On November 1, 2021, JYP Entertainment released a teaser titled "Heroes Are Coming" hinting at a new group to debut.[2] A week later, on November 8, the logo and name of the group were revealed and the group's official social media accounts were launched.[3] Jooyeon was officially announced as the group's first member, followed by O.de, Gaon, Jun Han, Jungsu, and Gunil from November 15–20.[4] On November 22–27, teasers were released revealing the positions of the members.[5] On December 5, a teaser for the music video were released by JYP.[6] The single alongside its music video were released the next day.[1]
Composition
"Happy Death Day" is written and composed by the band's members Jungsu and Gaon, along with Shim Eun-ji, and Lee Hae-sol.[7] Shim and Lee handled the arrangement of the song.[8] According to the Gunil, the lyrics is about "the irony of encountering the harsh truth on the happiest and most celebrated day of the year, a person's birthday."[9] The song was composed in the key of A minor, with a tempo of 130 beats per minute.[10]
^ abcKang, D. (December 23, 2021). "'JYP 신인' 엑스디너리 히어로즈, 2022 새해 소망 "팬분들과 직접 마주하길"" ['JYP Rookie' Xdinary Heroes, 2022 New Year's Wish "To face the fans directly"]. MyDaily (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2023 – via Naver.
^Baek, J. (November 8, 2021). "JYP 신인그룹명은 '엑스디너리 히어로즈'…비범한 신예 탄생 예고" [JYP's rookie group name is 'Xdinary Heroes'... Announcing the birth of an extraordinary newcomer]. Sports Chosun. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022 – via Naver.
^Lee, M. (November 15, 2021). "JYP, 신인 그룹 Xdinary Heroes 멤버 주연 최초 공개" [JYP unveils member of rookie group Xdinary Heroes for the first time]. Newsen. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022 – via Naver.
^Hwang, H. (December 5, 2021). "데뷔부터 자작곡…엑스디너리 히어로즈, Z세대 대표 K팝 밴드 탄생" [JYP 新밴드 엑스디너리 히어로즈, 데뷔곡 ‘Happy Death Day’ MV 티저 최초 공개]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2023 – via Naver.
^Hwang, H. (December 6, 2021). "데뷔부터 자작곡…엑스디너리 히어로즈, Z세대 대표 K팝 밴드 탄생" [Composed song since debut... Xdinary Heroes, the birth of a representative K-pop band of Generation Z]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2023 – via Naver.
^Jin, M. (January 6, 2022). "'JYP 新 밴드' 엑스디너리 히어로즈, 데뷔곡 MV 1000만뷰 돌파" ["JYP New Band" Xdinary Heroes' debut song MV hits 10 million views]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2023 – via Naver.
^Yoo, B. (December 7, 2021). "JYP엔터테인먼트, 미래 밝히는 데뷔 라인업…12월 신인 보이밴드 엑스디너리 히어로즈→2022년 2월 신인 걸그룹" [JYP Entertainment, debut lineup that brightens the future... December new boy band Xdinary Heroes → February 2022 new girl group]. Korea Economic TV (in Korean). Retrieved January 10, 2023 – via Naver.
^Lee, S. (December 13, 2021). "'JYP 신인' 엑스디너리 히어로즈, 데뷔 첫 주 장식..음방→라디오서 보여준 풋풋 매력" ['JYP rookie' Exdinary Heroes decorated in the first week of their debut]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2023 – via Naver.
^Kyung, J. (December 15, 2021). "엑스디너리 히어로즈, 美 빌보드 '월드 디지털 송 세일즈' 12위..데뷔 8일만" [Xdinary Heroes ranked 12th on US Billboard 'World Digital Song Sales'... 8 days after debut]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 3, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022 – via Naver.
^"Happy Death Day". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
