"Beautiful" is the fourth Japanese single by South Korean boy band 2PM. It was released on June 6, 2012 by Ariola Japan. The single received Gold certification status by the Recording Industry Association of Japan the same month as its release. A Korean version of the song was later released in 2014 as part of the group's fourth Korean studio album, Go Crazy!.
Contents
Background and release
"Beautiful" is a Japanese song composed by J.Y. Park "The Asiansoul", Nice73 and Natsumi Watanabe. The B-side "Kimi ga Ireba" is an original Japanese song, composed by 2PM member Junho. This is the group's first single to include an original Japanese song as a B-side.
A ringtone version of the song was first used for 2PM's first Japanese commercial, for a black vinegar called Heukcho (흑초) by South Korean brand Sempio, which aired on April 17, 2012. The group then became the first Korean act to hold a six-show concert at the Nippon Budokan, titled Six "Beautiful" Days after the single, from May 24 to 31, 2012. They held an additional two shows at the Yokohama Arena on June 5 and 6.
The single was released simultaneously with the group's live DVD, Arena Tour 2011: "Republic of 2PM", on June 6, 2012, in 3 editions: CD+DVD, CD+Photobook and a Regular edition. It was later released in South Korea on June 20, 2012. A Korean version of the song was included in 2PM's studio album Go Crazy! (2014).
Music video
A teaser of the music video was released on May 14, 2012 on 2PM's official Japanese website, and the full music video was released on May 22 on the Japanese TV network M-On!. The choreography of the song features a "mermaid dance" move that involves gyrating hips while leaning on chairs.
Promotions
The group performed the song on Japanese television shows such as the June 2 episode of Music Fair and the June 10 episode of NHK's music program Music Japan, as well as at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards Japan on June 23. In support of the release of "Beautiful", 2PM held "Hi Touch" fan events in Osaka on June 9 and in Tokyo on June 16.
Commercial performance
"Beautiful" sold almost 150,000 copies within a week of its release, becoming the highest-selling single in the history of the Tower Records Shibuya location. The song peaked at number two on the Oricon Singles Chart, charting for a total of nine weeks. The song also peaked at number two on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, charting for two weeks.