I. Introduction
City Lights is the debut mini album by Baekhyun, relased on July 10, 2019.
It features 6 tracks with "UN Village" being the title track.
City Lights received generally positive reviews from critics. Tamar Hermann of Billboard opined that Baekhyun's "expressive vocals relay a wide array of emotions". She added that by frequently layering different recordings atop of one another, "the wide range of Baekhyun's tone and artistic style" was revealed. Riddhi Chakraborty of Rolling Stone
India stated that "Baekhyun's penchant for romantic ballads is forgotten as he makes a complete immersion into dark and heady R&B". She concluded that by releasing City Lights, Baekhyun "has proven that he understands exactly what kind of artist he is and what he's capable of, therefore he's unafraid to be seen in a brand new light''.
II. Music and Composition
City Lights has six songs which feature R&B, hip hip hop and pop genres. The album's title track "UN Village" is a romantic love song
that combines groovy beats and string sound with sensational lyrics about a romantic moment a couple share under the moonlight of UN Village hill.
Various world-renowned music producer Darkchild, the Stereotypes, Cha Cha Malone, LDN Noise have participated in the album.
Korean rapper Beenzino was featured in the side track "Stay Up!", a dreamy R&B song with lyrics that draw attention by mentioning special nights with his loved one in sexy narrative.
The third track "Betcha" is a hip hop R&B song with urban beats song with lyrics that tells a story about a cute yet confident attitude of a man who is confident that the other person is destined for love.
"Ice Queen" is characterized as an R&B song with a sophisticated beat and a catchy melody with lyrics about winning the girls' cold heart with his warm one.
"Diamond" is described as an R&B ballad with impressive major and minor melodies with the lyrics that compare love for lovers to a solidly glowing diamond.
The last song "Psycho" is an electric pop that expresses the inner selves of a man lost among confused emotions.
III. Tracklist
| Track | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "UN Village" |
LIØN | LIØN, Dress | Dress | 3:55 |
| 2 | "Stay Up" (feat. Beenzino) | JQ (Makeumine Works), Park Ji-hee (Makeumine Works), Beenzino | Cha Cha Malone (Iconic Sounds), Adrian McKinnon, Michelle Cho (Singing Beetle), Zachary Chicoine, Beenzino | Cha Cha Malone (Iconic Sounds) | 3:27 |
| 3 | "Betcha" | Kenzie | Kenzie, The Stereotypes, August Rigo | The Stereotypes, | 3:21 |
| 4 | "Ice Queen" | Baylee (Stoneship) | Greg Bonnick, Hayden Chapman, Bobii Lewis, Adrian McKinnon | LDN Noise | 3:35 |
| 5 | "Diamond" | Colde | Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Marlin "Hookman" Bonds, Deez | Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins | 3:57 |
| 6 | "Psycho" (bonus track)" | Seo Ji-eum | Zayson, Megan Lee | Zayson | 3:25 |
IV. MV and Album Tracks
V. Reception
On July 9, it was reported that the pre-order sales of City Lights reached 401,545 copies in eight days and the EP topped over 67 countries' iTunes charts. City Lights went on to debut atop the Gaon Album Chart for the week ending on July 13, becoming his first chart-topper. The EP became the top-selling album of July 2019 on Gaon's Album Chart with a total of 508,321 sales and in the end sold 579k copies. The EP also attained international success by debuting at number four on the Billboard World Albums becoming his first top-five entry on the chart. It was certified 2x Platinum by the KMCA. The album also won a Disc Bonsang at the Golden Disc Awards in 2020.
The title track reached #22 on Gaon and #23 on the US World Billboard chart. All of the songs on the EP charted on Gaon: "Stay Up" at #89, "Betcha" at #102, "Ice Queen" at #114, "Diamond" at #117 and "Psycho" at #125.
