Solo (stylized as SOLO) is the second Korean EP of South Korean singer Heo Young-saeng. It was released on May 22, 2012 under B2M Entertainment and distributed by LOEN Entertainment The album was later released in Taiwan on August 24, 2012 under Warner Music Taiwan.

SOLO
Solo cover
EP by
ReleasedMay 22, 2012 (2012-05-22)
GenreK-pop, Medium pop, RnB
LanguageKorean
LabelLOEN Entertainment
Warner Music Taiwan
ProducerB2M Entertainment
Heo Young-saeng chronology
Let It Go
(2011)
SOLO
(2012)
Life
(2013)
Music video
"Crying" on YouTube

Background and development

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After the release of his debut solo album Let It Go in May 2011, Heo turned to acting. He made his musical debut in The Three Musketeers in November 2011[1] and made his first drama appearance on KBS's daily sitcom I Need A Fairy (or Sent From Heaven) in February 2012.[2] He also contributed to that drama's original soundtrack with the release of "Love Song".

In the midst of the sitcom, B2M Entertainment started announcing Heo's upcoming album release via Twitter. It announced his comeback with the tweet: "He is Back D-DAY 13",[3] and another one stating: "120522 YS 2nd mini album [SOLO] release...R U Ready??", accompanied by a photo of Heo.[4] Both tweets were posted on May 9. B2M continued updating fans by posting image teasers of Heo Young-saeng on Twitter.[5][6] A 31-second music video teaser was then uploaded on YouTube on May 17, showing Heo dancing and accompanied by snippets of the song.[7]

Heo's agency announced that Heo had participated in the planning, concept, and production for the upcoming EP.[8] His personal friend Steven Lee, who worked with SS501 to create songs such as "Love Ya" and "Love Like This" for their albums, produced four out of the five songs on SOLO.[9]

Release and promotion

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"K-Pop these days is full of idols... but I think male solo singers are particularly rare. I want to work hard to strengthen male solo artists, and be a help to juniors preparing solo ventures. I want to be a sunbae that shows his juniors how to push forward." — Heo Young-saeng[10]

SOLO was officially released on May 22, 2012.[11] The four-minute and nine-second music video of the title track, "Crying", was uploaded to YouTube the same day.[12] Filming of the music video took place overseas, using a helicopter camera to shoot the wide panorama.[13]

The medium-tempo pop and R&B song "Crying" was composed by Steven Lee, with lyrics by Heo.[14] The song describes a man's undying love for his past lover despite their broken relationship.[15] Heo mentioned that he liked to do light rock music, but he did not have the chance to include it in the album.[10]

Heo returned to the stage on KBS' Music Bank, performing "Crying" live on June 1.[16] He performed the track on other South Korean weekly music programs, including SBS' Inkigayo[17] and Mnet's M Countdown.[18]

Chart performance

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The album peaked at number four on Gaon Album Chart during the first week of its release starting on May 20, 2012,[19] and remained among the top 100 albums for two months.[20] It eventually landed at 82 on the Gaon Yearly Album Charts for 2012.[21] The single "Crying" landed at 39 on Gaon Single Chart for the first week of its release and ranked among the top 100 singles for two weeks.[22]

Track listing

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No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Intimidated"Kim Tae-wanBrent Pascke, Gabe Lopez, Jimmy RichardTae Wan a.k.a. C-Luv03:00
2."Crying" (크라잉; Keuraing)Heo Young-saeng, Kim Tae-wanSteven LeeSteven Lee04:09
3."Maria [눈물나무]"Ha WonSteven LeeSteven Lee, Park Se-hyun05:21
4."Hello Mello [Only Love]"Lee Seung-jaeSteven LeeSteven Lee04:06
5."Crying" (Instrumental) Steven LeeSteven Lee04:09
Taiwan CD+DVD Edition: Bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Crying MV" 
2."Solo Teaser" 
3."Exclusive footage" 
4."A special visit" 

Music videos

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  • "Crying"

Release history

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Country Date Distributing label Format
Worldwide May 22, 2012 B2M Entertainment
LOEN Entertainment
Digital download[23]
South Korea CD[24]
Taiwan August 24, 2012 Warner Music Taiwan CD[25]
CD+DVD[26]

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ "SS501′s Heo Young Saeng and Oh Won Bin Will Star in the "Three Musketeers" Musical". soompi. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  2. ^ Kim, JiYeon. "[Interview] Heo Young Saeng is Studying Acting through 'We Need a Fairy'". mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  3. ^ "He is Back D-DAY 13". Twitter. @b2ment. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  4. ^ "120522 YS 2nd mini album [SOLO] release...R U Ready??". Twitter. @b2ment. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  5. ^ Jang, Eungyeong. "허영생, 'SOLO' 콘셉트 화보 공개로 컴백 카운트다운". The Star. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  6. ^ "1년만에 두번째 미니앨범 [SOLO] 로 돌아온 허영생!". Music Daum (in Korean). Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  7. ^ "HEO YOUNG SAENG (허영생)_[SOLO]_TEASER". YouTube. B2Ment. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  8. ^ "허영생, 컴백 초읽기..앨범 기획-제작 참여 '눈길'". News Nate (in Korean). Osen. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  9. ^ Hong, Grace Danbi. "SS501′s Heo Young Saeng Releases Video Teaser for 'Crying'". mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  10. ^ a b JiYeon, Kim. "[Interview] Heo Young Saeng Dreams Bigger Dreams". Mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  11. ^ Seong, Jinhui. "허영생, 새 미니앨범 'SOLO' 음원 공개..6월 1일 전격 컴백!". The Star (in Korean). Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  12. ^ "HEO YOUNG SAENG (허영생)_Crying_M/V(뮤직비디오)". YouTube. B2Ment. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  13. ^ Grace Danbi, Hong. "Heo Young Saeng Comes Back 'Crying' with New Album and MV". Mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  14. ^ "SOLO". Mnet. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  15. ^ "허영생 - Solo [Mini Album]". Myondong.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  16. ^ "Heo Young Saeng Comes Back ′Crying′ with New Album and MV". Yahoo PH Celebrity. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  17. ^ "'인가' 허영생, '크라잉' 무대로 감성 '폭발'". SBS Sports (in Korean). Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  18. ^ Yi, Hanhyeong. "[포토엔]허영생 '솔로로 독립' 화려한 퍼포먼스". Joins (in Korean). Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  19. ^ a b "2012년 22주차 Album Chart" (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 14, 2015.
  20. ^ "2012년 06월 Album Chart". Gaon Charts (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 9, 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  21. ^ a b "2012년 Album Chart". Gaon Charts (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  22. ^ "Gaon Weekly Single Charts - May 27-June 2, 2012". Gaon Charts (in Korean). Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  23. ^ "Solo - EP". iTunes. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  24. ^ "Heo Young Saeng Mini Album Vol. 2 - SOLO". Yesasia. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  25. ^ "Heo Young Saeng Mini Album Vol. 2 - SOLO (CD + A4 PVC Folder) (Version A) (Taiwan Limited Edition)". Yesasia. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  26. ^ "Heo Young Saeng Mini Album Vol. 2 - SOLO (CD + DVD) (Version B) (Taiwan Limited Edition)". Yesasia. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  27. ^ "2012년 05월 Album Chart". Gaon Charts (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 27, 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  28. ^ "第22 週 統計時間:2012/05/25 - 2012/05/31". 5Music (in Chinese). Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  29. ^ "第33週計算時間: 2012/08/17 - 2012/08/23". G-Music (in Chinese). Archived from the original on August 24, 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  30. ^ "2012년 22주차 Digital Chart (May 20-26, 2012)". Gaon Charts (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  31. ^ "2012년 22주차 Download Chart". Gaon Charts (in Korean). Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  32. ^ "2012년 22주차 Streaming Chart". Gaon Charts (in Korean). Retrieved 20 May 2015.
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