''A New Journey'' is the third

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- ...

by South Korean singer

Nam Woo-hyun Nam Woo-hyun (; born February 8, 1991), known mononymously as Woohyun, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a vocalist of South Korean boy group Infinite (group), Infinite. Nam began his solo career in 2016 with released ext ...

idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a devotional image of a deity or saint used during puja ...

group

Infinite Infinite may refer to: Mathematics *Infinite set, a set that is not a finite set *Infinity, an abstract concept describing something without any limit Music Performers *Infinite (group), a South Korean boy band *Infinite (rapper), Canadian ra ...

. It was released on May 7, 2019, by

Woollim Entertainment Woollim Entertainment () is a South Korean entertainment company founded in 2003 by Lee Jung-yeop. The label is home to artists such as Golden Child, Drippin, and Kwon Eun-bi. It has previously handled artists Epik High, Infinite, Lovelyz ...

and distributed by

Kakao M Kakao M Corp. (; formerly Seoul Records, YBM Seoul Records and LOEN Entertainment) was a South Korean entertainment company established by Min Yeong-bin in 1978. It was one of the largest co-publisher companies in South Korea. The company opera ...

. Having released two ballad mini-albums since 2016, Nam sought to expand his musical palette and facilitate his growth as a musician. He ultimately crafted a

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

record with his stories embedded in the lyrics. After a series of photo and video teasers, ''A New Journey'' and its lead single "Hold on Me" featuring rapper Junoflo were concurrently released. Nam held a showcase for the mini-album and promoted the song by performing on music chart programs across various television networks. ''A New Journey'' peaked at number two on South Korea's national

Gaon Album Chart The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Koreabased on their Record sales, physical sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, ...

, shifting over 42,000 units domestically since its release.

Background

Nam crafted ''A New Journey'' amid preparations to play the lead roles in the musicals ''The Days'' and ''Mefisto'', and in midst of a concert tour throughout Asia. On previous singles "Still I Remember" ('' Write..'', 2016) and "If Only You Are Fine" (''Second Write..'', 2018), he was noted as the "representative performer of emotional ballads". The title reflects Nam's new musical direction. He sought to showcase musical maturity and explore diverse genres throughout the album tracks. In wanting the lyrics, thoughts, and melodies he identified with to "melt deeply" into the record, Nam prioritized his storytelling. The record was set to be released earlier, but was delayed to "enhance its completeness". The album was recorded in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

at Woollim Studio and mixed at W Sound, LAFX, InGrid Studio, and Mapps Studio. It was mastered at 821 Sound Mastering. Unlike his previous solo endeavors, Nam implemented choreography in his songs. He prepared by modifying his diet, doing

weight training Strength training, also known as weight training or resistance training, is exercise designed to improve physical strength. It is often associated with the lifting of weights. It can also incorporate techniques such as bodyweight exercises ( ...

, exercising, and managing his health.

Music structure

album, ''A New Journey'' integrates EDM and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

into its sound. Nam wrote the lyrics to four tracks and contributed to two of the compositions. He penned songs based on his experiences over the past ten years. The record opens with "Intro", an "upbeat" track without lyrics which "gives the impression of leaving somewhere for the first time". Nam described as "essential to setting the tone" of the album. It is followed by "Hold on Me", a

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

song with elements of

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

that incorporates acoustic and electric guitar into the track. Nam described it as a "sharp" song with a "strong accent". Rapper Junoflo features on the song. A fan of his work on the rap competition series '' Show Me the Money'' and his music, Nam reached out to him for a collaboration. While on tour in the United States, Junoflo traveled to South Korea to work on the song. A portion of his rap was done in English due to his comfort with the language. "Rain" was composed by

MC the Max M.C The MAX () is a South Korean rock band. They debuted in 2000 as a 4-member band under the name Moon Child. After the departure of member Heo Jung-min, members Lee Soo, Jeon Min-hyuk and J. Yoon regrouped in 2002 as M.C the MAX. They were in ...

member J. Yoon and the lyrics deal with "overcoming pain and hardships". Nam's "wide" vocal range oscillates throughout the dance track, evoking a "dreamy" ambience. He stated that "emotions become moisturized" and "old memories often occur" as a result of rain; the "slightly damp smell" of

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

led him to conceive the song lyrics. "Stranger" is a dance-pop song with an emphasis on

guitar riff A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based on ...

s and bass. Nam described the song as a mixture of

urban music Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...

and funk, and he stated that it was a candidate as the lead single for ''A New Journey''. The track's melody was crafted and completed during a nine-hour session with HSND, Adrian Mckinnon, and Galaxy. On "Crying Baby", Nam employs his lyrical voice and a "classy sound" with an undercurrent of

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s ...

. The song serves as an encouraging message to "lonely people under the weight of life". After listening to the demo, he utilized a vocal technique for the track to fit his style. In "Just Look at Me", the narrator tells his girlfriend to "look at me, as I promise to look at you forever". It is described as a "sexy and warm" song. The closing track "Flower" is a medium-tempo confession song on guitar and piano. In the lyrics, he conveys his gratitude and love for his fans, likening them to sunflowers.

Release and promotion

Woollim Entertainment announced ''A New Journey'' and shared an image teaser via

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

on April 29, 2019. It showcased a "mellow" Nam standing on a bridge late at night. A second picture was posted on May 1, presenting Nam in a red-lit setting and "dreamlike" atmosphere. A short version music video teaser for the lead single "Hold on Me" was published the following day. On May 4, a longer version music video teaser was unveiled. An album preview of the mini-album was shared on the subsequent day. ''A New Journey'' and the music video for "Hold on Me" were simultaneously released on May 7. Hosted by MC Haru, Nam held a showcase for the mini-album at Ilji Art Hall in the

Cheongdam-dong Cheongdam-dong () is a ward of Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea. The area is best known in South Korea as an affluent neighborhood populated by a disproportionately high number of high-income individuals and for having some of the most expens ...

ward of

. Nam began promoting "Hold on Me" on weekly music chart shows two days later. Due to Junoflo's commitments abroad, Tag of

group Golden Child performed in his place alongside Nam during the promotion cycle. In addition to the lead single, Nam also performed "Rain" on

Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

's ''

M Countdown ''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet from the CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul. It features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. First hosted by Leeteuk ...

'',

KBS2 KBS 2TV is a South Korean free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen ...

's ''

Music Bank ''Music Bank'' () is a South Korean music program which airs every Friday at 17:15 KST on KBS2. the show is also broadcast in more than a hundred countries through KBS World. Episodes are filmed at the KBS New Wing Open Hall in Yeouido-dong, Ye ...

'',

Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC; ) is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. Its flagship terrestrial television station MBC TV broadcasts as channel 11. MBC News Now broadcasts as channel 12. Establish ...

's (MBC) ''

Show! Music Core ''Show! Music Core'' (), or simply ''Music Core'' is a South Korean music television program broadcast by MBC. It airs live every Saturday at 15:30 (KST). The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform live on stage. I ...

'',

Seoul Broadcasting System Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS; ) is one of the leading Television in South Korea, South Korean television and radio broadcasters. The broadcaster legally became known as SBS in March 2000, changing its corporate name from Seoul Broadcasting ...

's (SBS) ''

Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' (; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform on stage. ...

'',

SBS MTV SBS M is a South Korean pay television music channel owned by SBS Medianet, a division of SBS Media Holdings. It features South Korean pop artists, international music, news, and a few reality and variety programs. It was launched in 2001 as t ...

's ''

The Show Show or The Show may refer to: Competition, event, or artistic production * Agricultural show, associated with agriculture and animal husbandry * Animal show, a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy ** Cat show ** Dog show ** Horse show ** S ...

'', and

MBC Music MBC M (formerly MBC Music) () is a South Korean specialty channel, specialty television channel owned by MBC Plus Media. The cable channel primarily broadcasts programming related to music. It was first announced in July 2011, with the announce ...

's ''

Show Champion ''Show Champion'' () is a South Korean music television program broadcast live by MBC M every Wednesday at Bitmaru Broadcasting Center in Ilsan. Hosts * Shindong (February 14, 2012 – December 25, 2012) * Hahm Eun-jung (January 30, 2013 – ...

''. The final music show performance of "Hold on Me" was done with Lim Young-min of

AB6IX AB6IX (; ''pronounced as A-B-Six'') is a South Korean boy band formed by Brand New Music. The group currently consists of four members: Jeon Woong, Kim Dong-hyun, Park Woo-jin and Lee Dae-hwi. Former leader Lim Young-min's departure from the gr ...

, and promotions were completed on May 22. Nam made an appearance on

EBS FM Korean Educational Broadcasting System () or EBS is a South Korean educational public radio and television network covering South Korean territory, and the only major South Korean radio and television network joint venture Ministry of Science a ...

's radio program ''Midnight Black'' hosted by DJ and bandmate Sungjong. He also appeared on MBC Standard FM's ''

Idol Radio ''Idol Radio'' () is a South Korean radio show created by MBC Radio specially for idols. It is listenable through MBC Standard FM and currently watchable live through MBC Radio's official YouTube channel and online portal BIGC, with replays ava ...

'', where he performed "Hold on Me" and a medley of

songs.

Commercial performance

On the chart dated May 5 – 11, 2019, ''A New Journey'' debuted at number two on South Korea's national

. According to album sales aggregator Hanteo Chart, the mini-album sold 18,488 copies in its first week. It became the 55th best-selling album in the first half of the year, shifting 42,656 units domestically. The single "Hold on Me" under-performed on music charts. It debuted and peaked at number 69 on the Gaon Download Chart.

Critical reception

''A New Journey'' received favorable reviews from all four critics from TV Daily. Kim Ji-ha felt the "care" put into the songwriting, while Kim Han-kil considered Nam's "sexy" voice "memorable". Kim Ye-na complimented the "fresh" musical take, as Oh Ji-won considered the music as "refined" and noted "even the stand-out featuring".

Track listing

Credits

Credits adapted from the mini-album's

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

. * AngryBird – drums,

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

* Baek Ji-ho – drums, synth programming * Chae Min-bi – design and art * Choi In-seong – bass * Code 9 – arranger, composer * Davink – arranger, bass, chorus, composer,

mixing engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...

, piano, programming and editing, synthesizer * Do-a – artist makeup * Alan Foster – mixing engineer * Galaxy – composer * Han Gang – arranger, composer, drums, synthesizer * HSND – arranger, composer * Hwang Jeong-mi – chorus * Hwang Su-ji – design and art * J. Yoon – arranger, composer * Jerry.L – composer * Jeok Jae – drums, guitar * Jeon Hyeong-ki – electric guitars * Jin Su-jeong – video contents * Jo Jun-seong – mixing engineer * Jo Yeong-seon – design and art * Jo Michelle – composer * Ju Chan-yang – stylist * Jung Eun-hye – stylist * Jung Eun-kyeong – mixing engineer * Jung Gu-hyeon – arranger, chorus, guitar, piano * Jung Yu-ra – digital editing * Junoflo – lyricist * Kim Dong-min – choreographer * Kim Ho-gon – video contents * Kim Ji-eun – video contents * Kim Ji-hong –

creative director A creative director is a person who makes high-level creative decisions; oversees the creation of creative assets such as advertisements, products, events, or logos; and directs and translates the creative people who produce the end results. Creat ...

* Kim Mi-ri – video contents * Kim Seok-min – mixing engineer * Kim Su-nam – stylist * Kwon Nam-woo –

mastering engineer Mastering is a form of audio post production which is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the Audio mixing (recorded music), final mix to a data storage device called a master recording, the source ...

* Lee Hye-won – stylist * Lee Joong-yup

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

, producer * Lee Su-min – chorus * Adrian McKinnon – chorus, composer *

– composer, lyricist * The Need – arranger, composer, lyricist, mixing engineer, synthesizer * Onesta – drums, synthesizer * Park Jeong-min –

recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproducti ...

* Park Seong-je – photographer * Rakiss – drums, percussion, synthesizer * Shin Jae-yeong – arranger, composer * Shin Seok-cheol – drums * Su-a – artist hair * twlv – arranger, chorus, composer, lyricist * vidalowkey – mixing engineer * vvonne – lyricist * Yu Ho-yeol – piano * Zaydro – chorus, drums, guitar, synth programming

Chart

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:New Journey 2019 EPs Nam Woo-hyun EPs Dance music EPs Kakao M EPs Korean-language EPs Woollim Entertainment EPs