Antares (Chinese: 安塔爾) is the only studio album by Canadian rapper Kris Wu, released on November 2, 2018, through Ace Unit Culture Media.[1] The album was preceded by the singles "Deserve" featuring Travis Scott, "Like That", and "Freedom" featuring Jhené Aiko.[2][1] "Coupe" featuring Rich the Kid was released as an instant grat along with the album pre-order.[2] The songs "Tough Pill" and "Hold Me Down" are the only songs on the album to be featured in both English and Mandarin versions.[3]
| Antares | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | November 2, 2018 |
| Length | 46:41 |
| Language |
|
| Label |
|
| Producer |
|
| Singles from Antares | |
Background
editAlong with the announcement of the album on the Complex radio show Open Late hosted by Peter Rosenberg, Wu stated on the show that he named the album for the star Antares, which means "heart of the scorpion", and in Chinese translates to "heart of the dragon".[4] Wu also set the release date for November 2.[5]
Chart manipulation accusation
editUpon release in the United States, seven songs from Antares were in the top ten on the American iTunes Store, blocking songs like Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next", which was released the following day.[6] Wu was accused by Grande's manager Scooter Braun of using bots to boost his sales numbers. Braun later apologized via an Instagram post, stating after a conversation with Wu, that the irregulation in sales were most likely done through impatient Chinese fans using VPNs to access the album earlier.[7] Antares ultimately debuted at number 100 on the Billboard 200, earning 8,000 album-equivalent units, 5,000 of which were pure sales.[8]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Antares" |
| 3:06 | |
| 2. | "November Rain" |
|
| 3:13 |
| 3. | "Coupe" (featuring Rich the Kid) |
| Nelson | 3:14 |
| 4. | "Tough Pill" |
| 3:32 | |
| 5. | "We Alive" |
|
| 3:03 |
| 6. | "Selfish" |
| Nelson | 3:15 |
| 7. | "Tian Di" (天地) |
| Dun Deal P.Kaldone [b] | 3:36 |
| 8. | "Freedom" (featuring Jhené Aiko) |
| 4:24 | |
| 9. | "Explore" |
|
| 2:59 |
| 10. | "Like That" |
|
| 3:48 |
| 11. | "Hold Me Down" |
| Bell | 2:59 |
| 12. | "Deserve" (featuring Travis Scott) |
|
| 3:02 |
| 13. | "Tough Pill" (Chinese version) |
|
| 3:32 |
| 14. | "Hold Me Down" (Chinese version) |
|
| 2:59 |
| Total length: | 46:41 | |||
Notes
Personnel
editPerformance
- Kris Wu – main vocals
- Rich the Kid – featured vocals (track 3)
- Jhené Aiko – featured vocals (track 8)
- Travis Scott – featured vocals (track 12)
Production
- Kris Wu – executive production, production (tracks 4, 9, 12–14)
- WondaGurl – production (track 1 and 5)
- Murda Beatz – production (track 2)
- Brian Lee – production (track 2)
- Bryan Nelson – production (tracks 3 and 6)
- Louis Bell – production (tracks 4, 11–14)
- Roofeeo – production (tracks 4 and 13
- Dun Deal – production (track 7)
- P.Kaldone – production (track 7)
- FKi 1st – production (tracks 8 and 10)
- R!O & Kamo – production (track 9)
- Track Bangas – production (track 10)
- Beazy Tymes – production (track 12)
- Frank Dukes – additional production (tracks 1 and 5)
- Rex Kudo – additional production (track 8)
- Smitty – co-production (track 10)
Technical
- Ray Charles Brown Jr. – engineering (tracks 7 and 10), recording (track 8)
- Claudio Cueni – mastering (track 8)
- FKi 1st – mixing (track 8)
Charts
edit| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[9] | 25 |
| French Digital Albums (SNEP)[10] | 121 |
| US Billboard 200[11] | 100 |
References
edit- ^ a b Herman, Tamar (October 19, 2018). "Kris Wu Releases 'Coupe' With Rich the Kid Ahead of 'Antares' Album: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- ^ a b "Pre-Order International Phenomenon Kris Wu's Debut Album 'Antares' Now". Umusic. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- ^ Murray, Robin (October 19, 2018). "Kris Wu Announces New Album 'Antares' | News". Clash. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- ^ Khal (October 17, 2018). "Kris Wu Announces Release Date for New Album 'Antares'". Complex. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- ^ Kung, Tingyi (October 19, 2018). "無預警釋出！吳亦凡 Kris Wu 聯手 Rich The Kid 推出全新單曲《Coupe》" [No warning released! Wu Yifan Kris Wu teamed up with Rich The Kid to launch a new single 'Coupe']. Hypebeast (in Chinese). Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- ^ Deng, Iris (November 7, 2018). "Chinese rap star Kris Wu who bumped Ariana Grande off iTunes charts is accused of using bots". South China Morning Post. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ Stutz, Colin (November 8, 2018). "Kris Wu's iTunes-Topping Sales Are Under Review". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ Stutz, Colin (November 13, 2018). "Kris Wu's 'Antares' Album Debuts on Billboard 200 Chart After Sales Audit". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. November 12, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ Charted albums on SNEP:
- "DON'T MESS UP MY TEMPO - THE 5TH ALBUM". November 9, 2018. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
- ^ "Kris Wu Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2018.