Chase (Minho EP)

2022 EP by Minho

Chase

Digital and Complete version cover

EP by

Minho

Released| December 6, 2022
Studio|

* Doobdoob (Seoul)
* SM Big Shot (Seoul)
* SM LVYIN (Seoul)
* SM Yellow Tail (Seoul)

Genre|

* Hip hop
* R&B

Length| 20:06
Language| Korean
Label|

* SM
* Dreamus

Producer| Lee Soo-man
Minho chronology
|  | Chase
(2022)  | Call Back
(2024)

|
|

Singles from  Chase

1. "Chase"
Released: December 6, 2022

Chase is the debut extended play by South Korean singer and rapper Minho. It was released on December 6, 2022, through SM Entertainment. Chase was the last in a string of solo debuts by members of the boy group Shinee. It contains six songs belonging to the hip hop and R&B genres, including lead single "Chase". It peaked at number four on South Korea's Circle Album Chart.

## Background

[edit]

Minho debuted as a member of South Korean boy band Shinee in 2008. The other Shinee members, Taemin, Jonghyun, Key and Onew, had already released solo work previously, leaving Minho the final member to go solo.[1] The name Chase was chosen to match the rhyme scheme established by the other members; Taemin's debut solo EP was titled Ace, followed by Jonghyun with Base, then Key with Face and Onew with Voice.[2] The album packaging also shares the same design. Minho described it as "the last piece of the puzzle".[3] He did not originally intend to release a solo EP, but changed his mind after receiving letters from fans following his mandatory military service.[4] Although it is his first EP release, it is preceded by the Korean singles "I'm Home" and "Heartbreak", the latter of which is included on the EP, and the Japanese singles "Romeo and Juliet" and "Falling Free".[1]

## Composition

[edit]

The EP consists of six songs belonging to the hip hop and R&B genres. Lead single "Chase" is a midtempo pop song with hip hop and R&B influences. It combines piano loops and arpeggio synth sounds with a heavy bassline. The lyrics describe the emptiness felt chasing after a figure in a dream and being unable to reach them.[5] "Runaway" features rapper Gemini, and is a hip hop song with a strong 808 bass. The lyrics, written by Minho and Gemini, discuss trying to repair a broken relationship but instead ruining it further. Lim Kim features on R&B track "Waterfall", which contains "dreamy" synths and a relaxed yet heavy bass. The song uses water as a metaphor for falling in love.[6] "Prove It" is an R&B song with rhythmic guitar riffs and various vocal effects. "Choice" is an autobiographical pop R&B song with simple instrumentation, in which Minho reflects on past choices made in his life.[7] "Heartbreak" is a pop song with intense percussion and synth sounds. The lyrics explore the pain caused by a lover who does not take their relationship seriously.[8][9]

## Release and promotion

[edit]

The EP's title and first concept art were revealed on November 22, 2022. Pre-orders began the same day.[1] Minho hosted a countdown livestream on December 6 to celebrate the EP's digital release.[6] He held a fan meeting, 2022 Best Choi's Minho – Lucky Choi's, at Kyung Hee University on December 7–8, which was also streamed online through the Beyond Live platform.[1] On December 12, Minho hosted another livestream in conjunction with the EP's physical release to provide commentary on its contents.[6]

## Track listing

[edit]

Chase track listingNo.| Title| Lyrics| Music| Arrangement| Length

|
|
|
|
|

1.| "Chase" (놓아줘; Noajwo; lit. Let Me Go)| Lee Yeon-ji|

* Kimberly "Kaydence" Krysiuk
* Gemini
* Kwaca
* Imlay

* Childish Major
* Quintin "Q" Gulledge
* Larrance Dopson
* Swish
* Imlay

| 3:26
2.| "Runaway" (featuring Gemini)|

* Minho
* Gemini
* Kwaca

* Greg Bonnick
* Hayden Chapman
* Tay Jasper

| LDN Noise| 2:54
3.| "Prove It"| Kang Eun-jeong|

* Zale Epstein
* Josh Cumbee

* Epstein
* Cumbee

| 3:03
4.| "Waterfall" (featuring Lim Kim)| Moon Seol-ri| Cha Cha Malone| Malone| 3:41
5.| "Choice"| Choi Bo-ra|

* Tenroc
* Feli Ferraro
* Benjmn
* Boston
* Kevin White
* Mike Woods

* Woods
* Tenroc
* Boston

| 3:38
6.| "Heartbreak"| Park Tae-won|

* Parrish Warrington
* Diederik van Elsas
* Joren van der Voort
* Alex Aiono

* Trackside
* van der Voort

| 3:24
Total length:| 20:06

## Personnel

[edit]

* Minho – vocals, background vocals (tracks 2, 4–5)
* minGtion – vocal directing (track 1)
* Ju Chan-yang (Pollen) – background vocals (tracks 1, 5)
* Gemini – vocals (track 2), background vocals (tracks 1–2)
* Lee Ji-hong – recording (track 1), digital editing (tracks 2, 4)
* Kwon Yu-jin – digital editing (tracks 1, 3)
* Lee Min-gyu – digital editing (tracks 1, 3), recording (tracks 3, 5)
* Kim Cheol-sun – mixing (tracks 1, 3)
* Kriz – vocal directing (track 2)
* Lee Jeong-bin – recording (tracks 2–3)
* Kang Seon-yeong – digital editing (track 2)
* Nam Gung-jin – mixing (track 2)
* Jeon Seung-woo – vocal directing (tracks 3, 6)
* Kang Tae-woo – background vocals (track 3)
* Kim Jin-hwan – vocal directing (track 4)
* Lim Kim – vocals (track 4), background vocals (track 4)
* Junny – background vocals (track 4)
* No Min-ji – recording (tracks 4, 6)
* Jang Woo-young – digital editing (track 4)
* Gu Jong-pil – mixing (track 4)
* Maxx Song – vocal directing (track 5), Pro Tools operating (track 5)
* Kim Yeon-seo – background vocals (track 5)
* An Chang-gyu – digital editing (tracks 5–6)
* Stay Tuned – mixing (track 5)
* Yelloasis – background vocals (track 6)
* Alex Aiono – background vocals (track 6)
* Joren van der Voort – background vocals (track 6)
* Jeong Yu-ra – digital editing (track 6)
* Jeong Eui-seok – mixing (track 6)
* Kwon Nam-woo – mastering

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

Weekly chart performance for Chase | Chart (2022)  | Peak
position

|

Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)[10] | 6
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[11] | 17
South Korean Albums (Circle)[12] | 4
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[13] | 65

### Monthly charts

[edit]

Monthly chart performance for Chase | Chart (2022)  | Peak
position

|

South Korean Albums (Circle)[14] | 27

## Sales

[edit]

Sales for Chase Region  | Sales

|

South Korea[15] | 76,139

## Release history

[edit]

Release dates and formats for Chase Region  | Date  | Format  | Label  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

Various  | December 6, 2022  |

* Digital download
* streaming

| SM | [16]
South Korea  | December 12, 2022  | CD |

* SM
* Dreamus

December 14, 2022  | SMC | [17]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Yeo, Gladys (November 22, 2022). "Shinee's Minho announces December release date for debut mini-album 'Chase'". NME. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
2. ^ Yoo, Jung-min (November 24, 2022). 샤이니 민호 "'체이스' 멤버들 앨범명과 라임 맞추고자 지은 것" [Shinee's Minho: "I named it 'Chase' to rhyme with the members' albums"]. iMBC (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022 - via Naver.
3. ^ Yang, Haley (December 6, 2022). "Minho becomes last piece of the Shinee puzzle with solo EP 'Chase'". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
4. ^ Ford, Lucy (December 19, 2022). "Minho Finds The Missing Piece With Solo Debut 'Chase'". Clash. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
5. ^ Jeon, Hyo-jin (December 1, 2022). 샤이니 민호, 타이틀 곡은 '놓아줘'... 시크 티저 공개 [Shinee Minho's title track is 'Chase'... Chic teaser revealed]. Sports Dong-a (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022 - via Naver.
6. ^ a b c Jang, In-young (December 2, 2022). 제미나이·림 킴…샤이니 민호, 첫 솔로 '체이스' 피처링 [Gemini and Lim Kim feature on Shinee Minho's first solo album]. Newsis (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022 - via Naver.
7. ^ Seon, Mi-kyung (December 3, 2022). 샤이니 민호, 청량하거나 성숙하거나..'Chase' [Shinee's Minho, cool or mature.. 'Chase']. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022 - via Naver.
8. ^ Yang, Haley (December 14, 2021). "Shinee's Minho to release new track on Dec. 21". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
9. ^ Dongre, Divyansha (December 21, 2021). "Shinee's Minho Makes a Bold and Thrilling Comeback with 'Heartbreak'". Rolling Stone India. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
10. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Digital Albums: 2022-12-19" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
11. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of December 14, 2022". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
12. ^ "Circle Album Chart – Week 51, 2022". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved December 22, 2022.
13. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
14. ^ "Circle Album Chart – December 2022". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved January 12, 2023.
15. ^ Cumulative sales for Chase:
* "Circle Album Chart – December 2022". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
* "Circle Album Chart – Week 1, 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
* "Circle Album Chart – February 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
16. ^ Lee, Sun-myeong (November 26, 2022). 샤이니 민호 '체이스' 홀로서기 준비 완료 [Shinee's Minho is ready to stand alone with 'Chase']. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2022 - via Naver.
17. ^ "The 1st Mini Album – 'Chase' (SMini Ver.) (Smart Album)". SM Town & Store. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.

*[No.]: Number
*[lit.]: literal translation
*[Ref.]: Reference(s)