As one of modern-day K-pop’s top-selling soloists, Baekhyun hardly needs an introduction. But with the release of his new solo album Hello, World, the singer-songwriter is signaling more than just another musical comeback — it’s the start of a new era, where Baekhyun is equally involved behind the scenes as he is when performing the songs onstage.

After his 2023 exit from SM Entertainment, the K-pop label where he spent 12 formative years as a member of EXO as well as its subunit EXO-CBX, and the Billboard 200-topping supergroup SuperM, Baekhyun established a new home at INB100, which also houses fellow EXO members Xiumin and Chen. While EXO’s group activities remain tied to SM, Hello, World is Baekhyun’s first release outside his longtime label, showcasing the growth and independence cultivated as an established idol performer and an increasingly more hands-on K-pop professional.

Hello, World tracks like the bossa nova-inspired “Rendez-Vous” and crunchy-yet-harmonious, electro-pop cut “Woo” strike a balance between the polished, silky R&B and jazz influences Baekhyun first showed in 2019’s City Lights (that peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s World Albums chart and spent 16 weeks on the chart) to more experimental ideas he’s been eager to explore including a rap-like delivery on “Cold Heart” and the ’80s new wave-tinged departure into synth-pop on the lead single “Pineapple Slice.” Now having a production-heavy hand in everything from musical direction to visual concepts, tracklisting and fan connectivity, the superstar admits that his perfectionist tendencies slowed down the process but ultimately led him to the proper balance.

“I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to music,” Baekhyun shares during an afternoon Zoom call from a Seoul office. “I think [the album] was delayed because I was trying to find the right feel to release the perfect album, which was really born from the title track ‘Pineapple Slice,’ which ended up being just the song I was looking for.”

The lead single’s sweet-yet-sultry vibe became the cornerstone for the rest of the album, inspiring the 32-year-old to push boundaries and further personalize his creative process.

“Now, I want to express my opinion, my ideas and what I want to try,” Baekhyun adds. “I think it’s fun to build up from the primary stages of preparing for an album and working together with a team where I’ve been able to contribute more is exciting. I feel a bit more ownership.”

While Baekhyun’s comeback may look like a seamless return to form from the outside, Hello, World results from countless hours spent behind the scenes, meticulously crafting his sound and image to kickstart a new chapter with grace. For now, the EP is Baekhyun’s way of saying he’s back and ready to take on even more in his next phase, sharing with Billboard more about the album, the processes behind it, and how he wants to meet fans around the world.

How are you feeling with this new album release? The album’s title is Hello, World, and the opening song is “Good Morning.” Does it feel like a new day for you as an artist?

I really like new beginnings so I’m very exited about this new chapter in my life and excited to show a greater audience what I’ve prepared. That’s exactly why I put “Good Morning” as the first track on the album and why I named it Hello, World because the first lyrics that start the song are “Hello, world” so I wanted a lot of people to listen and feel like, “Oh, this is the start.” The song was kind of made to feel like preparation for your heart to listen to the rest of the album; it has an overall very soft sound and I thought that it would be nice to build up musically throughout the album. I was very particular with the tracklist, so I’m very happy that the order of songs get progressively more climactic.

This isn’t your first solo album, but your first under your new company in INB100. Has the process been similar or different to past releases?

It’s very different from when I released my previous album. Now, I want to express my opinion, my ideas, and what I want to try, which I think is really good because I can try a lot of big, new ideas. I think it’s fun to build up from the primary stages of preparing for an album and working together with a team where I’ve been able to contribute more is exciting. So, I feel a bit more ownership of the album — I’m excited for it to become one of my favorites.

You enlisted in the military for almost two years, and it’s been three-and-a-half years since your last solo record in 2021. Generally speaking, what took so long?

I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to music, and I think it was delayed because I was trying to find the right feel to release the perfect album, which was really born from the title track [single] “Pineapple Slice,” which ended up being just the song I was looking for. As long as it took, I really put a lot of effort into this to be able to put and show a lot more of the things that I wanted to do.

What kind of things were you able to do this time?

I had a lot of thoughts about wanting to show who I am as an artist in the long term which means that I should focus on the music that I enjoy and artistic decisions that I, as an artist, wish to make. Stylistically, a lot of the music is what I wants to do. The genre is R&B, but there are so many genres that I can branch out to further with that genre as a base. I even tried rapping on this album which was something new for me.

Second off, process-wise — the music video, the recording procedure and the visuals — everything was a little bit more “Baekhyun-centric” and I was able to input a lot more of my opinions. Instead of someone saying, “Oh, this would look good on you,” I was able to, I guess, reverse that process and say, “This is what I’ve been envisioning for myself, what do you guys think?” and move forward from there.

You say Hello, World is inspired by movie genres with the album description saying, “A world where imagination becomes reality.” How exactly did you show this?

I’ve done a lot of different concepts throughout my career and I believe that the job of an idol is to kind of experience all these different sides you show. So, I thought that [making] the keyword “films” or “movies” would be a good way to put that in like one big box and express all these different things that I’ve done as one big genre. So, pretending that this is all a movie means I can turn my imagination into reality: I can be the stuntman, I can be a writer, I can be the director; there are so many different roles that go into making a movie…the “Pineapple Slice” music video is vampire themed and that also kind of taps into the fantasy and magic genre. But, once again, imagination becomes reality because, unlike the stereotypical vampire who is afraid of the sun and gets burned by the sunlight, my character in the music video does not, so it’s even these little twists that reflect back on the overarching theme of a world that I’ve imagined.

You can be very theatrical in your music, concepts, and even your vocals, but I’ve also read you are very low-key; right now, you’re in a T-shirt and simple hair. Does it feel like you’re acting when you go into K-pop idol concepts? Is idol life like acting in a way?

I think the job of an idol is similar to that of an actor, who acts according to the scene or concept. While I’m very satisfied with my job, I don’t usually like to wear makeup on a daily basis so that’s why I’m a bit more casual today. [Laughs] But on the other hand, I think there are differences. Onstage, I definitely focus on the moment and fully digest the concept in the song, but I don’t really feel like that’s acting — it’s not like I’m putting on a new persona. It’s more so that I focus on the moment and the job of performing the song perfectly more than being fake or pretending to be something.

The first preview we got of the album was the bossa nova-inspired “Rendez-Vous” performed during your Lonsdaleite Asia tour. Why was this song important to introduce your new chapter of music?

I wanted to show the most “Baekhyun-like” style from the songs I had. It’s been a while since I’ve been out [with new music], so I wanted to show fans a sound they were more familiar with instead of something completely new that would feel surprising or distant. I personally really like the song “Rendez-Vous,” like you mentioned it incorporates bossa nova, and that’s what I enjoy about R&B is how it can branch into and be altered in so many different ways depending on what you fuse in it.

Even since your last record, R&B music has changed so much, so it’s cool that you can do areas you’re comfortable with and play with something new in a song like “Pineapple Slice.”

When I first heard “Pineapple Slice, ” I got the feel within the first few seconds that this was the track I wanted to make as my single. I’d been searching for a song that has a very intriguing instrumental and catches the ear and “Pineapple Slice “did that. The bassline is very catchy so when you first hear it, I could kind of envision people listening and tapping their feet to the bass. And it’s different from his first three albums [singles] “UN Village,” “Candy,” and “Bambi” in that it has a stronger sound rather than the smoother, jazzy vibe. But the lyrics are very sweet, speaking about a male character trying to lure and seduce a lover, so I think the contrast is also very charming.

What do you think is the most surprising song on the album for fans?

“Cold Heart” was a track that, when I first heard it, I was very much like, “Oh, would I be able to pull this off?” but I really wanted to give it a shot. It was the first time I chose a song that I wanted to be better at; I chose it because I wanted to kind of prove that I could do it. I’ve spent so long as a vocalist, and this track has a lot of hip-hop influences and references, so finding the correct tone for rap was very difficult. So, I’m still feeling very nervous about this song coming out to the world and that the release day will be my “judgment day” since the fans will then be able to see whether or not I really pulled it off. I believe they’ll think, “Oh, Baekhyun sings this kind of song?”

It’s great to hear you challenging yourself in all these different ways under your new company. Why was it important for you to break out and create a space with your own company?

First of all, I wanted to meet my fans more and get a little bit more closer to them. And I always wanted to participate more in my own album process. With this question, rather than thinking about enjoying a new type of challenge, it’s more so that I really just wanted to get closer to my fans and listeners. Likewise, I believe that now I won’t have to take as long of a break between releases and hope to be able to come back in a quicker time frame. Working with my team and people, more possibilities are open for me in regards to things that I can do in the future, like producing, for example. Although there aren’t any set plans as of now, it’s a dream of mine and I thought this new chapter would open such doors.

That makes sense because you’re keeping group activities with EXO strong and have EXO-CBX with you at INB100. More K-pop artists are balancing outside solo careers with group activities. How do you personally balance both sides?

Many fans want to continue seeing new sides of the group, so I understand that and we will continue to try new things and meet you in the future together. As for Baekhyun as a soloist, I feel that’s a little bit different from Baekhyun as a part of a group. So, in the future, I’m excited to show three different sides of myself: as a part of a unit, a solo artist, and also as part of a group. So I hope my fans are also excited to witness that journey alongside [me] as it happens.

Anything you can tease for your fans in this new era? Or other messages to the fans?

So, first and foremost, I’ll definitely be working on album promotions. Apart from that, I want to go on a world tour someday — and it’s definitely a possibility that’s, uh, not very far from reach. [Laughs] Since I recently finished my Asia tour, I want to branch out further to fans around the world…

To EXO-Ls who have been waiting for my album for such a long time, I’m so grateful for all of you and I want to promise you that there will never be a break like this again. I’ll show you a lot of great things in the future with new looks, new music, and all the cool things I’m ready to show the world. And like I slightly teased before, I’m ready to go meet more fans around the world so I hope that everyone stays happy and healthy until we meet again.