I. Introduction
Brand New is the debut solo mini album (EP) from Xiumin of the boy group EXO. It was released on Sept. 26, 2022 with the title track "Brand New."
II. Background & Release
Xiumin is a sub-vocalist and sub-rapper in the boy group EXO, and is also a member of its sub-unit EXO-CBX. After completing his mandatory military service in December 2020, Xiumin began to hint about a solo debut as one of the three remaining EXO members without a solo release. (Chanyeol and Sehun are the others.) He hosted his first solo fan meeting in over 2 years in May 2021, performing EXO and EXO-CBX songs, his previous OST song and debuting a new song "Serenity." He continued to hint about an upcoming debut throughout the year and into 2022.
On August 20, 2022, he performed "Serenity" again as part of SM's SMTOWN concerts, featuring the company's artists.
On Sept. 4, 2022, SM Entertainment announced he would release his first solo mini album on Sept. 26, 2022. The album has 6 songs and 3 versions: Desert, Oasis and Mirage. The album also features a song with NCT's Mark, who previously featured on a song with Xiumin in 2017, "Young & Free" as part of the SM Station digital project. Xiumin described the album as a gift to his fans.
As part of the promotions, the active members of EXO appeared on special content. EXO references also appeared in some of the photography and videos, specifically around the lore of his EXO "superpower" of frost.
III. Tracklist
| Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Brand New" | Kim Hye Jung | Domdada, Darius Logan, Michael "TruPopGod" Jimenez, Yoo Young Jin | Domdada, Darius Logan, Michael "TruPopGod" Jimenez, Yoo Young Jin | 3:04 |
| "Feedback" | Hwang Yoo Bin | Ella Isaacson, Gabriela Geneva, Daniel Caesar (of Caesar & Loui), Gregory C. Curtis II | Daniel Caesar | 3:29 |
| "How We Do" (feat. Mark of NCT) | Lee Seu Ran, Mark | HotSauce, Andreas Ringblom, jyll | HotSauce, Andreas Ringblom, jyll | 3:43 |
| "민들레 (Love Letter)" | CALi (Vendors), Jeong Jae Yeon | CALi (Vendors), Yezi (Vendors), Fascinador (Vendors), 153/Joombas | CALi (Vendors), Yezi (Vendors), Fascinador (Vendors), 153/Joombas | 4:14 |
| "Serenity" | Kim Yeon Seo | JINBYJIN,Kim Yeon Seo | JINBYJIN, Kim Yeon Seo | 3:39 |
IV. Spotify
V. Videos
Brand New MV:
Teaser:
Mood Sampler:
Brand New Akorn Market with members of EXO:
VI. Concept Photos
VII. Performance
The album debuted at #2 on the Korean Circle charts with 147,563. He also debuted at #1 in 33 iTunes regions and #6 on the Japanese Oricon chart.
