''Chase'' 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 and rapper

Minho Minho or Miño may refer to: People * Miño (surname) * Choi Min-ho, South Korean singer and actor known mononymously as Minho Places * Minho (river) or Miño, in Portugal and Spain Jamaica * Rio Minho, a river Portugal * Minho Province ...

. It was released on December 6, 2022, through

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 ...

. ''Chase'' was the last in a string of solo debuts by members of the boy group

Shinee Shinee ( ; ; ; stylized as SHINee) is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment in 2008. The group consists of four members: Onew, Key (entertainer), Key, Choi Min-ho, Minho, and Taemin. Originally a five-piece band, Jonghyun died on ...

. It contains six songs belonging to the

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and R&B genres, including lead single "Chase". It peaked at number four on South Korea's

Circle 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, ...

Background

Minho debuted as a member of South Korean boy band

in 2008. The other Shinee members,

Taemin Lee Tae-min (; born July 18, 1993), better known mononymously as Taemin, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor. He debuted as a member of the South Korean boy band Shinee in May 2008 and the supergroup SuperM in 2019, both un ...

Jonghyun Kim Jong-hyun (; April 8, 1990 – December 18, 2017), known mononymously as Jonghyun, was a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, radio host, and author under the SM Entertainment label. He was the vocalist of the South Korean bo ...

, Key and

Onew Lee Jin-ki (; Korean pronunciation: Help:IPA/Korean, .dʑin.ki born December 14, 1989), better known by his stage name Onew, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and actor. Born in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi-do, Onew was discovered at the 2006 ...

, had already released solo work previously, leaving Minho the final member to go solo. The name ''Chase'' was chosen to match the rhyme scheme established by the other members; Taemin's debut solo EP was titled ''

Ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...

'', followed by Jonghyun with '' Base'', then Key with ''

Face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...

'' and Onew with ''

Voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound produ ...

''. The album packaging also shares the same design. Minho described it as "the last piece of the puzzle". He did not originally intend to release a solo EP, but changed his mind after receiving letters from fans following his mandatory military service. Although it is his first EP release, it is preceded by the Korean singles "I'm Home" and " Heartbreak", the latter of which is included on the EP, and the Japanese singles "Romeo and Juliet" and "Falling Free".

Composition

The EP consists of six songs belonging to the

and R&B genres. Lead single "Chase" is a midtempo

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 hip hop and R&B influences. It combines piano loops and

arpeggio An arpeggio () is a type of Chord (music), chord in which the Musical note, notes that compose a chord are individually sounded in a progressive rising or descending order. Arpeggios on keyboard instruments may be called rolled chords. Arpe ...

synth 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 ...

sounds with a heavy

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...

. The lyrics describe the emptiness felt chasing after a figure in a dream and being unable to reach them. "Runaway" features rapper Gemini, and is a hip hop song with a strong 808 bass. The lyrics, written by Minho and Gemini, discuss trying to repair a broken relationship but instead ruining it further. Lim Kim features on R&B track "Waterfall", which contains "dreamy" synths and a relaxed yet heavy bass. The song uses water as a metaphor for falling in love. "Prove It" is an R&B song with rhythmic 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 ...

s and various vocal effects. "Choice" is an autobiographical pop R&B song with simple instrumentation, in which Minho reflects on past choices made in his life. "Heartbreak" is a pop song with intense percussion and synth sounds. The lyrics explore the pain caused by a lover who does not take their relationship seriously.

Release and promotion

The EP's title and first concept art were revealed on November 22, 2022. Pre-orders began the same day. Minho hosted a countdown livestream on December 6 to celebrate the EP's digital release. He held a fan meeting, 2022 Best Choi's Minho – Lucky Choi's, at

Kyung Hee University Kyung Hee University (KHU; ) is a Private university, private research university in South Korea with campuses in Seoul and Suwon. It was founded in 1949. Kyung Hee University is part of the Kyung Hee University System, which offers comprehensive ...

on December 7–8, which was also streamed online through the

Beyond Live Beyond Live (commonly stylized as Beyond LIVE) is an online live concert streaming service and concert series by South Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment in partnership with Naver. It is a paid concert streaming service. It provides ...

platform. On December 12, Minho hosted another livestream in conjunction with the EP's physical release to provide commentary on its contents.

Track listing

Personnel

* Minho – vocals, background vocals (tracks 2, 4–5) * minGtion – vocal directing (track 1) * Ju Chan-yang (Pollen) – background vocals (tracks 1, 5) * Gemini – vocals (track 2), background vocals (tracks 1–2) * Lee Ji-hong – recording (track 1), digital editing (tracks 2, 4) * Kwon Yu-jin – digital editing (tracks 1, 3) * Lee Min-gyu – digital editing (tracks 1, 3), recording (tracks 3, 5) * Kim Cheol-sun – mixing (tracks 1, 3) * Kriz – vocal directing (track 2) * Lee Jeong-bin – recording (tracks 2–3) * Kang Seon-yeong – digital editing (track 2) * Nam Gung-jin – mixing (track 2) * Jeon Seung-woo – vocal directing (tracks 3, 6) * Kang Tae-woo – background vocals (track 3) * Kim Jin-hwan – vocal directing (track 4) * Lim Kim – vocals (track 4), background vocals (track 4) * Junny – background vocals (track 4) * No Min-ji – recording (tracks 4, 6) * Jang Woo-young – digital editing (track 4) * Gu Jong-pil – mixing (track 4) * Maxx Song – vocal directing (track 5), Pro Tools operating (track 5) * Kim Yeon-seo – background vocals (track 5) * An Chang-gyu – digital editing (tracks 5–6) * Stay Tuned – mixing (track 5) * Yelloasis – background vocals (track 6) * Alex Aiono – background vocals (track 6) * Joren van der Voort – background vocals (track 6) * Jeong Yu-ra – digital editing (track 6) * Jeong Eui-seok – mixing (track 6) * Kwon Nam-woo – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Sales

Release history

References

{{reflist 2022 debut EPs Choi Min-ho EPs Korean-language EPs SM Entertainment EPs Albums produced by Lee Soo-man Contemporary R&B EPs Hip-hop EPs