Lights
Digital cover
EP by
Joohoney
ReleasedMay 22, 2023
GenreK-pop
Length16:12
LanguageKorean
Label
Singles from Lights
  1. "Freedom"
    Released: May 22, 2023

Lights is the debut extended play by the South Korean rapper Joohoney. It was released by Starship Entertainment and distributed by Kakao Entertainment on May 22, 2023. The EP contains six tracks, including the title track "Freedom".

Background and release

On April 28, several South Korean news outlets reported that Joohoney will be releasing his first solo album for next month, which was later been confirmed by Starship Entertainment.[1] On April 30, Starship Entertainment released a logo video and an image which were posted on the official SNS channel of Monsta X and were revealed to be the initials J and H for Joohoney. In this video, released along with the image, the two windows rotate with a cool sound and finally find a point of contact in the middle and intersect.[2] On May 1, he released a coming soon image, with the album title Lights and the release date of May 22.[3] On May 17, Joohoney revealed his documentary film titled Turn on the Lights which will show behind-the-scene footages of the album's overall production process.[4] On May 22, he held a Release Talk Live to commemorate the release of Lights through Monsta X's official YouTube channel and communicated with his fans in real time.[5]

The physical EP was released in three standard versions, along with a jewel case version and a KiT version.[6]

Composition

Lights contains Joohoney's troubles and growth process, from the fierce past to the present, to find the true self, and the future he draws together with his fans.[7] This also shows his intensity, sorrow, and boyish beauty, which yearned for freedom, and gave a deep lingering effect.[8]

For its tracks, "Freedom" is an impressive song with a reversal composition that harmonizes the lyrical feeling of piano and strings with the strong atmosphere of hip-hop, then "Hype Energy" is a hip-hop genre, composed entirely of rap, "Voice" is a song that expresses our own voice, "Evolution" melted down the message that true evolution can be achieved only when we look back on ourselves, "Monologue" is a song which contains reminiscences of the past, when he only pursued vague dreams before his dark debut, and "Don't Worry, Be Happy" is a tribute song for fans, appreciating the promises of the past, present, and future.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash7/10[9]

Abbie Aitken of Clash described Lights as an album that "represents Joohoney as an artist" and "conveys a sense of intimacy and personality that has not been seen before", while also adding that the entire album feels like he has hidden his "musicality", opting to showcase a "greater range both in terms of vocals and genre".[9]

Name of critic or publication, name of listicle and rank
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
Billboard The 25 Best K-pop Albums of 2023 11 [10]

Commercial performance

Lights placed at numbers six and twenty-nine on the Circle Album Chart, for the week of May 21 to 27, with 73,720 copies sold.[11] It also placed at number three and number one on the Hanteo Chart's Weekly Physical Record Chart, which recorded 78,134.66 index points (album sales of 69,056 copies) and Weekly Global Authentication Chart, respectively.[12]

"Freedom" charted at number 105 on the Circle Digital Chart, for the week of May 21 to 27, with 3,697,614 digital points.[13] This also became a hot topic or viral on TikTok, gathering a total of more than 20 million views.[14]

Track listing

Lights track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Freedom"
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
  • BK
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
  • Laser
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
3:31
2."Hype Energy"
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
2:25
3."Voice"
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
1:56
4."Evolution"
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
  • Laser
  • BK
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
  • Laser
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
2:16
5."Monologue" (feat. G.Soul)
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
  • G.Soul
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
  • G.Soul
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
3:06
6."Don't Worry, Be Happy"
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
2:55
Total length:16:12

Charts

Album

Songs

Weekly chart

Chart performance for "Freedom"
Chart (2023) Peak
position
South Korea (Circle)[13] 105

Certification and sales

Certification and sales for Lights
Region Certification Certified units/sales
South Korea — 80,131[16]

Release history

Release history and formats for Lights
Region Date Format Label
South Korea May 22, 2023
Various
  • Digital download
  • streaming

References

  1. ↑ Yeo, Gladys (April 28, 2023). "MONSTA X's Joohoney to make solo debut in May". NME. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  2. ↑ Jeong, Seung-min (May 1, 2023). 솔로 데뷔 앞둔 몬스타엑스 주헌, 공식 로고 공개 [MONSTA X Jooheon, ahead of his solo debut, unveils official logo]. MHN Sports (in Korean). Retrieved May 22, 2023 – via Naver.
  3. ↑ Koh, Seung-ah (May 2, 2023). 몬스타엑스 주헌, 데뷔 8년만에 솔로 출격…5월22일 발매 [Monsta X Jooheon, solo sortie after 8 years of debut... Released on May 22nd]. news 1 (in Korean). Retrieved May 22, 2023 – via Naver.
  4. ↑ Lee, Seung-hoon (May 18, 2023). 몬스타엑스 주헌, 솔로 데뷔 다큐 필름 오픈.."한계를 향한 도전" [MONSTA X Jooheon opens solo debut documentary film..."Challenge to the limit"]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved May 22, 2023 – via Naver.
  5. ↑ Seon, Mi-kyung (May 23, 2023). 몬스타엑스 주헌, '라이트' 릴리즈 토크 라이브 성료..멤버들도 응원 [Monsta X Jooheon, 'Light' release talk live successfully completed.. Members cheering]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved May 23, 2023 – via Naver.
  6. ↑ Choi, Ha-na (May 16, 2023). 몬스타엑스 주헌, 첫 솔로 앨범 '라이트' 콘셉트 포토 공개 [Monsta X Jooheon, first solo album 'Light' concept photo released]. TV Daily (in Korean). Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Choi, Song-hee (May 22, 2023). [미리 듣기] 몬스타엑스 주헌, 솔로 앨범으로 '자유'를 찾다 [[Preview] Jooheon of MONSTA X finds 'freedom' with a solo album]. Aju Economy (in Korean). Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  8. ↑ Son, Jin-ah (May 22, 2023). 주헌 솔로 데뷔…8년만 첫 타이틀 '프리덤' 발매 [MK★오늘의신곡] [Jooheon's solo debut... First title in 8 years, 'Freedom' released [MK Today's New Song]]. MK Sports (in Korean). Retrieved May 22, 2023 – via Naver.
  9. 1 2 Aitken, Abbie (May 24, 2023). "Joohoney – Lights Review". Clash. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  10. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff; Oak, Jessica (December 29, 2023). "The 25 Best K-pop Albums of 2023". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Week 21 of 2023 Album Chart". Circle Chart (in Korean). May 21–27, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  12. ↑ Lee, Se-ol (May 30, 2023). 엔하이픈→주헌, 5월 4주 한터차트 '1위' 등극 [Enhyphen → Jooheon, ranked #1 on the Hanteo Chart for the 4th week of May]. Financial News (in Korean). Retrieved June 8, 2023 – via Naver.
  13. 1 2 "Week 21 of 2023 Digital Chart". Circle Chart (in Korean). May 21–27, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  14. ↑ Ji, Min-kyung (June 4, 2023). 몬스타엑스 주헌, 솔로 데뷔곡 '프리덤' 챌린지 열풍..2천만뷰 돌파 [MONSTA X's Jooheon, solo debut song 'Freedom' challenge frenzy.. Reached 20 million views]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved June 8, 2023 – via Naver.
  15. ↑ "May 2023 Album Chart". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  16. ↑ Cumulative sales for Lights (KiT + CD):
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