''Inside Me'' 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

Kim Sung-kyu Kim Sung-kyu (born April 28, 1989), referred to as Sunggyu or Sungkyu, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is the leader and vocalist of South Korean boy band Infinite (group), Infinite. In November 2012, Kim began his solo career with his ...

. It was released on December 14, 2020, 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 ...

. Upon completing his

compulsory military service Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

in January 2020, Kim sought to release new music. Facing delays amid the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, he recorded music which deviated from his previous work, resulting in an

electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

and R&B record. Following a series of photo and video teasers, ''Inside Me'' and the lead single "I'm Cold" were simultaneously released, nearly three years after his first studio album ''10 Stories''. Kim promoted the song by performing it on music chart programs across various television networks. The mini-album peaked at number seven on South Korea's national

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, ...

and has sold 44,000 copies since its release.

Background

Following the completion of his mandatory military service in January 2020, Kim began actively appearing as a guest on entertainment television programs and taking part in musicals. On November 15, he held an online concert entitled the Kim Sung-kyu Ontact Concert – The Day. He performed the album track "Room" for the first time during the performance. For his previous albums, Kim had worked with Nell's Jong-wan. While developing ''Inside Me'', he sought a sonic shift and wanted to create music which differed from the recordings of his previous albums. He expressed his desire to fill the album with various genres. Conceptually, Kim wanted to display a "mature and restrained sexiness". He initially planned to release an album immediately after being discharged from the military, but the project was delayed due to various circumstances, including the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea The COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea is part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first case in South Korea was announced on 20 Januar ...

Music

Tamar Herman of ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remaine ...

'' described ''Inside Me'' as a "moody"

and R&B record "that verges on contemporary

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from Soul music, soul ...

but never quite goes where one expects". She noted that Kim "

lays Lay's (, ) is a brand of potato chips with different flavors, as well as the name of the company that founded the chip brand in the United States. The brand is also referred to as Frito-Lay, as both Lay's and Fritos are brands sold by the Fr ...

around with pitch shifts and tonal vacillation" throughout the album tracks. The album tone articulates "tangled, unrestricted, and lonely" feelings. "I'm Cold" is an R&B and

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- ...

coupled with an

electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into ele ...

and 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 ...

. "Fade" is an

alternative R&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 and ...

track which incorporates a dreamlike sound and groovy melody. Thematically, the song deals with wanting to slowly detach oneself from happy memories after a breakup. "Room" demonstrates Kim's wide vocal range. The lyrics describe being unable to accept a breakup and being stuck in regret, comparing it to confinement in a room. "Divin'" expresses a "cute" and "nerdy" love confession with an R&B feel. It opens with the sound of a

cassette tape The Compact Cassette, also commonly called a cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog audio, analog magnetic tape recording format for Sound recording and reproduction, audio recording and playback. Invented by L ...

to instill a retro feel. "Climax" conveys Kim's worries pledges to the second turning point of his life. The track's foundation lies in its "warm and rhythmical"

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 ...

Release and promotion

On December 1, 2020,

published a "comeback" video trailer announcing the forthcoming release of ''Inside Me''. Two concept photos were posted four days later: Kim wore

horn-rimmed glasses Horn-rimmed glasses are a type of eyeglasses. Originally made out of either horn or tortoise shell, for most of their history they have actually been constructed out of thick plastics designed to imitate those materials. They are characterized b ...

and a striped suit with

pomade Pomade is a greasy, waxy, or water-based substance that is used to style hair. It generally gives the user's hair a shiny, slick appearance. It lasts longer than most hair-care products, and often requires repeated washes for complete remov ...

-styled hair in the first, while the second was a "mysterious" black-and-white photo. A 30-second "A version" album trailer was uploaded on December 6; the video displayed scenes of Kim at a bar wearing a see-through shirt. A second pair of concept photos were posted on the subsequent day; one showed Kim with tattoos on various parts of his body, and he donned a wet white shirt with disheveled hair in the other. The "B version" concept trailer was unveiled on December 8 showcasing Kim's tattoos and scenes of him wearing a robe. A live clip preview was shared on December 10. It was followed by a pair of music video teasers for "I'm Cold" in two successive days. ''Inside Me'' and the music video for "I'm Cold" were simultaneously issued on December 14. It marked two years and ten months since the release of Kim's previous studio album ''10 Stories'' in February 2018. Kim hosted an online showcase in commemoration of the album's release on the same day. He appeared as a guest on the radio programs

SBS Power FM HLSQ-FM, also known as ''SBS Power FM'' (), is a K-pop music radio station of the Seoul Broadcasting System. The station is heard nationwide via syndication with local FM stations in Korea via HLDG-FM in Busan, HLDE-FM in Daegu, HLDH-FM in G ...

's ''Choi Hwa-jung's Powertime'', ''Lee Joon's Young Street'', and ''

Cultwo Show ''Cultwo Show'' (; lit. ''Escape at 2pm, Cultwo Show'') is a South Korean radio show hosted by Jung Chan-woo and Kim Tae-gyun ( Cultwo) on SBS Power FM (frequency 107.7 MHz) since May 1, 2006 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. From the beginning the ...

'', Naver Now's ''Before 6:05'',

MBC FM4U MBC FM4U is a K-pop, Pop music, Classical music and Entertainment station from Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. Launched in September 19, 1971 it was South Korea's second FM station, with TBC Radio (Now KBS Cool FM KBS Cool FM (), also k ...

's ''Hope Song at Noon'', and

KBS Cool FM KBS Cool FM (), also known as KBS 2FM ) is a 24-hour Hot AC music and entertainment radio station of the Korean Broadcasting System. It plays mostly older K-pop Music from the 90s compared to KBS Happy FM which plays the latest K-pop tracks. ...

's ''

Kiss the Radio Kiss the Radio is a popular radio program broadcast on KBS Cool FM, airing from 22:10 to 00:00 KST every day. History ''Kiss the Radio'' began broadcasting in 2004 with singer-rapper Danny Ahn of first-generation boy band g.o.d as its first D ...

''. In addition to the lead single "I'm Cold", Kim began promoting on weekly

music chart shows Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all human societies. Definitions of musi ...

three days later by performing "Room" 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 ...

'' and

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 ...

'', "Fade" on

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 ...

'', and "Climax" and "Fade" on

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. ...

''.

Critical reception and commercial performance

''Inside Me'' received favorable reviews from all four critics from ''TV Daily''. Kim Han-kil called the album a "masterpiece", while Kim Ji-ha was impressed by Kim's "cool and skilled" vocal performance. Oh Ji-won noted that, despite not working with Nell's Jong-wan on the record, his influence over Kim's music was evident. On the chart dated December 13–19, 2020, ''Inside Me'' debuted at number seven on South Korea's national

. By the end of the month, the mini-album shifted 40,456 units domestically. It moved an additional 3,465 copies in January 2021, bringing its total to 43,921 albums sold.

Track listing

Chart

References

External links

* {{YouTube, 8po4os3aQj0, ''Inside Me'' live clip preview 2020 EPs Contemporary R&B EPs Electropop EPs Kakao M EPs Kim Sung-kyu EPs Korean-language EPs Woollim Entertainment EPs