Baekhyun debuted as one of the main vocalists of EXO in 2012, and became a part of supergroup SuperM with fellow member Kai, SHINee’s Taemin, NCT 127’s Mark and Taeyong, and WayV’s Ten and Lucas. He debuted as a solo artist in 2019, but in 2023 he sued SM Entertainment and founded his own label, INB100, which he continues his solo career under today. (And breathe).

Here are my credentials: I know a little bit about Baekhyun from my SuperM deep dive and from his friendships with SHINee and other groups, but honestly, not that much. EXO’s been on my list to cover for an embarrassingly long time now, and while I’ve looked at one of Baekhyun’s EPs for my solo ranking series, I thought he deserved a review of his own. So let’s get into it!

EP #1: City Lights

As mentioned in my solos review, U.N. Village surprised me. It starts with a bit of a harsh on the ears sound that’s a real contrast to Baekhyun’s ultra smooth voice, and then it tiptoes along with the kind of enviable ease that only comes with years as an idol. In my opinion, it feels a bit like a few different songs together, though a decent amount of that is due to the somewhat anti-drop before the chorus. I’m fairly ambivalent about it in general; it’s not a sound I’m usually very drawn to, honestly, but I can appreciate that he does it so well. Side note: I’m probably an idiot but I have no idea what the name “UN Village” has to do with flirting with some girl, but here we are.

From the EP, I enjoyed the relaxed city pop sound of Stay Up, the great vocals and solid percussion of Diamond, and the dramatic rush of a chorus in Psycho (my hidden gem).

EP #2: Delight

Candy’s built on a trippier beat than Baekhyun’s done before, though it’s still solidly in the R & B field. I definitely preferred the sound of this one to UN Village; not only is the mix of synths and percussion right up my alley, but the verses flow much more smoothly into the chorus here. I especially liked the last minute, from the start of the bridge to the final chorus. It’s not shocking that the vocals are excellent, but he really gets a chance to center them here, without making it feel out of place. Sidenote: I really liked how colorful and fun the MV felt, and how well the choreo fit the song despite being much more energetic.

From the EP, I enjoyed the delicate vocals of Bungee, the strong background falsetto of Ghost, and the peppy, catchy hook of Poppin’ (my hidden gem).

EP #3: Bambi

Bambi may be Baekhyun’s most popular song, or at least the one I’ve heard people speak of the most. We’re back with what’s supposed to be a seductive song—or at least flirtatious—and like with UN Village, I have no idea what a cartoon deer has to do with that, but whatever. Either way, the chorus is slinky and warm, even as the rest of the song is driven by a percussive acoustic guitar. The MV is also much darker than his usual, especially in contrast to Candy, but it works surprisingly well; the black suit, leather jacket, and fedora are simple but really suit (hah!) him. The vocals take center stage as always, though the final chorus takes this up to 11 by having him do his own background vocals, which shouldn’t work as well as it does.

From the EP, I enjoyed the incredible mix of vocals in All I Got (especially those high notes; holy shit??), the classic ballad feel of Amusement Park, and the light-footed beat of Love Scene.

EP #4: Hello, World

Pineapple Slice starts out differently from Baekhyun’s other singles, with a rich, almost harsh percussive beat that serves as a great contrast to his voice. The combination of piano, acoustic guitar, and of course the vocals works so well, and the bits of funk are like a cherry on top. The MV takes everything I loved about Bambi’s with the color and fun feel of Cand. This was my favorite of his singles thus far, and it’s not just because I have an all-consuming love of pineapple that will one day destroy me.* It feels the most unique by far, and I hope it’s a harbinger of more to come.

*Editing Anna: just realized I did not clarify that I have a pineapple allergy; I am not some kind of pineapple-fueled supervillain on a quest to take over Gotham City. Glad we cleared that up.

From the EP, I enjoyed the snappy sound of Rendez-Vous (especially the background vocals) and the stream-of-consciousness sound of Truth Be Told, but my hidden gem was Cold Heart, with its grandiose production and satisfying slow build.

EP #5: Essence Of Revelry

Elevator is not dissimilar from Baekhyun’s other songs, building on the sound he’s cultivated for years with its ultra-smooth R & B vocals and background synths. I liked the dinging background noises that mimic a real elevator. I’m not sure if it’s the MV mixing live-action and animation or its more science-fiction elements, but this song just feels otherworldly to me. His voice sounds better than ever—I feel like I say that every time, but it’s always true—and the way he molds it to swirl around the beat is a skill I don’t think he gets enough credit for.

From the EP, I enjoyed the off-the-cuff lyrics and the laid-back sing-talk-meets-R&B of No Problem, and the gorgeous, sleek vocals of Black Dreams.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this. It was fun getting to know Baekhyun as a person—and a soloist—when before I’d only known him as part of a group. I got to learn, and best of all I discovered just how bizarre he is. For my short solo review, I watched his iHeartRadio interview, but this time I had the chance to watch both his KODE appearance with Choi Yena and his delightfully chaotic time on the K-Star Next Door. I honestly enjoyed that more than his music.

My Top 5 songs were Pineapple Slice, Psycho, Cold Heart, All I Got, and Bambi, with Candy as a hidden gem. Baekhyun gets an 8.0 out of 10 from me, and while this might annoy you, let me explain. Similarly to Fin.K.L., his music is on the whole not my speed. Maybe it’s that I have a terrible attention span, as the older generation would say, but I find myself very impatient with what I classify as “coffee-shop music”: easy-listening quiet pop or R & B that’s meant to gracefully flow in one ear and out the other. In fact, there were several times while listening to his discography that I forgot to write down my thoughts because I was more focused on whatever other work I was doing and the music morphed into background noise. The reason the score is still fairly average is because even I can’t deny how talented Baekhyun is. Voices like that don’t just grow on trees, folks.

Next time, we’re onto a boy group and then a different kind of ranking. Tschüss!