A New Journey (EP)

A New Journey is the third mini-album by South Korean singer Nam Woo-hyun of idol group Infinite. It was released on May 7, 2019, by Woollim Entertainment and distributed by Kakao M. 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 record with his stories embedded in the lyrics.

A New Journey
EP by
Nam Woo-hyun
ReleasedMay 7, 2019 (2019-05-07)
Recorded2019
StudioWoollim Studio (Seoul)
GenreDance
Length22:09
LanguageKorean
LabelWoollim
ProducerLee Joong-yup (exec.)
Nam Woo-hyun chronology
Second Write..
(2018)		 A New Journey
(2019)
Singles from A New Journey
  1. "Hold on Me"
    Released: May 7, 2019

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

Background
"The new album is about my new journey. Everyone thinks it's ballads when Nam Woo-hyun does it, but I tried new music. Besides ballads, I wanted to show that I do well with other music, too."[1]

—Nam on A New Journey

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.[2] 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".[3] The title reflects Nam's new musical direction.[4] He sought to showcase musical maturity and explore diverse genres throughout the album tracks.[3] In wanting the lyrics, thoughts, and melodies he identified with to "melt deeply" into the record, Nam prioritized his storytelling.[5] The record was set to be released earlier, but was delayed to "enhance its completeness".[6] The album was recorded in Seoul at Woollim Studio and mixed at W Sound, LAFX, InGrid Studio, and Mapps Studio. It was mastered at 821 Sound Mastering.[7] Unlike his previous solo endeavors, Nam implemented choreography in his songs. He prepared by modifying his diet, doing weight training, exercising, and managing his health.[8]

Music structure

A dance album, A New Journey integrates EDM and funk into its sound.[9][10] Nam wrote the lyrics to four tracks and contributed to two of the compositions.[11] He penned songs based on his experiences over the past ten years.[12] The record opens with "Intro", an "upbeat" track without lyrics which "gives the impression of leaving somewhere for the first time".[10][13] Nam described as "essential to setting the tone" of the album.[14] It is followed by "Hold on Me", a dance-pop song with elements of house music that incorporates acoustic and electric guitar into the track.[15][16] Nam described it as a "sharp" song with a "strong accent".[17] Rapper Junoflo features on the song.[11] 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.[14][18] While on tour in the United States, Junoflo traveled to South Korea to work on the song.[19] A portion of his rap was done in English due to his comfort with the language.[5] "Rain" was composed by MC the Max member J. Yoon and the lyrics deal with "overcoming pain and hardships".[13] Nam's "wide" vocal range oscillates throughout the dance track, evoking a "dreamy" ambience.[20] He stated that "emotions become moisturized" and "old memories often occur" as a result of rain; the "slightly damp smell" of precipitation led him to conceive the song lyrics.[21]

"Stranger" is a dance-pop song with an emphasis on guitar riffs and bass.[13] Nam described the song as a mixture of urban music and funk, and he stated that it was a candidate as the lead single for A New Journey.[14] The track's melody was crafted and completed during a nine-hour session with HSND, Adrian Mckinnon, and Galaxy.[13] On "Crying Baby", Nam employs his lyrical voice and a "classy sound" with an undercurrent of synthpop.[14] The song serves as an encouraging message to "lonely people under the weight of life".[21] After listening to the demo, he utilized a vocal technique for the track to fit his style.[13] In "Just Look at Me", the narrator tells his girlfriend to "look at me, as I promise to look at you forever".[14] It is described as a "sexy and warm" song.[13] The closing track "Flower" is a medium-tempo confession song on guitar and piano.[22][23] In the lyrics, he conveys his gratitude and love for his fans, likening them to sunflowers.[24]

Release and promotion
Tag of Golden Child (left) and Lim Young-min of AB6IX (right) rapped during live performances in Junoflo's absence

Woollim Entertainment announced A New Journey and shared an image teaser via social media on April 29, 2019. It showcased a "mellow" Nam standing on a bridge late at night.[2] A second picture was posted on May 1, presenting Nam in a red-lit setting and "dreamlike" atmosphere.[25] A short version music video teaser for the lead single "Hold on Me" was published the following day.[26] On May 4, a longer version music video teaser was unveiled.[4] A album preview of the mini-album was shared on the subsequent day.[3] A New Journey and the music video for "Hold on Me" were simultaneously released on May 7.[27] Hosted by MC Haru, Nam held a showcase for the mini-album at Ilji Art Hall in the Cheongdam-dong ward of Seoul.[23][28]

Nam began promoting "Hold on Me" on weekly music chart shows two days later.[29] Due to Junoflo's commitments abroad, Tag of idol group Golden Child performed in his place alongside Nam during the promotion cycle.[30][31] In addition to the lead single, Nam also performed "Rain" on Mnet's M Countdown,[32] KBS2's Music Bank,[33] Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation's (MBC) Show! Music Core,[34] Seoul Broadcasting System's (SBS) Inkigayo,[35] SBS MTV's The Show,[36] and MBC Music's Show Champion.[37] The final music show performance of "Hold on Me" was done with Lim Young-min of AB6IX, and promotions were completed on May 22.[38][39] Nam made an appearance on EBS FM's radio program Midnight Black hosted by DJ and bandmate Sungjong.[40] He also appeared on MBC Standard FM's Idol Radio, where he performed "Hold on Me" and a medley of Infinite songs.[41]

Commercial performance

On the chart dated May 5 – 11, 2019, A New Journey debuted at number two on South Korea's national Gaon Album Chart.[42] According to album sales aggregator Hanteo Chart, the mini-album sold 18,488 copies in its first week.[43] It became the 55th best-selling album in the first half of the year, shifting 42,656 units domestically.[44] The single "Hold on Me" under-performed on music charts.[45] It debuted and peaked at number 69 on the Gaon Download Chart.[46]

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".[47]

Track listing
A New Journey[7]
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."A New Journey" Code 9Code 91:18
2."Hold on Me" (featuring Junoflo)Nam Woo-hyun, JunofloCode 9Code 93:12
3."Rain"Nam Woo-hyunJ. YoonJ. Yoon3:23
4."Stranger"Nam Woo-hyunNam Woo-hyun, HSND, Han Gang, Shin Jae-yeong, Jo Michelle, Adrian Mckinnon, GalaxyHSND, Han Gang, Shin Jae-yeong3:14
5."Crying Baby"The Need, twlvThe Need, twlvThe Need, twlv3:14
6."Just Look at Me" (넌 나만 바라봐; Neon Naman Barabwa)vvonneDavinkDavink4:41
7."Flower"Nam Woo-hyunNam Woo-hyun, Jerry.LJung Gu-hyeon3:07
Total length:22:09

Credits

Credits adapted from the mini-album's liner notes.[7]

Chart
Chart (2019) Peak
position
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[42] 2

References
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