Not Alone (Seventeen song)

In February 2021, Pledis Entertainment announced that Seventeen would be releasing their new Japanese single "Not Alone", following the success of the group's 2020 Japanese mini-album 24H and single "Fallin' Flower".^[1] The CD single, which includes "Not Alone" alongside the Japanese versions of the group's Korean tracks "Run To You" and "Home:Run",^[1] was marketed with six physical variations: Limited Edition A, Limited Edition B, and Limited Edition C, which each comes with a unique 36-page photo book; Limited Edition D, which comes with an M-Card; Regular Edition, which comes with a 16-page photo book; and Carat Edition, which features a special blu-ray.^[2]

"Not Alone" was digitally made available on music streaming platforms on April 15, 2021; its CD was physically released on April 21.^[2] A Korean version of the song was later released on Seventeen's greatest hits album 17 Is Right Here on April 29, 2024.^[3]

Continuing the theme of youth set forth by the group's previous EPs Heng:garæ and Semicolon, "Not Alone" has been described to be a song that conveys the courage and determination of those standing at the starting line of their dreams.^[4] It has further been dubbed as a song of encouragement for those "spending their youth in the difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic".^[5] Relatedly, the track, which conveys the message of being connected despite being apart,^[6] has also been noted to be an ode to Seventeen's fanbase, as well as a depiction of the group's yearning to meet them in person again, following the restrictions put into place on live performances by the pandemic.^[1]

The song was produced by Woozi, with Park Ki-Tae credited as an arranger and composer. Songwriting credits were provided to Bumzu and Woozi, while Japanese lyrics were credited to Haru.Robinson.^[7]

The music video for "Not Alone" was released on April 18, 2021.^[1] It depicts the group's members scattered across various locations while staying remotely connected before reuniting during the video's climax.^[2] Commenting on the music video's theme, member DK shared, "There is a scene where the members, who were spending time in different places, connect via video call to celebrate my birthday. That scene left a particularly strong impression on me because it conveys the message that even though we were apart, we were not alone and were still connected."^[2]

On April 27, 2021, Seventeen hosted a special online fan meeting titled Hare to commemorate the single's release.^[8] A special performance of the song was aired on Asahi TV's weekly music program Music Station on May 7.^[9]

In Japan, "Not Alone" debuted at number one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, selling 372,913 copies in its opening week of April 19–25, 2021.^[10][11] In the same period, it debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart,^[12] recording 315,000 units sold.^[13] It is Seventeen's second consecutive Japanese work to top the chart, after their 2020 single "Fallin' Flower" sold 334,000 copies in its first week of release.^[13] This made Seventeen the second group in history to have two consecutive singles each exceed a first-week sales total of 300,000 units, after BTS, as well as the first foreign male artist to have three consecutive singles each exceed a first-week sales total of 200,000 units.^[13]