Kim Junmyeon, better known as Suho, is, of course, a solo artist, but he’s also the leader of EXO, one of the biggest kpop boy groups of all-time. He debuted in EXO in 2012, and began a successful acting career (both on stage and screen) a few years later, but only officially became a soloist in 2020, just before enlisting for mandatory military service.

Here are my credentials: While of course, being a kpop fan, I know of EXO, I can’t really say I know them well. I’ve covered three of their members’ solo careers—Baekhyun’s, Kai’s, and D.O.’s—for various reasons, but Suho I know little about. This review’s been on my list for a little while, since he’s collaboration with Wendy, but since he announced coming back with new music, I decided now is as good a time as any to cover his work. So, let’s get into it!

EP #1: Self-Portrait

As enraptured as I was by the gorgeously painted album covers, I didn’t know what to expect from Let’s Love. Slower than the first track on the album, it’s acoustic-led, coffee shop with a bit of a bite, reminding me a lot of Yesung’s music, which of course I’m here for. Really, the whole song is a vehicle for Suho’s voice, which is not even close to a complaint. Not being very familiar with EXO’s music—-blasphemy, I know—-I didn’t know his voice very well either, but I really liked it here. It carries a lot of strength in it, even when he reaches up into falsetto, something that’s unusual but very impressive. Overall, the song isn’t a genre I usually enjoy, but I think that it’s basically as good as this style can be.

From the EP, I enjoyed the slow, satisfying build of O2 (and those strings? So lovely.), the gently groovy beat of Made In You, and the gorgeous vocals of both Starry Night and For You Know. I’d honestly say that Let’s Love is the least interesting song on the album, even though it’s quite good—it’s just that strong.

EP #2: Grey Suit

Perhaps the best way to describe Grey Suit is that, despite the MV being soaked with rain, the whole song sounds like you’re listening to it through a sunny windowpane. Soothing and surprisingly gentle, with a more electronic background sound that I was expecting, Suho’s voice is once again really the thing that makes it special. I definitely wasn’t expecting the build in the chorus, but it knocked me off of my feet. Its strength elevates the rest of the song. Mostly, though, I don’t think I’ll be returning to it.

From the EP, I enjoyed the funky, falsetto-driven Hurdle, the gentle, gliding Moment, and, naturally, the power ballad to end all power ballads that is Bear Hug. My hidden gem, as I knew it would be from the second the song started, was Morning Star, a road trip worthy shotgun of a song if ever there was one, with a chugging guitar and a chorus that holds its arms open wide. There’s little I like more than a song just like that.

Single #1: Cheese

Did I only separate Cheese from its EP because I adore Wendy (the featured artist) and wanted an excuse to write about her? I will neither confirm nor deny this accusation. But I also really like this music video. It was the first thing I’d ever seen of Suho, before I knew anything about who he was, and it left an impression. Its mix of animation and live-action is always fun, and especially its interpolations of Wendy and Suho as paintings and video game characters are a delight. With a jaunty piano and some solid funk, it really stands out from other songs that came out the same year. It’s just so much fun.

EP #3: 1 To 3

I confess: 1 To 3 is a song absolutely made for me. I’m always weak to this kind of choppy, retro sound—blame my mom and her roller skating playlists. Pair that with a Star-Trek-esque space exploration themed music video and lyrics about going your own way no matter what anyone says and you’ve basically got a perfect recipe for me to ramble for ten more paragraphs. But I digress. Yet again, we’ve got a great mix of animation and live-action, especially in the transition sequences of a figure flying through the stars. Everything works together so well, without overshadowing each other, and it’s just a great work as whole. Hats off.

From the EP, while I enjoyed the spacey, string-led Mayday and the bass-led Wishful Thinking (which I immediately sent to my brother, a bassist), I had an easy hidden gem in Alright, Alright. Not only is it catchy as hell, but the way it mixes a chill guitar with some pops of mid-60s doo-wop? God, I’m in love; this has to go on The Beach Boys playlist.

EP #4: Who Are You

Who Are You is such an interesting song—it both builds on the sounds that Suho’s explored in his other albums and has such a different vibe. Gone are the painting influences (and rest assured they shall be missed) but they’re replaced with this almost bewilderingly funny music video about Suho…going on a cross-country adventure with a pair of…zombies? To fix their relationship? In between dressing like a gay cowboy? Sure. Why not. Seriously, though, this is really such a roadtrip song. You just have to listen to it with sun streaming through your windows and an open road in front of you. Eunji, grab my sunglasses, I need to go for a drive.

From the EP, I enjoyed the big-band-meets-hip-hop sound of Medicine and the light-footed, synthy Golden Hour. But Light The Fire completely knocked me off of my feet. I was not at all expecting out-and-out rock, and I definitely wasn’t expecting it to be so damn good. But by the time it got to the bridge, I felt like clapping. My mom likes to say “you know it’s a good song if it gives you a lead foot” and she’s completely right. [This is a joke, please do not speed, I’m not going to be responsible for you crashing your car].

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this! Like I said, I didn’t know much about Suho (or EXO) before this review, but I’m happy to have learned more. I didn’t expect to have so much fun but I’m so glad I did. I ended up watching Suho (with Kai and Chanyeol) on Korean Englishman’s channel, and his English interview with Hello82. Also, I had absolutely no idea that he’d acted in the Korean version of Mozart!, one of my favorite German musicals. So, best believe I had a great time watching his performances of Warum Kannst Du Mich Nicht Lieben and especially Wie Wird Man Seinen Schatten Los. It was so cool hearing a melody I knew in such a different language, and he did an incredible job with such difficult songs.

My Top 5 songs were Light The Fire, 1 To 3, Hurdle, Who Are You, and Alright Alright, with O2 and Morning Star as honorable mentions. Suho gets an 8.75 out of 10 from me, which absolutely isn’t what I expected. His work reminds me a lot of Yesung’s work, and I especially like the way he’s managed to explore different genres while still keeping a core sound; it’s a really hard thing to pull off.

The only reason this score is lower is because, without the more personal connection I have to Yesung and his music, I don’t find myself as drawn in. That’s not to say Suho’s discography isn’t good—far from it, his work is actually my favorite of all the EXO soloists I’ve covered—but you know, at the end of the day, this is my blog and bias is bias. But I really don’t have any substantial criticisms or anything like that; I had a great time, and I’m excited to see where he goes for the next album.

Next time, we’re onto a solo artist who I’m sure is bound to be decisive. Tschüss!