'' Self-Portrait'' () is the debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

by South Korean singer

Suho Kim Jun-myeon (; born May 22, 1991), better known by his stage name Suho (, meaning "guardian"), is a South Korean singer, songwriter and actor. He is the leader and lead vocalist of the South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo and its sub-unit Exo-K ...

. It was released on March 30, 2020, by

SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...

. The physical edition was released in two versions, Archive #1 and Archive #2, while the digital version shares the cover of the latter, a collage of four

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

paintings of Suho's face. The EP features six tracks including the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut 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. Release s ...

, " Let's Love".

Background and release

On February 18, 2020,

announced that Suho was preparing for his solo debut. On February 27 it was reported that the singer had already completed recording the album. The release date was later announced along with the first promotional photo for the album. The album and its title track's music video were released on March 30 at 6PM KST both digitally and physically.

Composition

''Self-Portrait'' features six tracks of different pop and rock genres. The lead single "Let's Love" is described as a

modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...

song with a warm atmosphere. The lyrics convey a message about mustering the courage to express love, even if you feel clumsy or inadequate. "O2" is a dreamlike acoustic pop song. The lyrics are about two people with empty hearts who become each other's oxygen as they fall in love. The third song "Made in You" is a mid-tempo pop song that features a groovy drum beat and piano melody. The song is dedicated to Suho's fans, and the lyrics are about how he feels he wouldn't have made it this far or be who he is without them. "Starry Night" is described as a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

song that serves as a continuation of the story present in Suho's first solo song, "Curtain" (2017). The lyrics express the pain of parting with a lover. "Self-Portrait" is a sentimental modern rock song with retro synthesizers and strings. The last song "For You Now" is an acoustic pop song with a piano-driven melody. It presents lyrics conveying sincere gratitude and comfort from one person to another. The song features singer

Younha Go Youn-ha (Hangul: 고윤하, Hanja: 高潤荷; born April 29, 1988), known mononymously as Younha, is a South Korean singer-songwriter and record producer. She began her career in 2004 in Japan, where she was nicknamed the "Oricon Comet" for h ...

. Suho participated in writing and conceptualizing each song on the EP, and every track represents a piece of the album's connecting storyline.

Commercial performance

The EP peaked at number 13 on the US World Albums chart. Additionally, ''Self-Portrait'' topped over 50 countries' iTunes charts. The EP was certified Platinum for selling over 55,000 copies on China's biggest music platform,

QQ Music QQ Music () is one of the three Chinese freemium music streaming services owned by Tencent Music, a joint venture between Tencent and Spotify. As of 2018, the service is set to reach over 700 million users with an estimated 120 million subscribe ...

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Sales

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Exo 2020 debut EPs SM Entertainment EPs Korean-language EPs IRiver EPs Suho albums