EXO's CHEN shares personal journey in new mini-album ‘Door’

Debuting with the world-famous K-pop group EXO under SM Entertainment in 2012, CHEN quickly made his name known as one of the top vocalists in the industry.

SEATTLE - Debuting with the world-famous K-pop group EXO under SM Entertainment in 2012, CHEN quickly made his name known as one of the top vocalists in the industry.

Now, under the company INB100 alongside EXO members BAEKHYUN and XIUMIN, CHEN has released his fourth solo mini-album titled, "Door."

"For the fans listening to this album, I wanted them to be able to empty their feelings out but also instill hope in them by filling their hearts up again, which is why when I picked these six songs, each song had to contain various emotions and certain specific different genres and topics and characters," he tells FOX 13 News.

He began working on the album in February, and as a veteran artist in the industry, had a hand in every part of the production process.

While most artists in the industry would choose an upbeat track as the title, CHEN decided to take a more personal route, choosing the song "Empty" to represent the album.

"When I feel empty, it’s my fans who are able to fill me up again, so I thought that this song would be the perfect way to give back to them. ‘Empty’ is about loneliness and feeling sorrow, but I sing it with the purpose to fill my fans back up again and share my story in the song, which is the reason this song became the title track," he explains.

Other than his emotional connection to "Empty", he also connects to "Dandelion".

"The message of this song is that you are beautiful and meaningful just the way you are. This song is also the first time BAEKHYUN and I wrote the lyrics together, which makes it all the more special," he says.

With CHEN’s vast knowledge of the industry, there are still things he hopes to learn more about, especially as new groups and artists debut every month.

"There’s actually still a lot that I don’t know about the industry. However, one thing I have felt is that there are considerably more people who are interested in and love K-pop than before. This really makes me want to learn more myself and want to try harder," he says.

CHEN’s journey with his new company INB100 has given him a lot of new opportunities within his solo career, but he is also looking forward to the future with his EXO members, including the subunit EXO-CBX alongside his INB100 labelmates, BAEKHYUN and XIUMIN.

His commitment to the group, his solo career, and his fans has been a consistent driving force in his hopes for the future, saying, "from EXO to EXO-CBX to my solo career, there is so much I want to share with you. So I hope you’re looking forward to everything we have in store!"

CHEN has been busy with the promotions for his album "Door" since its release on May 28, appearing on numerous television and online shows, but what he is most looking forward to is the stage.

In a message to fans, CHEN says, "I’m also eagerly anticipating the day I can enjoy the stage with you all. So when that day comes, I hope we can really enjoy each other..I’ll make sure your efforts are all worth it on stage!"