Blossom (D.O. EP)

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Blossom
Digital cover
EP by
Doh Kyung-soo
ReleasedMay 7, 2024 (2024-05-07)
Recorded2024
Genre
Length18:00
LanguageKorean
Label
Doh Kyung-soo chronology
Expectation
(2023) 		Blossom
(2024)
Singles from Blossom
  1. "Popcorn"
    Released: April 30, 2024
  2. "Mars"
    Released: May 7, 2024

Blossom (Korean: 성장; RR: seongjang; lit. Growth) is the third EP by South Korean singer Doh Kyung-soo.[note 1] The EP was released on May 7, 2024 under Doh's newly established agency Company SooSoo and it was distributed by Dreamus. This release marks the singer's first comeback after departing SM Entertainment after 11 years with the agency.

Consisting of six tracks, the EP features two singles; pre-release "Popcorn" on April 30 and followed by its lead single "Mars" on May 7. According to South Korean music data provider Circle Chart, the EP sold over 120,000 copies within its first week of its release.[3]

Background and release[edit]

South Korean singer Doh Kyung-soo has been a member of the South Korean boy band Exo since 2012 as one of their main vocalists. Nine years later he debuted as the group's sixth soloist through the release of Empathy on July 26, 2021.[4] Doh returned to Exo for their seventh Korean-language album Exist that was released on July 10, 2023.[5] Two months later, Doh released his second EP Expectation on September 18, which would turn out to be his last release with SM Entertainment.[6]

On October 18, SM Entertainment announced that Doh would depart the agency in early November following the completion of his contract and establish a new agency to oversee the singer's acting and solo activities. Nonetheless, Doh will continue Exo group activities with SM.[7] Later on, Doh and former SM director (and Doh's long-time manager) Nam Kyung-soo established a new agency called "Company SooSoo", named after their first names. The latter acts as the agency's CEO reportedly due to the singer's trust in his manager.[8]

In January 2024, it was reported that Doh would have a solo comeback with his new agency scheduled to be released around April or May.[9] On March 25, Company SooSoo announced that Doh would embark on his first Asia solo fan meet tour called "Bloom" from June 8 until August 31st starting with a double-header show in Seoul to kick-off the tour.[10] On April 8, Company SooSoo announced through that Doh will release his third mini album titled Blossom on May 7 with "Mars" as the lead single and that pre-order for the EP would commence starting this day.[11] The teaser image for the mini album depicts the singer's full name as opposed to his previous stage name "D.O."[12] The announcement was followed with the revelation of the EP's track list and comeback calendar on April 14 with teaser images upload on April 16 and 17.[13] Pre-release single "Popcorn" was released digitally along with its music video on April 30.[14]

The EP was released alongside the music video for the lead single "Mars" on May 7.[15]

Composition[edit]

Like Doh's previous releases, Blossom consisted of pop and R&B songs. Blossom, in its literal Korean meaning translates as "Growth." The naming of the album was to solidify Doh's position as an artist and to attract attention.[16]

The EP opens with the lead single "Mars" which is described as a medium-tempo pop song with whimsical lyrics narrating the story of two lovers with different personalities with minimalist music arrangement.[1] Debahsree Dutta of Rolling Stone India gave the song a positive review, calling it "pleasant and relatable."[17] The second track "Simple Joys" features an ocarina in the background with its lyrics pertaining to the joy that comes from simple things.[18] The third track is the pre-release single "Popcorn", a bouncy song with a whistle in the background. The lyrics liken excitement to seeing a loved one as a bursting popcorn.[18] "Good Night" is a soothing lullaby-esque song that tells good night to the listener and to their anxiety and worries.[18] Penultimate track "My Dear" is an acoustic pop song that describes the preparations for a confession.[18] The EP concludes with "About Time", a pop ballad song about true love and regret.[18]

Promotions[edit]

Doh promoted the EP by performing "Mars" and "Popcorn" at KBS on May 10.[19][20] Doh appeared on IU's IU's Palette YouTube show on May 13 to promote the EP.[21][22]

Doh would embark on his first solo Asia fan meet tour "Bloom" to promote the EP from June 8 until August 31.[10]

Track listing[edit]

Blossom track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Mars"Park Tae-won
  • Petrén
  • Kjørholt
3:08
2."Simple Joys" (우리가 몰랐던 것들; lit. 'Things We Didn't Know')Lee Seu-ran
  • Petrén
  • Kjørholt
  • Oiaisle
  • Petrén
  • Kjørholt
2:56
3."Popcorn"Lee
  • Joe Harvey
  • Jack Harvey
  • Ryan Bickley
  • TMM
JXJ3:02
4."Good Night" (오늘에게; lit. 'To This Day')Danke (Lalala Studio)
  • Jordan Shaw
  • Sam Merrifield
  • TMM
Merrifield3:03
5."My Dear" (매일의 고백; lit. 'A Daily Confession')Park Rang
  • Alex Wilke
  • Jason Strong
  • Armen Paul
  • Ricky Manning
  • TMM
  • Wilke
  • Strong
2:21
6."About Time" (어제의 너, 오늘의 나; lit. 'Yesterday's You, Today's Me')Jang Da-in
  • M-Phazes
  • Aidan Rodriguez
  • Chelsea Lena
  • Matt Hansen
  • M-Phazes
  • Rodriguez
3:36
Total length:18:00

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Blossom
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[23] 26
Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon)[24] 44
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[25] 13
South Korean Albums (Circle)[3] 2

Release history[edit]

Release history for Blossom
Region Date Format Label
South Korea May 7, 2024 CD
Various

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Credited as D.O. in most streaming platforms despite the singer officially used his full name as his stage name after departing SM Entertainment.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Yoon So-yoon (April 12, 2024). "도경수, 신곡 'Mars'로 봄을 물들인다" [Do Kyungsoo colors spring with new song 'Mars']. Sports Trends (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 27, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024 – via Naver.
  2. ^ Yusron, Atmi Ahsani (April 11, 2024). "3 Fakta Comeback D.O EXO, Resmi Gunakan Nama Doh Kyung Soo" [3 Facts about EXO's D.O. Comeback, Officially Using the Name Doh Kyung Soo]. Detik.com (in Indonesian). Jakarta. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Circle Album Chart – Week 19, 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  4. ^ "EXO Vocalist D.O. Releases Romantic Solo Album 'Empathy'". Billboard. August 5, 2021. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Kim, Eun-jung (July 10, 2023). "K-pop boy group EXO releases 7th album 'EXIST'". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  6. ^ Yoon, So-yeon (September 1, 2023). "EXO's D.O. to release first solo music in two years in September". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  7. ^ Kang, Kyung-yoon (October 18, 2023). "엑소 도경수, SM 떠나 매니저와 설립한 신생 회사로" [EXO's Do Kyung-so leaves SM to join a new company he founded with his manager]. Seoul Broadcasting System (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  8. ^ Kamila, Alfa. "Ternyata Ini Alasan D.O EXO Hengkang dari Agensi SM Entertainment" [This is the reason EXO's D.O left SM Entertainment]. Jawa Pos (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  9. ^ Tionardus, Melvina; Sembiring, Ira Gita Natalia (January 3, 2024). "D.O.EXO Comeback Solo dengan Album Bulan Mei 2024" [D.O. EXO will have a Solo Comeback with New Album this May 2024]. Kompas.com (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Ziwei, Puah (March 25, 2024). "EXO's D.O. announces 2024 'Bloom' fan concert tour". NME. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  11. ^ Lova, Cynthia; Kistyarini (April 8, 2024). "D.O. EXO Umumkan Mini Album Blossom" [D.O EXO Announces Mini Album Blossom]. Kompas.com (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  12. ^ Anoc, Aimee (April 8, 2024). "EXO's D.O. announces comeback with teaser image for new album 'Blossom'". GMA Integrated News. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  13. ^ Anoc, Aimee (April 18, 2024). "EXO's D.O. drops schedule, concept photos for new album 'Blossom'". GMA Integrated News. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  14. ^ Bernardo, Jaehwa (April 30, 2024). "WATCH: EXO's Doh Kyung-soo in surreal MV for pre-release song 'Popcorn'". ABS-CBN. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  15. ^ Chin, Carmen (May 7, 2024). "EXO's D.O. communicates with aliens in quirky music video for 'Mars'". NME. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  16. ^ Son, Jin (April 12, 2024). "도경수의 엉뚱·사랑스러운 러브스토리...'Mars'로 채색할 봄" [Do Kyung-so's whimsical and adorable love story...Spring to be colored by 'Mars']. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  17. ^ Dutta, Debashree (May 13, 2024). "EXO's D.O. Turns Up the Passion on 'Mars': Song Review". Rolling Stone India. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  18. ^ a b c d e "성장 - THE 3RD MINI ALBUM". Melon (in Korean). May 7, 2024. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  19. ^ "도경수(D.O.) - Popcorn 더 시즌즈-지코의 아티스트 KBS 240510 방송". YouTube (in Korean). KBS. May 10, 2024. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  20. ^ "도경수(D.O.) - Mars [더 시즌즈-지코의 아티스트] KBS 240510 방송". YouTube (in Korean). KBS. May 10, 2024. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  21. ^ "[아이유의 팔레트🎨] '뚀'렷! '경'례! 박'수'! (With 도경수) Ep.25". YouTube (in Korean). IU. May 13, 2024. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  22. ^ Lee, So-hyun (May 13, 2024). ""너무 잘 어울려"...아이유-도경수, 모두가 만족한 '니곡내곡' 노래 커버" ["It looks so good"... IU-Do Kyungsoo covers the song 'Nigoknaegok' that satisfied everyone]. Top Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024 – via Naver.
  23. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2024-05-20/p/3" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  24. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Combined Albums: 2024-05-20" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  25. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of May 15, 2024". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved May 19, 2024.
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