EXO's Lay reported to roll out solo comeback in mid-April with promotional plans in Korea

On Friday, April 5, the Korean media outlet Newsen released an article stating that EXO's Lay is set to roll out a fresh solo album in mid-April 2024. The idol, currently active as a solo Chinese singer, has reportedly been planning for an album release soon, intending to extend the promotions in Korea.

The upcoming album is expected to come in both Chinese and Korean versions. Additionally, his further promotions in Korea will be managed by n.CH Entertainment, a South Korean entertainment agency that was founded by a former SM Entertainment executive, Jung Chang-hwan.

The agency currently holds several upcoming soloists, including Saebom, Haru, Sunshine, Doha, Huiwon, etc. While EXO's Lay has rolled out several releases before, given that this is the first time he'll be extending promotions in Korea, K-pop fans are thrilled about the comeback.

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EXO's Lay scheduled to release a solo album in mid-April

EXO's Lay debuted under the K-pop boy group housed under SM Entertainment in 2012. Lay was also a part of the Chinese sub-unit of the group EXO-M, which is currently dissolved.

The nine-piece K-pop boy group immediately garnered attention from netizens. Midway through the group's journey, the idol began to roll out his own solo projects.

By establishing an agency under SM Entertainment, he maintained his solo activities in China. The idol has been quite diverse in his individual projects, ranging from an autobiography release called Standing Firm a 24 in 2015 to venturing into Chinese acting projects such as his feature in Empress of the Ming (2019), Ex-Files 2 (2015), Kung Fu Yoga (2017), etc.

The idol was also seen embarking on business opportunities through brand endorsements and partnerships. Some of the successful endorsements he has done include Dell, Calvin Klein, H&M, MAC Cosmetics, Valentino, and Converse. With the increased activities as a solo artist, the idol decided to kickstart his own company, Chromosome Entertainment, in 2020.

The agency stands as a Chinese entertainment company with EXO's Lay working as its producer and CEO. While the idol rolled out solo albums and tracks before Chromosome Entertainment's establishment, his solo activities began to be managed by this label instead of SM Entertainment after 2020.

The idol created a solid discography for himself through his album releases such as Producer in 2021, Lose Control in 2016, Nothing With Me in 2022, and his most recent release with Lauv, Run Back to You.

However, the idol's ties with SM Entertainment were cut in 2022 following the end of his ten-year contract with the agency. EXO's Lay chose against a contract renewal and continued his projects as a soloist under Chromosome Entertainment.

However, the idol also stated that he'll continue to be a part of EXO despite them not being housed under the same agency. Following his departure from SM Entertainment, fans hardly got a glimpse of EXO's Lay in Korea since most of his solo comeback promotions were concentrated in China.

However, it was recently reported by Korean media outlet Newsen that the idol will be rolling out a solo comeback with a promotional schedule in Korea too. His upcoming album, while being an original Chinese release, will also come with a Korean version, to aid his promotions in Korea.

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His activities and promotional schedules in Korea, such as variety show appearances, music show performances, etc., will be managed by n.CH Entertainment, an agency that holds affiliations with SM Entertainment.

Given that mid-April isn't too far away, fans are excited to find out more details about the idol's upcoming album and his promotions in Korea.