Hello
안녕하세요
(Annyeonghaseyo)
こんにちは
(Konnichiwa)
你好
(Ni Hao)
D.O. is the 6th member of EXO to make his solo debut, Empathy is his solo debut mini album.
On the 30th of June 2021, SM Entertainment announced that D.O. would be making his solo debut.
On the 15th of July 2021, the Mood Sampler Ver.1 was released.
Owned by SM Entertainment
On the 16th of July 2021, the Teaser Images #1 were released.
On the 19th of July 2021, the Teaser Images #2 were released.
On the 20th of July 2021, the Mood Sampler Ver. 2 was released.
Owned by SM Entertainment
On the 21st of July 2021, the Teaser Images #3 were released.
On the 22nd of July 2021, the Mood Sampler Ver. 3 and the Teaser Images #4 were released.
Owned by SM Entertainment
On the 23rd of July 2021, the M/V Teaser for title track Rose was released, as well as the Empathy Highlight Medley.
Owned by SM Entertainment
Owned by SM Entertainment
On the 26th of July 2021, the M/V was released for title track Rose, as well as the physical and digital release of D.O.'s solo debut mini album Empathy.
Owned by SM Entertainment
Rose won D.O. 1 music show trophy, winning 1st place on Music Bank.
D.O. co-wrote on the lyrics for I'm Fine, he also wrote the Korean lyrics for his title track Rose.
Empathy peaked at No.1 on the Gaon Albums Chart and No.4 on the Oricon Albums Chart.
Gaon Sales = 378,715+
Oricon Sales = 26,590+
Chinese Sales = 81,030+
Giving the album a total of 486,335+ in sales so far.
*YouTube views correct at time of writing post*
The M/V for Rose has so far gained 19,503,008 million views, with the views continuing to increase on a daily basis.
Empathy was released in 3 versions: a photo book version and 2 digipack versions.
The photo book version is set out as glossy paperback book style case and comes with the Cd, photo book, dust jacket, random folded poster and a random photo card.
The digipack versions are set out in a folded card case and come with the Cd, photo book, random folded poster and a random photo card. The digipack versions come in either a gray or blue version.
Track List:
Rose
I'm Gonna Love You (Feat. Wonstein)
My Love
다시, 사랑이야 (It's Love)
나의 아버지 (Dad)
I'm Fine
Rose (English Ver.)
Si Fueras Mia
I love how simple the layout for this album is, it makes the album look really pretty, even the photo book is breathtaking with it's simple concepts, I think it makes the album a little more personal and relatable.
The songs on the album are amazing, I don't think there is a single track that doesn't pull you in to sing along. Each track is different, telling a different story and really showcases D.O.'s vocal ability, this album allows us to hear a more stripped back D.O. instead of the long, high, belting notes and adlibs that we're used to.
I love the simple guitar melody for Rose, I think it makes D.O.'s vocals stand out so much more, I absolutely love this track, I think people would think it was too mellow for a title track to stand out, but for me I think it's just stripped back allowing D.O. to really showcase himself.
Rose
I love that I'm Gonna Love You, keeps with the acoustic feel, I was in love with this track from the first listen, I could listen to this track all day every day. It's one of those songs that you can't help but sing along with, especially in the chorus because it's so addictive and catchy. I also love the abrupt ending to the track.
I'm Gonna Love You (Feat. Wonstein)
It's time to slow it down with My Love, the way D.O.'s vocals just melt and mould with the melody is stunning. It's because of tracks like this one we can really listen to D.O. sing, it's like we're getting a stripped back version of his vocals.
My Love
I love how D.O.'s sounds with the melody of 다시, 사랑이야 (It's Love), it's giving us another stripped back vocals with a simple acoustic melody. I love how calming and soothing his voice is in this track. This track also gives me Autumn/Winter vibes, just sitting in a warm house while it's all cold and frosty outside.
다시, 사랑이야 (It's Love)
나의 아버지 (Dad), is one of my favourite tracks on this album, even though the lyrics aren't written by D.O. himself, you can hear and sense the emotion in his voice, letting you know he believes and feels everything he's singing. You just know this is one of those tracks that will be stunning when performed live. For me this track never fails to pull at the heartstrings and tear up a little.
나의 아버지 (Dad)
I absolutely love the opening to I'm Fine, you just know from the very first note that this is going to be a stunning track. I love how well D.O.'s voice blends with the melody.
I'm Fine
You obviously know how good Rose is and how much I love and enjoying listening, but I think Rose (English Ver.) adds something extra special, I always seem to complain about the fact all K-pop groups/artists seem to do English versions of their tracks, which I know for them is an added bonus for their fans, but I know it's also to try and get them more airplay in other countries. I can honestly say I rarely hear K-pop here in the UK, especially on radio stations but I have heard K-pop songs that are mainly sung in English get airplay. This track though is perfect from start to finish and I'm always singing along when it comes on, I also love how fluent he sounds, if I heard this track on the radio, I would assume he's a native English speaker.
Rose (English Ver.)
While I love 다시, 사랑이야 (It's Love), I have to say that Si Fueras Mía, is just as stunning, it's actually my favourite of the two. So not only do we get to hear D.O. singing in English, we also get to hear him singing in Spanish, and again to someone who doesn't speak Spanish, he sounds fluent and like it's a language that comes naturally to him.
Si Fueras Mía
This album is definitely one of my contenders for my top 10 (possibly 15) K-pop albums from 2021, from start to finish this album is stunning, I'm not normally one for an album full of ballads, I like a mixture, but this album just pulls you in and by the time it's ended you're wanting to hit that play button all over again. This album is so calming and soothing, I could listen to it all day everyday without getting fed up of the songs.
I'm so glad we finally got a solo album from D.O. as he has such a stunning voice, there are times I can't quite believe the difference in his voice when he sings compared to when he's talking.
Were you a fan of Empathy?
Do you have a physical copy?
Which version(s) did you get?
What were your thoughts on Rose as the title track?
Do you have a favourite track from the album?
Let me know in the comments below.
See you soon!
안녕
(Annyeong)
さようなら
(Sayonara)
再见
(ZaiJian)
Bye
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