jazz[2] rock[3]
Language	Korean
Label	S.M. Entertainment
Producer	Ahn Chil-hyun Lee Soo-man (exec.)
Kangta chronology
1st Concert Pinetree: 20020824 Live (2003) Persona (2005) Scandal (2006)

Artwork

There are several different versions of the album cover.^[1][6][7] It is very likely that most of them (if not, all) were taken at a Chinese studio by photographer Kim Joong-nam, who previously worked on the cover for Polaris.^[2] What they have in common is that they feature Kangta baring his muscular trunk while wearing white hooded attire, a silver rope necklace, and gloves. In the original version, a temporary tattoo is visible on his upper left arm.^[8] He also wore a hat for the alternate version depicted above.

Accolades

The title track "Persona" was nominated for the Best R&B Performance and Overseas Viewers' award at the seventh Mnet Km Music Video Festival. He lost the former to Wheesung's "Goodbye Luv" and won the latter.^[9] He also won the Overseas Artist Award at the third South-East Music Ceremony in Fujian, China.^[10]

Track listing

Korean version, most widely available for streaming

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arrangement	Length
1.	"Persona" (가면)	Kangta	Kangta	Kangta	3:47
2.	"Illusion" (쓰레기)	Kangta	Kangta	Kangta	4:31
3.	"Agape" (느리게 걷기)	Kangta	Kangta	Kangta	5:03
4.	"Paralysis" (마비)	Kangta	Kangta	Kangta	3:16
5.	"Just One Day" (하루만큼만)	Kangta	Kangta	Kangta	3:53
6.	"No More Than My Dream" (꿈일 뿐이죠)	Lee Yoon-jae	Lee	Lee	3:38
7.	"Reminiscence#1" (일어나기)	Ahn Ik-su	Ahn	Ahn	4:11
8.	"Blue Snow"	Kangta	Song Kwang-sik	Song	4:09
9.	"Always" (그녀의 목소리가 들립니다)	Kangta	Song	Song	4:25
10.	"Prayer" (잠든 기도)	Kangta	Kangta Song	Song	5:45
11.	"Agape" (instrumental)		Kangta	Kangta	5:04
12.	"Always" (instrumental)		Song	Song	4:25

Chinese version

1. 면구 / 面具 (Paralysis)
2. 쓰레기 (Illusion)

Charts and sales

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Just One Day" Chart (2005) Peak position Malaysia (988 FM, excl. Chinese songs)[11] 1

Weekly chart performance for the Chinese version of "Persona" Chart (2005) Peak position Malaysia (988 FM)[11] 2

Monthly charts and sales Chart (2005) Peak position Peak sales South Korea (MIAK)[12] 3 44,104

Year-end charts and sales Chart (2005) Position Sales South Korea (MIAK)[13] 34 50,060

References

1. "SMTOWN". SM Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 31, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
2. Kim, Won-gyeom (February 27, 2005). "강타, 근육질 상반신 누드 공개". Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
3. "安七炫发行新专辑 封套露点身材火爆(图)_网易娱乐频道" (in Chinese). NetEase. March 1, 2005. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
4. "강타, 3월 4일 3집 'PERSONA' 발매". Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. April 2, 2006 [February 27, 2005]. Archived from the original on December 31, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
5. "강타, 3월 4일 3집 'PERSONA' 발매". The Chosun Children's Daily. Yonhap News Agency. February 28, 2005. Archived from the original on December 31, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
6. The digital version of the cover on Spotify¹ and YouTube²
7. "Persona (China) / 강타(KANGTA)" (in Korean). Bugs!. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
8. "专辑： 安七炫--《Persona(假面)》_影音娱乐_新浪网". Sina (in Chinese). April 7, 2005. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
9. "MAMA 2005 Winners' Profile & MV". Mnet. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
10. "강타-천상지희,中 동남경폭음악방 최고해외가수상". Star News (in Korean). October 24, 2005. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
11. Kuki (July 30, 2005). "강타，말레이시아 '강타'‥최고 권위 차트 1위". Jeonbuk Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
12. "March 2005 Sales of Music Albums". Music Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on May 27, 2005. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
13. "2005 Total Popular Music Album Sales Volume". Music Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2022.

External links

• (in English) Kangta's official website
• (in Korean) SM Entertainment's official website