[EXO's Baekhyun is posing at the showcase for his first mini album, "City Lights,"

held at the Gangnam SAC Art Hall on the afternoon of July 10]







For the first time in the seven years since his debut, Baekhyun of EXO and EXO-CBX is releasing a solo album.





"It was a bit overwhelming because I didn't have other members to rely on and I felt that I had to completely show myself alone," he said at the showcase for his first mini album, "City Lights," held at the SAC Art Hall in Gangnam, Seoul, on July 10 at 6 pm. "I really focused on practicing my vocals. It helped me improve. I think the pressure produced a synergy effect. I want the listener to think, 'I didn't know Baekhyun had this side to him.'"





The title song is "UN Village," an R&B love song that shows Baekhyun's soft vocals.





It was the song that captured him in 10 seconds. Other people recommended different songs, but Baekhyun stuck to "UN Village" as the title song.





The so-called "UN Village" is a neighborhood in Hannam-dong, Seoul, where luxurious villas are concentrated. Apparently, other EXO members initially misunderstood the title to represent a "prince-like" song.





Baekhyun smiled as he explained, "I meant that I liked the view from the hill behind UN Village, so I wanted to share it." He added, "I sang in a more relaxed way than as a member of EXO."





The album includes six songs including the R&B song "Stay Up" that features the rapper Beenzino, the hip-hop-R&B song "Betcha" that captures a man's cute but confident attitude.





The name of the album, "City Lights," comes from "light," which is Baekhyun's "superpower" in EXO. When they debuted in 2012, they had a concept in which the members had superpowers.





So far, the album is proving Baekhyun's popularity as a solo artist with 401,545 preorders (as of July 8).





EXO's strength lies in offline sales, with cumulative album sales exceeding 10 million.





EXO designated July as the "EXO Month" and are carrying out various events and activities. Following Baekhyun's lead, a new EXO unit, EXO-SC (Sehoon and Chanyeol) will release their first mini album, "What a Life," on July 22. As a group, EXO will have their fifth solo concert, EXO Planet #5 - Exploration, at the KSPO Dome in the Seoul Olympic Park.



