RIIZE Readies for a Bold New Chapter with First Full-Length Album ODYSSEY
Photo: SM Entertainment
RIIZE is ready to rise with the release of their highly anticipated debut full-length album, ODYSSEY - The 1st Album – available now via SM Entertainment/RCA Records. Marking a bold declaration of the group’s evolving identity, ODYSSEY builds on their core concept of “Real-Time Odyssey,” capturing their ongoing journey of growth as they approach their second debut anniversary in 2025. Listen HERE.
Accompanying the release is the official music video for the title track, “Fly Up,” co-produced by British producer Jacob Aaron. The high-energy single blends 1950s rock and roll with a powerful choir, symbolising RIIZE’s mission to break societal boundaries through music. Watch the music video for “Fly Up” HERE.
The album opens with the atmospheric “Odyssey,” combining a dreamy synth sound with a classic UK garage rhythm. The lyrics express the members fearlessly facing the journey ahead of them as a united team. The hip-hop inspired “Bag Bad Back,” also featuring Jacob Aaron’s composition, underlines that group commitment to their vision – to grow as artists and as a group. Watch the video for “Bag Bad Back” here.
The theme of RIIZE’s synergy continues with “Ember to Solar,” a brassy pop record that uses imagery of a small ember emerging from ashes, growing in strength and vitality into a full blaze, to symbolise the group’s ability to overcome hardships and continue their journey.
“Show Me Love” – composed by British producer Matt Zara (Teddy Swims, Khalid, Niall Horan) – offers another pop anthem with a catchy bassline and anthemic chorus, before the all-instrumental “Passage” marks a reflective turning point in the tracklist. “Midnight Mirage” eases listeners back into the album, featuring ethereal synths and a grounding heavy bass, as RIIZE paints a picture of faint inspirations that begin to take vivid shape.
“The End of the Day” and “Inside My Love” are a penultimate double-act – two sentimental ballads with soft orchestration and synths respectively, laying a base for the members’ ‘90s boyband-inspired vocals to shine. The lyrics for each express the members’ heartfelt gratitude for their fans. Rounding off the album is “Another Life,” which mirrors the group’s evolution from trainees to artists.
With ODYSSEY, RIIZE delivers a striking testament to their artistic evolution – one that balances vulnerability with confidence, and individuality with universal appeal – cementing their status as one of the most compelling rising acts in global pop.
RIIZE earned the accolade of “million-seller” in the first week of their debut single “Get A Guitar,” and their rising stardom continues to reach new heights. Last year’s EP releases, RIIZING - The 1st Mini Album and RIIZING : EPILOGUE continued RIIZE’s million-seller status, with the former becoming the sixth most-streamed album in Korea in 2024. NME named the group’s single “Impossible” one of the “25 Best K-pop songs of 2024,” while DAZED included RIIZE in DAZED 100 as one of Asia’s brightest emerging music talents.
Following their album release, the group will make their UK performance debut next month at SMTOWN Live in London at Allianz Stadium Twickenham on 28 June. The epic stadium concert, in celebration of SM Entertainment’s thirtieth anniversary, also features over a dozen other K-Pop stars, including aespa, NCT, Red Velvet, and more. Tickets are now on sale at Ticketmaster and AXS.
ODYSSEY - The 1st Album Tracklist
“Odyssey”
“Bag Bad Back”
“Ember to Solar”
“Fly Up”
“Show Me Love”
“Passage”
“Midnight Mirage”
“The End of the Day”
“Inside My Love”
“Another Life”