Blossom (D.O. EP)

Blossom is the third EP by South Korean singer and actor Doh Kyung-soo. The EP was released on May 7, 2024, under Doh's newly established agency Company SooSoo and it was distributed by Dreamus. This release marks the singer's first comeback after departing SM Entertainment after 11 years with the agency.

Consisting of six tracks, the EP features two singles; pre-release "Popcorn" on April 30 and followed by its lead single "Mars" on May 7. According to South Korean music data provider Circle Chart, the EP sold over 120,000 copies within its first week of its release.

Background and release
South Korean singer Doh Kyung-soo has been a member of the South Korean boy band Exo since 2012 as one of their main vocalists. Nine years later he debuted as the group's sixth soloist through the release of Empathy on July 26, 2021. Doh returned to Exo for their seventh Korean-language album Exist that was released on July 10, 2023. Two months later, Doh released his second EP Expectation on September 18, which would turn out to be his last release with SM Entertainment.

On October 18, SM Entertainment announced that Doh would depart the agency in early November following the completion of his contract and establish a new agency to oversee the singer's acting and solo activities. Nonetheless, Doh will continue Exo group activities with SM. Later on, Doh and former SM director (and Doh's long-time manager) Nam Kyung-soo established a new agency called "Company SooSoo", named after their first names. The latter acts as the agency's CEO reportedly due to the singer's trust in his manager.

In January 2024, it was reported that Doh would have a solo comeback with his new agency scheduled to be released around April or May. On March 25, Company SooSoo announced that Doh would embark on his first Asia solo fan meet tour called "Bloom" from June 8 until August 31st starting with a double-header show in Seoul to kick-off the tour. On April 8, Company SooSoo announced through that Doh will release his third mini album titled Blossom on May 7 with "Mars" as the lead single and that pre-order for the EP would commence starting this day. The teaser image for the mini album depicts the singer's full name as opposed to his previous stage name "D.O." The announcement was followed with the revelation of the EP's track list and comeback calendar on April 14 with teaser images upload on April 16 and 17. Pre-release single "Popcorn" was released digitally along with its music video on April 30.

The EP was released alongside the music video for the lead single "Mars" on May 7.

Composition
Like Doh's previous releases, Blossom consisted of pop and R&B songs. Blossom, in its literal Korean meaning translates as "Growth". The naming of the album was to solidify Doh's position as an artist and to attract attention.

The EP opens with the lead single "Mars" which is described as a medium-tempo pop song with whimsical lyrics narrating the story of two lovers with different personalities with minimalist music arrangement. Debahsree Dutta of Rolling Stone India gave the song a positive review, calling it "pleasant and relatable". The second track "Simple Joys" features instrumentation from an ocarina, with its lyrics pertaining to the joy that comes from simple things. The third track is the pre-release single "Popcorn", a "bouncy" song with a whistle in the background. The lyrics liken the excitement of seeing a loved one to bursting popcorn. "Good Night" is a soothing lullaby-esque song that tells the listener to let go of their anxiety and worries. Penultimate track "My Dear" is an acoustic pop song that describes the preparations for a confession. The EP concludes with "About Time", a pop ballad song about true love and regret.

Promotions
Doh promoted the EP by performing "Mars" and "Popcorn" at KBS on May 10. Doh appeared on IU's IU's Palette YouTube show on May 13 to promote the EP.

Doh would embark on his first solo Asia fan meet tour "Bloom" to promote the EP from June 8 until August 31.