Love Synonym Pt.1: Right for Me (stylized as Love Synonym #1: Right for Me) is the first part of the debut extended play by South Korean singer Wonho. It was released by Highline Entertainment and distributed by Kakao M on September 4, 2020.
Background and release
The EP was announced on August 9, 2020 as Wonho's first solo project, following his departure from Monsta X on October 31, 2019. It contains a total of eight tracks, in both Korean and English.[1][2]
It was preceded by the English-language single "Losing You", digitally pre-released on August 14, together with an accompanying music video.[3] The lead single "Open Mind" received a simultaneous release alongside the EP on September 4; it was also accompanied by a music video.[4]
Critical reception
His participation in the writing, arrangement, and composition of many of the songs on the EP garnered praise for his overall musicality, as well as his diversity of style.[5][6][7] In addition, the EP's bilingual songs and the participation of several international producers in its creation were noted as contributing to its global appeal.[4][8][9]
Commercial performance
It debuted at number one on the weekly Gaon Album Chart for the period of August 30 – September 5,[10] and at number six on the monthly album chart for September with 143,655 copies sold.[11]
^Jo, Yeon-kyung (August 8, 2020). "´솔로 컴백´ 원호, 오피셜 로고 기습 공개" ['Solo comeback' Wonho reveals official logo surprise]. Sports Daily (in Korean). Retrieved September 3, 2020.
^Moon, Wan-sik (September 4, 2020). "원호, 오늘(4일) 데뷔 앨범 'Love Synonym' 韓美 동시발매..본격 솔로 도약" [Wonho, today (4th) debut album 'Love Synonym' simultaneously released in Korea and America..]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved September 4, 2020 – via Naver.
^Shim, Eon-kyung (August 14, 2020). "널 위해서라면 죽을 수도"..솔로로 돌아온 원호의 진심 'Losing You' [한낮의 신곡] ["If it's for you, I could die".. Wonho's sincerity 'Losing You' returned as a solo [new song in the midday]]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved September 3, 2020.
^Shim, Eon-kyung (August 14, 2020). "널 위해서라면 죽을 수도"..솔로로 돌아온 원호의 진심 'Losing You' [한낮의 신곡] ["If it's for you, I could die"... Wonho's sincerity'Losing You' returned as a solo [new song in the midday]]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved September 4, 2020.
^Gong, Mi-na (September 4, 2020). "솔로로 돌아온 원호, 매혹적 새 출발 'Open Mind'[12시★카페]" [Wonho returns to solo, a fascinating new start'Open Mind' [12 o'clock cafe]]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved September 4, 2020.
^Shim, Eon-kyung (September 8, 2020). "원호, 솔로 데뷔 관전 포인트 3 #첫 미니앨범 #글로벌 프로듀서 #퍼포먼스" [Wonho, Watching Solo Debut Point 3 #First Mini Album #Global Producer #Performance]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved September 8, 2020.
^Ji, Min-kyung (September 5, 2020). "'솔로 데뷔' 원호, 월드와이드 아이튠즈 앨범 차트 1위..글로벌 인기 입증 [종합]" ['Solo Debut' Wonho, No. 1 on the Worldwide iTunes Album Chart..Proof of Global Popularity [General]]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved September 5, 2020.
^Jeong, An-ji (September 7, 2020). 원호, 월드 와이드 앨범 차트 1위→아이튠즈 20개국 1위 "글로벌 대세 입증" [Wonho, No. 1 on the World Wide Album Chart → No. 1 in 20 countries on iTunes "Proof of the global trend"]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). Retrieved September 7, 2020 – via Naver.