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"Without U" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band 2PM. It is the title track of the group's single album Don't Stop Can't Stop, released on April 19, 2010 by JYP Entertainment. It was 2PM's first song to top the newly-launched Gaon Singles Chart, despite also being the group's first single since the controversial announcement that former member Jaebeom would not return to the group following the termination of his contract with JYP Entertainment.
"Without U" is a contemporary R&B song composed and written by J.Y. Park. The song combines piano instrumentation with the synthesizer. The lyrics of the song are from the perspective of a man who resolves to get over an ex-partner who broke his heart.[1]
Two months prior to the release of "Without U", JYP Entertainment announced that Jaebeom would not return to 2PM following his hiatus due to controversy over his social media posts, as his contract with the company had been permanently terminated for an undisclosed reason, with the agreement of all 6 members.[2] Following a combined fan meeting and press conference with the six remaining members of 2PM and JYP Entertainment CEO Choi Jungwook in attendance, various 2PM fansites were shut down and boycott movements were started as a protest of Jaebeom's termination.[3]
Music industry insiders noted that the time between 2PM's previous album and their comeback with Don't Stop Can't Stop was notably shorter than their prior comebacks, being released just five months after 01:59PM. Several speculated it to be a strategic move to attempt to decisively move past the controversy over Jaebeom's departure surrounding the group since September 2009.[4]
On April 14, 2010, pictures of the group's comeback were released. On April 16, 2PM released a teaser for the music video of "Without U" on YouTube. On April 19, Don't Stop Can't Stop was released digitally, along with the music video for "Without U".[5][6] A music video for the B-side track "I Will Give You My Life" (목숨을 건다; also known as "My Life 4 U") was later released on June 10, 2010, primarily featuring behind-the-scenes content from the making of and the promotion for Don't Stop Can't Stop.[7]
The track would later be included in 2PM's second studio album, Hands Up, released on June 20, 2011.[8] A Japanese version of the song was included as the B-side track of 2PM's second Japanese single, "I'm Your Man", released on August 17, 2011.[9]
The music video, filmed in either black-and-white or sepia tones, features the members dressed in sleeveless black tops and black skinny jeans dancing in heavy rain in dark, muddy sets designed to look like a ruined factory or empty alleyways.[10]
2PM performed "Without U" for the first time on the April 22 episode of M Countdown.[10] After accumulating a total of seven music show wins on M Countdown, Music Bank, and Inkigayo, 2PM also performed "Without U" and "Don't Stop Can't Stop" at the 2010 Dream Concert on May 22,[11] as well as on the 100th episode of Kim Jung-eun's Chocolate which aired on May 29.[12] 2PM then embarked on their first solo concerts titled Don't Stop Can't Stop, the same name as their single album, with shows in Seoul on July 31 and August 1, in Busan on August 7–8, and in Seoul again on September 4–5, where they performed tracks from Don't Stop Can't Stop.[13][14]
Upon the release of the single album, several netizens commented on how the lyrics of "Without U" and "Don't Stop Can't Stop" seemed to be a metaphor for the group moving on without Jaebeom, although JYP Entertainment stated the song was about a romantic relationship.[1][15] Despite the controversy, several tracks on the single album charted on various music charts,[6] with "Without U" topping the Gaon Singles Chart and Don't Stop Can't Stop topping the Gaon Album Chart.[16][17]
12조, 범자 (April 19, 2010). "2PM 신곡 '위다웃 유(Without U)', 재범 향한 노래?"[2PM's new song 'Without U', a song directed at Jaebeom?]. www.asiae.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved October 9, 2025.
↑이, 재환 (February 25, 2010). "JYP "재범 한국비하보다 더 심각한 문제로 계약해지. 소속연예인 적합치 않다""[JYP: “Contract terminated due to issues more serious than disparaging Korea. He is not a suitable artist.”]. 뉴스엔 (in Korean). Retrieved July 10, 2026.
↑박, 세연 (February 25, 2010). "재범 영구탈퇴 JYP, 2PM 간담회 예정대로 '강행'"[JYP, Following Jay Park's Permanent Withdrawal, 'Goes Forward' to 2PM Press Conference as Scheduled]. 뉴스엔 (in Korean). Retrieved August 22, 2025.
↑이, 현우 (April 20, 2010). "2PM-재범, 동시컴백 `무리수냐 승부수냐`"[2PM’s Jaebeom and Simultaneous Comeback: A Risk or a Gamble?]. 매일경제 (in Korean). Retrieved October 9, 2025.
123박, 건욱 (April 19, 2010). "'컴백' 2PM, 온라인 음악사이트 석권..수록곡도 '인기'"['Comeback' 2PM Dominates Online Music Sites... B-side Tracks Also 'Popular']. 아시아경제 (in Korean (South Korea)). Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
↑윤, 태희 (June 14, 2010). "2PM, 최초 발라드 '목숨을 건다' 뮤비 공개..팬들에 감사"[2PM Releases MV for First Ballad 'I Will Give You My Life'... Thanks Fans]. 아시아경제 (in Korean). Retrieved July 10, 2026.
↑Archived April 13, 2014, at the Wayback MachineG-Market Dream Concert Line-up Announcement. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
↑박, 영주 (May 29, 2010). "'김정은의 초콜릿' 100회, 비-2PM-씨엔블루 등 톱가수 총출동"["Kim Jong-un's Chocolate" Episode 100: Top Singers Including Rain, 2PM, and CNBLUE]. 한국경제 (in Korean). Retrieved October 8, 2025– via 네이트 뉴스.
↑강, 수진 (August 1, 2010). "2PM "많이 힘드셨죠? 저희들도 힘들었어요!""[2PM: "You must have had a hard time, right? We had a hard time too!"]. 스포츠경향 (in Korean). Retrieved October 8, 2025.
↑"2PM, 9월초 앙코르 콘서트"[2PM, encore concert in early September]. 조선일보 (in Korean). August 15, 2010. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
↑조, 승예 (April 20, 2010). "2PM, 신곡 마케팅에 재범 이용했다? 논란"[Controversy over 2PM using Jaebeom for new song marketing]. 이투데이 (in Korean). Retrieved October 9, 2025.
↑김, 현록 (May 13, 2010). "2PM, '엠카운트다운' 3주 연속 1위"[2PM tops 'M Countdown' for 3 consecutive weeks.]. 스타뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved October 8, 2025.
↑길, 혜성 (May 14, 2010). "2PM, 준수 깁스투혼 속 2주연속 '뮤직뱅크' 1위"[2PM's Junsu's Gibbs Fighting Spirit Wins 'Music Bank' for Two Consecutive Weeks]. 스타뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved October 8, 2025.
↑이, 명주 (May 23, 2010). "2PM 'Without U', 2주 연속 '인기가요' 1위"[2PM's "Without U" Tops "Inkigayo" for Two Consecutive Weeks]. 조선일보. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
