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I Like the Way (EP)

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I Like the Way
Digital cover
EP by
ReleasedApril 22, 2024
Length14:05
Language
  • Korean
  • English
Label
Kim Woojin chronology
The Moment: Bounce
(2023)
I Like the Way
(2024)
Singles from I Like the Way
  1. "I Like the Way"
    Released: April 22, 2024
Music videos
"I Like the Way" on YouTube
"What U Say" on YouTube

I Like the Way (stylized in all caps) is the third EP by South Korean singer Kim Woojin, released on April 22, 2024 by Kustomade and distributed by Stone Music Entertainment and Genie Music. The EP consists of five tracks, including the lead single of the same name.

Commercially, the EP peaked at number seven on the Circle Album Chart, with the highest first-week sales of Kim's career. To promote the EP, Kim embarked on the I Like the Way Tour in August 2024.

Background and release

[edit]

Eight months prior to the release of I Like the Way, Kim released his second EP The Moment: Bounce under 10x Entertainment. On March 18, 2024, SM Entertainment announced that they had acquired 10x and were folding it into their Kreation Music Rights subsidiary under the name "Kustomade". One week later, the label indicated that Kim would release the agency's first new music in April.[1] The EP's title and release date were officially announced on April 4, along with an image of Kim cutting his hair and a YouTube video on Kim's YouTube channel entitled "Rebirth: Kim Woojin", showing him smashing a statue and walking down a runway under spotlights. The video and imagery was said to symbolize a "fresh start" and be the singer's "declaration to break free from everything that has oppressed him and pave his path."[2] I Like the Way was officially released on April 22, 2024, along with the lead single of the same name and its music video.[3]

Promotion

[edit]

To promote the EP, Kim performed on several South Korean music programs. Kim performed "I Like the Way" on Mnet's M Countdown on April 25,[4] Arirang TV's Simply K-Pop on April 26,[5] May 3,[6] 10,[7] and 17,[8] SBS's Inkigayo on April 28,[9] and May 5,[10] MBC Plus's Show Champion on May 1,[11] SBS M's The Show on May 7,[12] and 14,[13] KBS's Music Bank on May 10,[14] and MBC's Show! Music Core on May 11.[15]

Kim also performed "I Like the Way" on Dingo Music's YouTube channel[16] and I Like the Way, Pretty Mess and What U Say for Fromm Studio's Origin series.[17]

Tour

[edit]
I Like the Way Tour
Tour by Kim Woojin
Promotional image
Location
  • Japan
  • Russia
  • Mexico
Associated albumI Like the Way
Start dateJune 8, 2024 (2024-06-08)
End dateSeptember 17, 2024 (2024-09-17)
Legs2
No. of shows4

To further promote the EP, Kim embarked on the I Like the Way Tour in August 2024. The tour visited cities in Japan, Russia, and Mexico, returning to that country for the first time since the Still Dream World Tour in 2022. The Japanese dates were announced on May 11,[18] followed by the Mexican leg on June 18,[19] while Russia dates were announced on July 4.[20] In the show, Kim performed songs from throughout his discography, including songs from his EPs and King the Land OST song "Dive". He also sang covers of "Ghost" by Justin Bieber and "Before You Go" by Lewis Capaldi.[21]

Setlist

[edit]

This set list is representative of the shows in Japan. It is not intended to represent all shows.[21]

  1. Song of Icarus
  2. My Growing Pains
  3. Pretty Mess
  4. Say Something to Me
  5. On My Way
  6. In My Space
  7. Drive Away
  8. Hold
  9. Ready Now
  10. Telepathy
  11. Dive
  12. Betelgeuse
  13. What U Say
  14. Tryin'
  15. To. My Friend
  16. Purple Sky
  17. I Like the Way
  18. Still Dream

Tour dates

[edit]
List of tour dates, showing location and venue
Date City Country Venue Ref.
June 8, 2024 Tokyo Japan Yokohama Bay Hall [18]
August 2, 2024 St. Petersburg Russia A2 Club [20]
August 3, 2024 Moscow Atmosphere Space
September 14, 2024 Mexico City Mexico Foro Indie Rocks [19]
September 17, 2024 Monterrey Foro Tims

Commercial performance

[edit]

I Like the Way debuted on the Circle Album Chart issued April 27 at number seven, selling 35,742 copies in six days of tracking, becoming the best-selling first week of Kim's career.[22] On Circle's monthly rankings chart, the album entered at number 30 for April 2024, Kim's highest position on the chart.[23]

Track listing

[edit]

Credits adapted from the EP's liner notes and Naver Vibe.[24][25]

I Like the Way track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."I Like the Way"
  • Jhun
  • Samara
  • Gale
  • Omer
  • Murray
2:52
2."Pretty Mess"Saay
  • Kyle Lo
  • Jabel
  • Jword
Lo2:45
3."What U Say"
  • Philip
  • Joo
  • Keymaker
  • Joo
  • Keymaker
2:34
4."Hold"
  • Kangta
  • Eldon
  • Kangta
  • Eldon
2:47
5."To. My Friend"
  • Kim
  • Son Hee-seung
Ichinose3:05
Total length:14:05

Charts

[edit]

Release history

[edit]
Release history for I Like the Way
Region Date Format Label
South Korea April 22, 2024 CD
Various Kustomade
  1. ^ "Former Stray Kids member Kim Woo-jin to drop new music under Kustomade label". Korea JoongAng Daily. March 25, 2024. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  2. ^ Jung-youn, Lee (April 4, 2024). "Kim Woojin set to return with new album". The Korea Herald. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  3. ^ Ji, Seunghun (April 22, 2024). "Singer Kim Woo-jin will make a musical transformation through Shinbo.Kim Woo-jin will release his th." Maeil Business Newspaper. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  4. ^ Ahn, Byeong-gil (April 29, 2024). "김우진 컴백무대 마치 브로드웨이 공연 보는 듯" [Kim Woojin's comeback stage "It's like watching a Broadway show"]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  5. ^ Simply K-Pop CON-TOUR KIM WOOJIN (김우진) - 'I Like The Way' _ Ep.611 (Web broadcast) (in Korean). ARIRANG K-POP. April 26, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ Simply K-Pop CON-TOUR KIM WOOJIN (김우진) - 'I Like The Way' _ Ep.612 (Web broadcast) (in Korean). ARIRANG K-POP. May 3, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ Simply K-Pop CON-TOUR KIM WOOJIN (김우진) - 'I Like The Way' _ Ep.613 (Web broadcast) (in Korean). ARIRANG K-POP. May 10, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ Simply K-Pop CON-TOUR KIM WOOJIN (김우진) - 'I Like The Way' _ Ep.614 (Web broadcast) (in Korean). ARIRANG K-POP. May 17, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ "I Like The Way". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  10. ^ "I Like The Way". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  11. ^ "I Like The Way". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  12. ^ Min, Kyung-hoon (May 7, 2024). "사진김우진,'파워 넘치는 무대'" [Photo Woojin Kim, 'Powerful Stage']. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  13. ^ Ji, Hyeong-jun (May 14, 2024). "사진더쇼 1위 차지한 트리플에스" [Photo Triple S takes 1st place on The Show]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  14. ^ Kim, Seong-rak (May 10, 2024). "사진김우진,'청년 분위기'" [Photo Woojin Kim, 'Youthful Atmosphere']. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  15. ^ "I Like The Way), MBC 240511 방송". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  16. ^ 김우진 – I Like The Way l [TEXTED] KIM WOOJIN – I Like The Way l 가사 (Lyrics) (Web broadcast) (in Korean). Dingo Music. April 24, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ 김우진 KIM WOOJIN - I Like The Way + Pretty Mess + What U Say wall.live 월라이브 - Origin (Web broadcast) (in Korean). Fromm Studio. May 18, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ a b "Official for All Fans". Weverse. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Kyung, Ji-min (June 18, 2024). "김우진, 9월 14일 라틴아메리카 투어 돌입..현지 팬덤 열광" [Kim Woo-jin, Latin American tour begins on September 14th.. Local fandom goes wild]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Official for All Fans". Weverse. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Jeong, Hee-yeon (September 20, 2024). "김우진, 라틴아메리카 투어 성료 "컵스와의 만남, 설레고 행복"" [Woojin Kim, Latin American Tour Success: “Meeting the Cubs, Excited and Happy”]. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  22. ^ a b "써클차트 - CIRCLE CHART, 글로벌 케이팝(K-pop) 음악차트" ["Circle Album Chart – Week 17, 2024] (in Korean). Circle Chart. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  23. ^ a b "써클차트 - CIRCLE CHART, 글로벌 케이팝(K-pop) 음악차트" ["Circle Album Chart – Month 4, 2024] (in Korean). Circle Chart. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  24. ^ Kim, Woojin (2024). I Like the Way (photobook). South Korea: Kustomade.
  25. ^ "I Like the Way - VIBE(바이브)". Naver Vibe (in Korean). Retrieved October 16, 2024.