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''With'' is the fourth mini-album by South Korean singer
Nam Woo-hyun Nam Woo-hyun (; born February 8, 1991), also known mononymously as Woohyun, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and actor. He is well known as a member of South Korean boy group Infinite. Nam began his solo career in 2016 with released EP ...
. It was released on October 19, 2021, 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, Rocket Punch, Drippin, and Kwon Eun-bi. It has previously handled artists Epik High, Infinit ...
and distributed by
Kakao Entertainment Kakao Entertainment Corp. (), stylized as kakao ENTERTAINMENT, is a South Korean entertainment, mass media, and publishing company founded in 2021. A subsidiary of the internet company Kakao, it was established subsequent to the merger of the la ...
. After releasing his previous record ''
A New Journey ''Celtic Woman: A New Journey'' is the third studio album by Celtic Woman, released worldwide on 30 January 2007. Background ''A New Journey'' was recorded with the Celtic Woman backing band led by musical director David Downes, the Irish Fi ...
'' (2019) and completing his Arbor Day 2 concerts, Nam enlisted in
mandatory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
that October. He completed his duties and was discharged in August 2021. He held two concerts entitled Ontact Concert: Arbor Day On shortly after his return, where he announced his forthcoming project. Regretting some of his music from previous works, Nam crafted an R&B and pop mini-album. Following a series of photo and video teasers, ''With'' and the lead single "Calm & Passion" were simultaneously released. Nam promoted the song by performing it on music chart programs across various television networks. The mini-album peaked at number eleven 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 Korea based on their Record sales, pure sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, pr ...
and has sold over 25,000 copies since its release.


Background and recording

On October 24, 2019, Nam became the fifth member of
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 *Infinite (group), a South Korean boy band *''Infinite'' (EP), debut EP of American m ...
to enlist in
mandatory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
. Due to an injury he had sustained, he worked in
public service A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...
to fulfill his obligations. He was discharged from his duties on August 4, 2021. During his deployment, Nam gained weight and peaked at about . Ahead of the album release, he dieted and exercised for three hours a day and lost in four months. During preparations, he struggled to learn the choreography for the lead single, citing military responsibilities as impediments of his ability to rehearse dancing during his tenure. From October 2–3, he held two online productions entitled Nam Woo-hyun Ontact Concert: Arbor Day On, his first performances since Arbor Day 2 in August 2019. During the second show, the release of his forthcoming album was announced before the encore stage. While recording songs for ''With'', Nam listened to his previous solo albums and expressed remorse over "a few things". He decided to make music that would not bring him regret in the future, stating: "As a singer of popular music, I wanted to make this album with my own color and strong points... This album leaves out my weaknesses and maximizes my strengths." Upon hearing the
demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
of "Calm & Passion", Nam was reluctant to record it because it was a "very good song", which put him under pressure. After making modifications to the track and penning a portion of its lyrics, he felt that it matched him well. "My Diary" was composed with a free and flowing
ternary form Ternary form, sometimes called song form, is a three-part musical form consisting of an opening section (A), a following section (B) and then a repetition of the first section (A). It is usually schematized as A–B–A. Prominent examples includ ...
. Nam utilized his
falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...
in its chorus. Nam was inspired by
teen dramas In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms t ...
to conceive "A Song for You". While making the track, he wanted to make a song that would allow him to romp around on stage. Nam influenced the hairstyle and fashion that was presented for the album photos. He decided to dye his hair red because "it would go well" with the lead single's concept.


Music structure

Nam classifies ''With'' as an R&B record. Tamar Herman of ''
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'' labeled it "mid-tempo contemporary pop". The mini-album opens with its eponymous intro, a
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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
y number that begins with lyrical guitar melodies and progresses into an escalation of brass sounds. It is followed by "Calm & Passion", a dreamy R&B-pop song that integrates 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, or classical music for the low-pitched Part ( ...
with a succinct and sentimental beat. Its lyrics convey "intense love" and the resulting deep thoughts through a concealed and composed demeanor. Nam described it as an "exciting"
dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre 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 radio. Developing from a ...
song that "contains a man's calm and passion". "My Diary" conveys the expectation and wait for the arrival of a person to love. A medium pop track, "Lonely Night" comprises an emotional melody and lyrics. Nam expresses feelings of loneliness and love. Conceptually a noir piece, "Alone" is a cinematic
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
track. The mini-album closes with "A Song for You", a tropical house song which produces a "warm and refreshing sensation".


Release and promotion

On October 6, 2021,
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, Rocket Punch, Drippin, and Kwon Eun-bi. It has previously handled artists Epik High, Infinit ...
published a poster unveiling the title of the mini-album, ''With''. Dual voice teasers with "calm" and "passion" versions were uploaded to
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
a day later. Beginning on October 8, a pair of concept photos were posted for three consecutive days: the first batch presents a red-headed Nam donning a luxurious white shirt in one image and a sleeveless white jacket in the other; the second bundle shows him wearing a sheer wine-colored shirt and dressed in a refined suit; in the final grouping, the singer sports a black leather jacket in the first picture, while the second is set at a bar and displays him wearing a suit. Nam is seen in all the outfits in the concept trailer for ''With'' that was posted the following day. An album preview was shared on October 14 and the music video teaser of "Calm & Passion" was published on the subsequent day. ''With'' and the music video for "Calm & Passion" were simultaneously released on October 19. The mini-album was also released in a tape art version with album artwork designed by artist Jo Yoon-jin. It marked two years and five months since the release of Nam's previous mini-album ''
A New Journey ''Celtic Woman: A New Journey'' is the third studio album by Celtic Woman, released worldwide on 30 January 2007. Background ''A New Journey'' was recorded with the Celtic Woman backing band led by musical director David Downes, the Irish Fi ...
'' in May 2019, and his first single since "When Fall Comes" that November. Hosted by MC Haru, Nam held an online showcase for the mini-album on the day of its release and performed the single on social media platform
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
's live video feature Blue Room. Nam began promoting "Calm & Passion" on weekly
music chart shows Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...
two days later. He performed the song on
KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...
's ''
Music Bank Music Bank may refer to: * ''Music Bank'' (TV program), a South Korean music program by KBS **''Music Bank World Tour The ''Music Bank'' World Tour is a worldwide live concert tour of South Korean music show '' Music Bank'' by the Korean Broa ...
'',
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC; ) is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. ''Munhwa'' is the Sino-Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television station MBC TV broadcasts as channel 11. Es ...
'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. ...
'',
Seoul Broadcasting System Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) () is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. The broadcaster legally became known as SBS in March 2000, changing its corporate name from Seoul Broadcasting System (서울방송). Its f ...
's (SBS) ''
Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; 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 p ...
'',
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'', and
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. The show features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. It is broadcast from CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul. Bro ...
''.


Critical reception and commercial performance

''With'' received favorable reviews from all three critics from TV Daily. Park Sang-hu felt that the sexy concept suited Nam. Kim Ji-ha sensed a different impression and complimented the singer's "weighty" vocals, while Kim Han-kil noted his "appealing tone and more mature aura". Writing for '' Sports Dong-a'', Jeon Hyo-jin chose "Alone" as the "hidden track" of the album, saying that she could listen to Nam's "sexy voice to the heart's content". On the chart dated October 17 – 23, 2021, ''With'' debuted at number eleven 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 Korea based on their Record sales, pure sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, pr ...
. According to chart aggregator Hanteo Chart, the mini-album sold 25,379 copies by the end of the month.


Track listing


Chart


References


External links

* {{YouTube, Rnzyo-9LZJA, ''With'' album preview 2021 EPs Contemporary R&B EPs Korean-language EPs Nam Woo-hyun EPs Pop music EPs Woollim Entertainment EPs