Chen's solo albums: a journey through emotion

Chen’s solo catalogue is built around emotional clarity. Across Korean and Japanese releases, the EXO vocalist has explored longing, tenderness, heartbreak and quiet resilience, using his distinctive high register without allowing technique to overshadow the feeling in each song.

For EXO-Ls in Australia, these albums offer an intimate way to follow Chen beyond group promotions. Whether his music is playing during a late train ride through Melbourne, a coastal drive near Sydney or a quiet evening in Brisbane, his solo work rewards close listening and repeated discovery.

Finding his own emotional language

Chen’s voice has always been one of EXO’s most recognisable strengths, especially in demanding ballads and climactic choruses. His solo music gives that voice more space, but the releases are not simply showcases for powerful high notes. They are carefully shaped around atmosphere, storytelling and emotional restraint.

His songwriting choices frequently lean towards piano-led ballads, acoustic textures and polished pop arrangements. This balance allows the vocal performance to remain central while giving each album a distinct identity. The result is a catalogue that feels personal without becoming musically narrow.

The spring sensitivity of April, and a flower

Released in 2019, April, and a flower introduced Chen as a solo artist with a gentle, reflective mood. The title itself suggests renewal and fragility, and the album carries that atmosphere through songs that examine love, memory and the difficulty of letting go. Its lead single, “Beautiful goodbye”, presents separation as painful but necessary rather than purely bitter.

The mini-album’s appeal comes from its warmth. Chen’s delivery moves between soft conversational phrases and emotionally expansive peaks, creating the sense of someone processing a changing relationship in real time. “Flower” and “Sorry not sorry” add further shades to the record, making it feel like a collection of connected emotional scenes rather than a single dramatic statement.

For Australian listeners, the album suits the changeable mood of an autumn afternoon in Canberra or Adelaide. It has the kind of spacious melancholy that works equally well through headphones at home or during a long tram journey when the city begins to quieten.

Dear my dear and the sound of lingering love

Later in 2019, Chen followed with Dear my dear, a mini-album that deepened the emotional world established by his debut. If April, and a flower feels like an immediate response to loss, this release often sounds more reflective. The emotions have had time to settle, yet they remain vivid beneath the surface.

“Shall we?” is the defining centrepiece, blending romantic hesitation with an inviting melody. The track is tender rather than showy, and Chen’s phrasing gives the lyrics a natural, almost spoken quality. Other songs, including “My dear” and “Hold you tight”, broaden the album’s perspective with affection, yearning and reassurance.

The record’s strength lies in its emotional detail. Chen does not present love as one fixed feeling; he moves through anticipation, uncertainty and devotion within a compact running time. That makes Dear my dear especially rewarding for fans who enjoy following lyrical connections across an artist’s releases.

Polaris brings his voice to Japan

Chen’s Japanese album Polaris, released in 2021, expanded his solo identity into a full-length project. Its title, referring to the North Star, evokes guidance and constancy, while the album explores romantic feeling through Japanese-language performances and a polished pop-ballad sound.

The Japanese setting changes the texture of Chen’s delivery. He approaches the lyrics with care, preserving the emotional directness familiar from his Korean releases while adapting to a different language and melodic tradition. The album feels elegant and sincere, with a strong focus on vocal tone and the quiet drama of love.

Polaris also reflects the importance of Japan within the wider K-pop market. For Australian EXO-Ls who follow releases through Japanese music platforms, imported physical editions or specialist K-pop retailers in Sydney and Melbourne, the album adds an essential chapter to Chen’s discography. It shows that his emotional appeal travels naturally across languages.

Last Scene turns towards farewell

Chen’s third Korean mini-album, Last Scene, arrived in 2022 with a more mature and autumnal atmosphere. The title track presents a breakup as the final moment of a story, capturing the ache of watching something meaningful come to an end. Its arrangement leaves room for the vocal to carry the emotional weight, especially in the song’s restrained verses and soaring refrain.

The album feels cinematic without becoming oversized. Songs such as “Photograph” and “Traveler” add different perspectives on memory, distance and movement, while “I Don’t Even Mind” brings a gentler sense of acceptance. Chen sounds less interested in dramatic release than in showing how sadness remains part of everyday life after the decisive moment has passed.

That maturity makes Last Scene a natural choice for listeners drawn to Korean ballad traditions. It can accompany a rainy evening in Hobart or a solitary walk along the coast, but its emotions are never limited to one setting. The songs leave enough space for listeners to connect them with their own memories.

Door opens a brighter chapter

With Door, released in 2024, Chen continued developing his solo sound while allowing more light into the emotional palette. The title suggests movement and possibility: an entrance into a new room, a new phase or a different way of seeing familiar feelings. The album retains his ballad strength but introduces a more varied sense of pace and colour.

The lead single “Empty” carries a bittersweet quality, pairing emotional absence with Chen’s controlled vocal performance. Elsewhere, the album moves through romantic warmth, reflection and renewed openness. Rather than erasing the sadness present in earlier work, Door suggests that healing can exist alongside lingering feeling.

This sense of progression is important when the albums are heard together. Chen’s music does not follow a simple path from heartbreak to happiness. Instead, it circles around emotional truths, revisiting them from new angles. That continuity gives his solo catalogue a strong identity within EXO’s broader artistic world.

A listening guide for Australian EXO-Ls

Chen’s albums work best when heard as complete projects, since their sequencing often creates a gentle emotional arc. Still, individual songs can serve different moods, whether you are preparing for a late-night study session, commuting across Perth or looking for a calm playlist after a busy day.

Physical editions and official digital releases may appear at different times in Australia, so fans often follow local K-pop retailers, streaming services and EXO fan communities for availability. Concert announcements, fan events and listening parties can also make the music feel more communal, especially in cities with active Korean cultural scenes.

• Start with April, and a flower to hear Chen’s original solo mood and the emotional force of “Beautiful goodbye”.
• Move to Dear my dear when you want romantic warmth, softer phrasing and a more settled perspective.
• Listen to Polaris for a full-length Japanese release with elegant arrangements and a different linguistic texture.
• Choose Last Scene for reflective ballads centred on endings, memories and emotional maturity.
• Play Door when you want Chen’s familiar sensitivity with a greater feeling of movement and renewal.
• Compare the Korean and Japanese versions of his work to appreciate how his vocal expression adapts across languages.

Release	Year	Format and language	Emotional character	Suggested starting point
April, and a flower	2019	Korean mini-album	Fragile, wistful and renewing	“Beautiful goodbye”
Dear my dear	2019	Korean mini-album	Tender, romantic and reflective	“Shall we?”
Polaris	2021	Japanese full-length album	Elegant, sincere and guiding	The album as a complete listen
Last Scene	2022	Korean mini-album	Autumnal, cinematic and bittersweet	“Last Scene”
Door	2024	Korean mini-album	Open, mature and quietly hopeful	“Empty”

Chen’s solo albums form a closely connected portrait of an artist who treats emotion as something complex and changing. From the spring-like vulnerability of April, and a flower to the open-ended feeling of Door, each release adds another shade to his voice and artistic perspective.

Explore the albums in order, revisit the songs that speak most clearly to you, and share your favourite Chen solo moments with the EXO-L community. Keep following EXO-L for music news, release coverage, performances, galleries and more stories from Chen’s continuing journey.