The Korea Herald

피터빈트

EXO Chanyeol makes solo debut with 1st EP ‘Black Out’

By Hong Yoo

Published : Aug. 29, 2024 - 08:52

    • Link copied

Chanyeol of EXO (SM Entertainment) Chanyeol of EXO (SM Entertainment)

Chanyeol of the K-pop group EXO debuted as a soloist with his first mini-album "Black Out" Wednesday.

“It’s been 12 years since I debuted as a member of EXO. Now, I’m happy to get to show something new as a solo artist,” said Chanyeol at a press conference the same day.

The album blends newness brought by its diverse genres with Chanyeol's way of evoking strong feelings through his vocals.

The album features six tracks, including the title song "Black Out.”

“It's a pop-rock track characterized by a fast tempo, minimal acoustic guitar and lyrical synth melodies. The lyrics use the concept of a ‘blackout’ to symbolize the time after a breakup. The protagonist, feeling emotionally overwhelmed, experiences a sense of disorder in daily life, likened to a darkened street or a phone screen that turns off without any notification,” said Chanyeol when introducing the title track.

Chanyeol wrote the lyrics to two of the Side-B tracks -- "I’m on Your Side Too” and "Clover."

“When writing lyrics, I usually blend personal experiences with imagination. But this time, I focused on sharing my precious memories. Since this is my solo album, I felt it would be more meaningful to tell my story. For ‘I’m on Your Side Too,’ I wrote the lyrics based on the happy emotions I felt while looking at EXO-Ls (fandom name) from the stage,” said the artist.

Other Side-B tracks are "Hasta La Vista," "Ease Up," and "Back Again."

Chanyeol is set to embark on a tour titled “City-scape,” which will see him perform in 10 cities in Asia including Seoul, Sep. 6-7.