SHINee tops global music charts with new album 'Hard'

SHINee topped the iTunes charts in 40 different regions with its latest album “Hard,” the boy band’s agency SM Entertainment said Tuesday. “Hard,” SHINee’s eighth full-length album released Monday, landed No. 1 on the iTunes Top Album chart in ...

Boy band SHINee [SM ENTERTAINMENT]

SHINee topped the iTunes charts in 40 different regions with its latest album “Hard,” the boy band’s agency SM Entertainment said Tuesday.

“Hard,” SHINee’s eighth full-length album released Monday, landed No. 1 on the iTunes Top Album chart in Japan, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and more.

“Hard” is the boy band’s first album released in more than two years, and the first album released after its member Taemin completed his mandatory service in April this year.

Having debuted in 2008, “Hard” also celebrates the boy band’s 15th anniversary. The album contains 10 tracks, including a title track of the same name and a hybrid hip-hop dance track that mixes different genres into one song.

“The Feeling,” a track first revealed at the boy band’s 15th-anniversary fan meeting “Piece of Shine” on May 27, is also included in the album.

The album topped China’s QQ Music digital album sales chart and Japan’s streaming site, RecoChoku’s daily album rankings chart, showing its global popularity, SM Entertainment said.

“Hard” also saw strong receptions in Korea, where the album topped Yes24 and Kyobo Book’s daily album sales chart and on Bugs and Vibe’s real-time charts upon its release.

Ahead of its album release, SHINee kicked off its sixth concert tour, “SHINee World VI ‘Perfect Illumination,’’ the boy band’s first offline concert in Korea in almost seven years. Following a three-day performance at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul from Friday to Sunday, SHINee will be performing a total of eight performances in Japan in Saitama, Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo starting Sept. 30.

To find out more about SHINee, check out Celeb Confirmed!

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]