''Kai'' (

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

: 开, lit. "Open", stylized as ''K开I'') is the debut

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

by South Korean singer Kai. It was released on November 30, 2020 by

SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...

. The album features six tracks including the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

, " Mmmh". The physical album is available in seven different versions (3 ''Photobook'' versions, 3 ''Jewel case'' versions and 1 ''Flipbook'' version).

Background

On July 3, SM Entertainment announced that Kai would release his first solo album, and was working on the album production with the goal of the second half of 2020. On November 11, it was announced that Kai will make his solo debut on November 30, with his 1st

mini-album A mini-LP or mini-album is a short record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A mini- ...

''Kai''. Kai's debut single title "음 (Mmmh)", was announced on November 19.

Composition

The title song "음 (Mmmh)" is an R&B

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

song with a simple yet addictive melody on a minimalist track, it is also described to be a charming, straight-forward love song. "Nothing on Me" is a

PBR&B Alternative R&B (also referred to as alt-R&B, indie R&B, and originally known as PBR&B, hipster R&B, emo R&B, or R-Neg-B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s ...

song featuring a heavy bass groove. It portrayed the moment when the protagonist getting intoxicated by the scent of the other person while moving closer them. "기억상실 (Amnesia)" is an R&B and trap song with attractive grooves and melody. It discusses the moment when the protagonist is falling in love and forgetting all memories from the past, only want to fill in the memories with the current partner. "Reason" is a progressive R&B song composed by American producer Mike Daley, with an addictive

808 808 may refer to: Music * Roland-808, Roland TR-808, a drum machine * 808 (film), ''808'' (film), a documentary about the Roland TR-808 * 808 State, British electronic group * ''808s & Heartbreak'', the fourth studio album by American Hip hop arti ...

pattern added to minimal club music, and the lyrics are intriguing about searching for one another, and eventually become fascinated to each other. "Ride or Die" is a PBR&B song created by producer

Cha Cha Malone Chase Vincent Malone (born May 25, 1987), more commonly known as Cha Cha Malone, is an American singer, music producer, songwriter, composer, and member of b-boy crew Art of Movement (AOM), from Seattle, Washington. Malone is widely known for hi ...

, it incorporates oriental guitar sound and a dreamy atmosphere. The lyrics are about stepping out of the boundaries to enjoy life. "Hello Stranger" is a progressive R&B song that stands out with a lyrical guitar sound, the lyrics depict a situation which a person feels a sense of sympathy to a stranger.

Release and promotion

A video highlight "Film: Kai" was released on November 27, a video consists of the performance videos from all of the 6 tracks. The video was released on

V Live V Live (stylized as VLIVE), sometimes referred to as V App, was a South Korean live video streaming service that allowed celebrities based in the country to broadcast live videos such as live chat sessions with fans, performances, reality show ...

Naver Naver (; stylized as NAVER) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. The company's products include a search engine, email hosting, blogs, maps, and mobile payment. History Naver was the first Korean web provide ...

, and

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

. The video is said to raise anticipation for fans, and the inspiration for the concept come from various movies. Kai appeared on DoReMi Market along with

VIXX VIXX ( pronounced "vicks"; acronym for "voice, visual, value in excelsis") is a South Korean boy band formed by Jellyfish Entertainment through the 2012 reality show ''MyDOL''. Originally a sextet, the group is currently composed of four members: ...

Ravi Ravi may refer to: People * Ravi (name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Ravi (composer) (1926–2012), Indian music director * Ravi (Ivar Johansen) (born 1976), Norwegian musical artist * Ravi (rapper) (born 1993), a Sou ...

, where he played along with the other cast members and gave spoiler to Mmmh's point dance in the show. On November 30, the official music video for "Mmmh" was released at 12pm KST, 6 hours before the album's release. The music video incorporates various sci-fi like materials, and shows Kai's teleportation skill, which is his assigned superpower in

Exo Exo (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay Zhang, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen (singer), Chen, Chanyeol, ...

. An hour after the music video release, Kai appeared on '' Kim Shinyoung Noon Song of Hope Radio'' to promote the album and talked about various things related to the album. Exactly an hour before the album's release, Kai hosted a

broadcast where he promoted and discussed about the album with fans through interactive comments. Kai performed "Mmmh" for the first time on

Naver Now Naver (; stylized as NAVER) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. The company's products include a search engine, email hosting, blogs, maps, and mobile payment. History Naver was the first Korean web provider ...

Party B.

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Kai (entertainer, born 1994) 2020 debut EPs Kai (entertainer, born 1994) EPs Korean-language EPs 2020s Korean-language albums SM Entertainment EPs Contemporary R&B EPs Albums produced by Lee Soo-man