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Realiez
Digital cover
EP by Kang Daniel
Released	June 19, 2023 (2023-06-19)
Genre	K-pop
Length	16:37
Language	Korean English
Label	Konnect Sony Music
Producer	Gingerbread Wyatt Sanders MZMC Dwilly Pink Slip Inverness David Schaeman Rudy Sandapa
Kang Daniel chronology
Joy Ride (2022) Realiez (2023) Re8el (2023)
Kang Daniel Korean chronology
The Story: Retold (2022) Realiez (2023) Act (2024)
Singles from Realiez
"Wasteland" Released: June 7, 2023 "SOS" Released: June 19, 2023
Music video
"Wasteland" on YouTube "SOS" on YouTube "SOS" (Performance ver.) on YouTube

Realiez (stylized in all caps) is the fifth Korean-language extended play (EP) (sixth overall) by South Korean singer and songwriter Kang Daniel. It was released on June 19, 2023, by Konnect Entertainment and distributed by Sony Music Korea. Realiez contains five tracks, including pre-released single "Wasteland" and the EP's lead single, "SOS". The EP debuted at number five on South Korea's Circle Album Chart.

Background and release

First news of the project came on May 26, 2023 when Konnect Entertainment uploaded a teaser video onto their social media channels, entitled "Kang Daniel - Prequel". The sixty second video depicted a post-apocalyptic, dystopian-style desert car chase scene, followed by an unidentified person pointing a gun at a masked Kang. The teaser video ended with a black screen displaying Bible verse Matthew 10:28, followed by a date, "2023.06.19". The EP's title was officially announced four days later, along with the start of pre-order availability. According to Kang, the title, Realiez, is a portmanteau of three words: "real", meaning truth, "lies", a lie disguised as truth, and "realize", the process of realizing the truth and lies.

On June 2, Konnect announced that "Wasteland" would be released ahead of the EP on June 7. The song, recorded entirely in English, was said to contain the central message of the album. The EP's track listing and production credits were released on June 14, confirming the lead single's title, "SOS", followed two days later by audio samples of all songs. Realiez was officially released on June 19, 2023, along with lead single "SOS" and its accompanying music video.

The EP was Kang's final release under Konnect Entertainment, which was dissolved in mid-2024 after Kang filed a criminal complaint against the company's largest shareholder for embezzlement, forgery, and fraud, among other things. Kang's next Korean EP, Act, was released under a new agency, Artistic Round Alliance (ARA).

Composition

Realiez is described as a exploring a variety of genres, such as synth-pop, modern pop, rock, and grunge. The opening song, "Wasteland", is recorded entirely in English and written by Kang. The song is described as a synthpop track with a dark ambiance. The EP's lead single, "SOS", is an electronic-rock influenced track with arpeggio synthesizers, aggressive electronic guitar riffs and powerful drums. "Supernova" is a pop-rock track with funk influence. "Liar" is a pop track with "interesting" instrumentation and "spacious" sounding reverb and synths. The final track, "Dreaming", is a softer track with choir backing.

The EP explores themes of dystopia and apocalypse, which were conveyed through the graphics and visuals leading up its to release. This continued with the music video for "SOS", which was filmed in the desert near Las Vegas and was compared to Mad Max.

Commercial performance

Realiez debuted at number five on South Korea's Circle Album Chart for the week ending June 24. A second version of the EP also charted at number seven, for a combined total of 149,455 copies sold in the first week. On the monthly chart, the two versions of Realiez peaked at numbers seventeen and twenty-nine, respectively, for June 2023. As of August 2023, the EP has sold 169,996 copies in South Korea.

Track listing

Track listing and credits adapted from the EP's liner notes.

Charts

Release history

Notes

1. A second version of Realiez charted separately at number 9.
2. A second version of Realiez charted separately at number 29.

References

1. ^ Son, Jin-ah. "강다니엘, 6월 19일 컴백...'KANGDANIEL-Prequel' 속 강렬 메시지- 매경LUXMEN" [Kang Daniel, comeback on June 19th... Intense message in 'KANGDANIEL-Prequel']. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-11-09.
2. ^ Kyeom, Ida (2023-05-31). "강다니엘, 새 앨범명은 '리얼라이즈'...세 가지 키워드 공개" [Kang Daniel, new album name is 'Realize'... three keywords revealed]. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-11-09.
3. Lee, Idawon (2023-06-02). "강다니엘, 선공개곡 '웨이스트랜드' 기습 발매" [Kang Daniel, surprise release of pre-released song 'Wasteland']. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-11-09.
4. Yoo, Byeong-cheol. "Kang Daniel, track credits revealed... Lyrics for title song 'SOS' written". The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-11-09.
5. ^ Byeong-cheol, Yoo (2023-06-16). "강다니엘, 'REALIEZ' 옴니버스 샘플러 공개...기존 공식 깬 시네마타이즈" [Kang Daniel, 'REALIEZ' Omnibus Sampler Released... Cinematization Breaking the Existing Formula]. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-11-09.
6. ^ Young, Ha-na (2023-06-19). "강다니엘이 외치는 'SOS'...새 앨범 'REALIEZ'로 전할 의미" [Kang Daniel Shouts 'SOS'... The Meaning He Will Convey Through His New Album 'REALIEZ']. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-11-09.
7. Choi, Jae-ho (2024-06-10). "'대주주 100억 고소' 강다니엘, 소속사 폐업에 "아쉽고 애석한 마음"" [Kang Daniel, who sued the major shareholder for 10 billion won, said, "I feel regretful and sad" about the closure of his agency]. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-11-09.
8. Park, So-young (2024-07-25). "'소속사 폐업' 강다니엘, 대형 레이블 아닌 '자기 사람' 택한 이유 [Oh!쎈 이슈]" [Kang Daniel, whose agency has closed, chose 'his own people' instead of a large label ]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-11-09.
9. ^ Herrera, Kathleen (2023-06-19). "[Review] Kang Daniel – REALIEZ". TheKMeal. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
10. Herrera, Kathleen (2023-06-07). "Kang Daniel introduces 'Wasteland'". TheKMeal. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
11. Lee, Seon-myeong (2023-06-14). "강다니엘의 디스토피아 스토리 '리얼라이즈' 공개 임박" [Kang Daniel's Dystopian Story 'Realize' to be Released Soon]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-11-09.
12. ^ "Circle Album Chart – Week 25, 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved November 8, 2024.
13. ^ "Circle Album Chart – June 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved November 8, 2024.
14. * "Circle Album Chart – Week 25, 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved July 7, 2023.
    • "Circle Album Chart – Week 29, 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved July 27, 2023.
    • "Circle Album Chart – Week 30, 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved August 3, 2023.
15. Kang, Daniel (2023). Realiez (photobook). South Korea: Konnect Entertainment, Sony Music Korea.

• Kang Daniel albums
• 2023 EPs
• Korean-language EPs
• 2020s Korean-language albums
• Sony Music EPs
• Konnect Entertainment EPs