I. Introduction
Delight is the second mini album by Baekhyun of the boy group EXO. It was released on May 25, 2020 and features 7 tracks, including the title track "Candy."
II. Background & Release
Baekhyun is one of the main vocalists of the boy group EXO. In 2019, he launched his successful solo debut, City Lights. In April 2020, it was announced he was working on a follow-up album, which was formally announced on May 6 with a title and release date.
Teasers and promo information were released beginning May 12. On May 13, the album's notable producers were revealed, consisting of legendary South Korean producer Kenzie as well as popular SM collaborators producers Mike Daley, Omega Deez and Colde. Many of these songwriters and producers also participated on City Lights.
Delight features seven songs of different R&B subgenres. "Candy" is described as a future R&B song with addictive synth instrumentation and a trendy melody. Lyrically, it expresses Baekhyun's colourful charms like various tastes of candy including cinnamon, mint, strawberry and bubble gum. It was written by Kenzie while production was handled by Mike Daley, Mitchell Owens, DEEZA and Adrian McKinnon with additional arrangement by Yoo Young-jin."R U Ridin'?" is an urban R&B hip hop song with a chill trap based instrumentation and melody with love-whispering lyrics that make you feel like you're driving through the downtown of a city. The third track "Bungee" is a mid-tempo R&B song with a piano melody. The lyrics are a metaphor for falling in love and swimming in the sea. "Poppin'" is characterized as an urban R&B hip hop song, with lyrics expressing the overwhelming feelings of happiness that burst out while in love. "Underwater" is a dreamy mid-tempo R&B song with lyrics about the feeling of ones heart submerged in an ocean of sadness after losing someone they loved, while "Ghost" is described as an alternative R&B song featuring lyrics about comparing a lover to a ghost in order to endure the hardships of separation from them. The last song "Love Again" is a lyrical contemporary R&B song with lyrics about longing to love a partner once more at the end of a relationship.
The album is available in four versions: Cinnamon, Honey, Mint and Chemistry released later on June 29.
III. Tracklist
| Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Candy" | Kenzie | Mike Daley, Mitchell Owens, Deez, Adrian McKinnon | Mike Daley, Mitchell Owens, Deez, Yoo Young-jin | 3:47 |
| "R U Ridin'?" | Kenzie | Kenzie, Mike Daley, Mitchell Owens, Wilbart "Vedo" McCoy III | Mike Daley, Mitchell Owens | 2:54 |
| "Bungee" | Jane (Channel 23) | Aisle (Channel 23), Jane (Channel 23), Jeong Byung-sun (Royal Dive) (Joombas), Hong Young-in (Royal Dive) (Joombas), Brian Cho | Brian Cho, Royal Dive (Joombas) | 3:26 |
| "Underwater" | Cho Min-young (lalala Studio), Lee Yi-jin (lalalala Studio) | Kim Yeon-seo (ADC Music), minGtion (ADC Music) | ADC Music | 3:19 |
| "Poppin'" | Kenzie | Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Charles McCullough II, August Rigo | The Stereotypes | 3:28 |
| "Ghost" | JQ (Makeumine Works), Mola (Makeumine Works), Kang Eun-yu (Makeumine Works) | Klara Osk Eliasdottir, Alma Goodman, Tony Ferrari, Larus "Leo" Arnarson, Michael "Omega" Fonseca, Bram Inscor | Larus "Leo" Arnarson, Michael "Omega" Fonseca, Bram Inscore | 3:24 |
| "Love Again" | Colde (WAVY) | Colde (WAVY), Stally (WAVY) | Colde (WAVY), Stally (WAVY) | 3:25 |
IV. Spotify Playlist
V. Videos
Candy MV:
Love Again MV:
Sampler, Teasers, Dance Practice
Performances
VI. Concept Photos
VII. Reception
On May 25, it was reported that the pre-order sales of Delight had surpassed 732,297, making it the most pre-ordered album by a soloist in South Korean history. After its release, the album began claiming number one iTunes positions in 70 countries total, while also sweeping various domestic album charts.
Delight went on to debut on number 1 on Gaon Album Chart for the week of May 30, 2020, becoming his second chart-topper. It eventually became the top-selling album of May 2020 on Gaon Album Chart with a total of 660,000 sales. Upon the release of the Chemistry version, the album spent a second week atop the chart. The album also reached #4 on the Billboard US World charts, #11 on the UK Digital Charts and #9 on the Japanese Oricon charts, as well as charting in multiple other European countries.
In June, Delight surpassed 971,000 cumulative sales, thus making Baekhyun the first soloist to qualify for a Triple Platinum KMCA certification. On July 1, it was announced that the album had surpassed 1 million sales. Delight was also certified Diamond for surpassing 250,000 sales on QQ Music, making it the fastest and first Korean EP to reach this milestone in 2020. The album sold over 1 million copies making it the first album by a South Korean soloist to do so in 19 years.
"Candy" reached #4 on the Korean Gaon charts, #16 on the U.S. Billboard World Digital Song Charts and #32 on the Japanese Hot 100. All of the songs on the album charted on Gaon, just like City Lights.
The album was also nominated for Album of the Year at the 2020 Melon Music Awards and MAMA Awards. It was also nominated and won for Album of the Year - 2nd Quarter at the Gaon Chart Music Awards. "Candy" was nominated for song of the year and best vocal performance solo at MAMA, Best R&B Soul at MMA and Song of the Year May at the Gaon Chart Awards.
