SEVENTEEN 5th Album 'HAPPY BURSTDAY'

To mark their 10th anniversary as a group—and with two of the group’s members, JEONGHAN and WONWOO, already embarked on mandatory military service—SEVENTEEN released <i>HAPPY BURSTDAY</i> in May 2025. The 16-track studio album includes three group songs (celebratory rock track “HBD,” lead single “THUNDER,” and the Pharrell Williams-produced “Bad Influence”) and 13 original solo songs—one for each member. The result is an eclectic collection that allows each member time in the spotlight without losing track of its anniversary framing.

For the album’s lead single, SEVENTEEN chose the whistle-hook-driven track “THUNDER.” Written by members WOOZI and S. COUPS alongside so-called “14th member” producer BUMZU, the EDM thumper <i>almost</i> works as well as a hype-up song for an ordinary group of rowdy friends (“Gather around, let’s all go wild/’Cause our night’s getting hotter”) as it does as a hype-up song for one of the most successful K-pop groups of all time (“We don’t chase shadows when we drive, don’t worry/Let’s mark the exact time, 17:17”).

The solo songs run the gamut from sentimental ballads for a rainy day (SEUNGKWAN’s “Raindrops,” WOOZI’s “Destiny”) to slinky, club-ready expressions of swagger (MINGYU’s “Shake It Off”) to pop-rock offers of comfort (VERNON’s “Shining Star,” DK’s “Happy Virus”). THE 8’s hypnotic, electronic “Skyfall” artfully slips between the thematic and sonic boundaries, “a flying bird [that] leaves no trace.”

HOSHI recruits American rapper-producer Timbaland to feature on “Damage,” his rhythmic exploration of desire, while BTS producer Pdogg leads production on DINO’s pop-R&B track “Trigger.” The infinitely relatable subject of love takes center stage for JOSHUA in “Fortunate Change” and WONWOO in “99.9%,” while love turns sour for JEONGHAN in “Coincidence” and for JUN in “Gemini.”

SEVENTEEN leader S. COUPS wraps things up with the gritty and defiant “Jungle,” a bold hip-hop ode to all that the group has accomplished so far: “Fact, fact, fact, I’m the living proof in this industry, check, check/Game, game, game, third-gen that’s been rising for the 10th year.”

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