Poison (Secret EP)

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Poison (Secret EP)

Poison is the fourth EP by South Korean girl group Secret. It was released on September 13, 2012, after their return to Korea from a year of promotions in Japan. The five-track EP, which runs 18 minutes and 2 seconds, features the title song “Poison.” The music blends K-pop with dance-pop and electropop, with influences from R&B, Jazz, and Hip-Hop and includes repeating saxophone segments.

Secret shifted from a cute image to a sexier, more feminine concept for this release, while keeping their bright, healthy band image. The title track was written and produced by Kang Ji Won and Kim Ki Bum, who had worked on their previous hits. The audio mixing was done by Lu Diaz (a Grammy-winning engineer), and mastering by Chris Gehringer (Sterling Sound).

The music video, directed by Hong Won-ki, uses a 1940s film-noir look with an old Hollywood femme fatale vibe, featuring Secret as thieves who seduce and steal from a male detective. A teaser for the video premiered on September 7.

Secret promoted the EP on music shows from September 13–17, performing “Calling U” and then “Poison.” They also performed “Poison” at the World Cyber Games 2012 on September 15.

Context: Poison followed their 2011 release Moving in Secret and preceded Letter from Secret (2013).