Colors from Ars

On September 17, 2021, Youngjae released a teaser video announcing his solo debut with his first mini album, Colors from Ars.{{Cite news|author=Kim Won-hee|date=September 17, 2021|title=시크 무드… 갓세븐 영재, 솔로 데뷔|language=ko|website=Naver|url=https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/144/0000762518|access-date=September 18, 2021}} The title recalls the rainbow,{{cite web|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20211005001051|title=[Today's K-pop] GOT7's Youngjae puts out solo debut album|last=Hwang|first=You-mee|website=The Korea Herald|date=2021-10-05|language=en|access-date=2021-10-06}} also suggested by the seven tracks of the record, while "Ars", from the Latin "Ars longa, vita brevis", is the pseudonym Youngjae has been using as a composer and lyricist since 2016.{{cite web|url=https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/609/0000489893|title=갓세븐 영재, 10월 5일 첫 솔로앨범 발매…7년만 솔로 데뷔|last=Hwang|first=Hye-jin|website=Naver News|date=2021-09-17|language=ko|access-date=2021-09-26}}{{cite web|url=https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/09/20/arsolo-is-coming/|title=Arsolo is coming|first=Louise|last=Lizan|website=Daily Tribune|date=2021-09-20|language=en-US|access-date=2021-09-26|archive-date=September 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926150459/https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/09/20/arsolo-is-coming/|url-status=dead}} Colors from Ars sees the singer producing, composing and writing lyrics for all the songs.{{cite web|url=https://news.nate.com/view/20211006n21333?mid=n1101|title=갓세븐 영재 'COLORS from Ars' 아이튠즈 26개 지역 차트 1위[공식]|last=Yoon|first=Sang-geun|date=2021-10-06|language=ko|access-date=2021-10-06}}

The extended play was released both digitally and physically on October 5 along with the music video of the title track "Vibin".{{Cite web|date=2021-09-17|title=갓세븐 영재, 10월 5일 첫 솔로앨범 발매…7년만 솔로 데뷔|url=https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/609/0000489893|access-date=2021-09-17|website=m.naver.com|language=ko}}{{cite web|url=https://news.kstyle.com/article.ksn?articleNo=2177729|title=GOT7 ヨンジェ、タイトル曲 「Vibin」MV予告映像第2弾を公開…魅力的なサウンド|date=2021-10-01|language=ja|access-date=2021-10-06}} It was inspired by the singer's daily life, his emotions and his fans,{{cite web|url=https://www.lofficielmalaysia.com/personalities/interview-got7-s-youngjae-on-his-solo-comeback-colors-from-ars|title=Interview: GOT7's Youngjae on his solo comeback "COLORS from Ars"|website=L'Officiel Malaysia|date=2021-10-05|language=en|access-date=2021-10-08}} and it took five months to complete it.{{cite web|url=https://www.marieclairekorea.com/?p=245861|title=영재와 함께한 마리끌레르 11월호 화보와 인터뷰｜마리끌레르|date=2021-11-11|language=ko-KR|access-date=2021-11-12}}

Colors from Ars opens with "Beautiful", a warm, upbeat and laid-back song which is a tribute to "a beautiful girl in this beautiful world,"{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/youngjae-colors-from-ars-review-got7-3065887|title=Youngjae – 'COLORS From Ars' review: a confident display of his vibrant musical palette|website=NME|date=2021-10-08|language=en-GB|access-date=2021-10-08}} followed by the R&B-city pop love song "Tasty". "Vibin" is a dance pop song with a house beat which tells of the inability to stop falling in love with a person, and contains the message "Enjoy this moment, what you are feeling now."{{cite web|url=https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=609&aid=0000493422|title=갓세븐 영재, 첫 솔로앨범 타이틀곡 'Vibin' 작사 작곡 프로듀싱 참여|website=entertain.naver.com|language=ko|access-date=2021-10-01}} After the first three tracks, the album deviates towards cooler tones and sweeter melodies that tell stories of sentimentality and vulnerability.{{cite web|url=https://soundigest.com/2021/10/06/youngjae-colors-ars-album/|title=Youngjae Is "Vibin" On Debut Mini Album COLORS From Ars|website=Soundigest|date=2021-10-06|language=en-US|access-date=2021-10-08}} "Roses" expresses excitement towards a loved one and a blossoming love,{{cite web|url=http://www.bbangyanews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=6003|title=YOUNGJAE first mini-album "COLORS from Ars" is released today (5th)|date=2021-10-05|language=en|access-date=2021-10-06}} while "Eternal" is a sentimental pop ballad accompanied by piano and guitar in which the singer mourns the fast passing of time and wishes to spend eternity with those he loves.{{cite web|url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/got7-youngjae-creates-vibrant-palette-unravels-solo-identity-colours-ars-album-review/|title=Youngjae creates a vibrant palette as he unravels his solo identity with COLOURS from Ars – Album Review|first=Nandini |last=Iyengar|website=Bollywood Hungama |date=2021-10-07|language=en|access-date=2021-10-08}} "Moonlight" is R&B and hip hop, and conveys sympathy and comfort.

The seventh and final track is "Lonely", which was first revealed to the public on April 1, 2021 through a performance and interview posted on Elle Korea's YouTube channel.{{cite web|url=http://www.newsin.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=86982|title=갓세븐 영재, 자작곡 'Lonely' 라이브 영상 공개|last=Kim|first=Young-il|date=2021-04-05|language=ko|access-date=2021-09-26}} It is an R&B and hip hop song containing a message of consolation and empathy, and an invitation to accept yourself as you are. The singer has used the loneliness and emptiness felt in his heart while returning home after a busy day, and the difficulty of showing himself to the world, expressing these feelings with the line "My room is sinking in the deep ocean" ({{langx|ko|깊은 바닷속으로 내 방이 전부 가라앉네|Gip-eun badassog-euro nae bang-i jeonbu gara-anne}});{{cite web|url=https://www.smlounge.co.kr/arena/article/49146|title=READY PLAYER ONE|date=2021-09-28|language=ko|access-date=2021-09-29}} the final verse "My heart is completely filled with the light of the green ocean" ({{langx|ko|촐록빛 바다색으로 내 맘이 전부 채워지네|Chollokbit badasaeg-euro nae mam-i jeonbu chae-wojine}}) is, on the other hand, a reference to the fans of Youngjae's boy band, Got7, whose official color is green, and expresses how loneliness can be overcome by relying on people close to you.

Youngjae presented Colors from Ars and performed "Vibin", "Tasty" and "Eternal" during an online showcase aired on October 5 on V Live.{{Cite news|author=Hwang Hye-jin|title=갓세븐 영재, 오늘(5일) 데뷔 7년만 솔로 데뷔 '전곡 프로듀싱'|url=https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/609/0000495136|website=Naver|date=October 5, 2021|access-date=October 6, 2021|language=ko}} He then promoted the title track "Vibin" on M! Countdown,{{Cite web|title=조유리·영재·골든차일드, 오늘(7일) '엠카'서 컴백 무대|url=https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/052/0001649390|access-date=2021-10-10|website=Naver News|language=ko}} Music Bank,{{Cite web|title=[뮤직뱅크] 영재, 청량함 가득~ 다 함께 즐기는 스테이지 'Vibin'|url=https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/438/0000039467|access-date=2021-10-10|website=Naver News|language=ko}} Show! Music Core{{Cite web|title=샤이니 키 'BAD LOVE', '음중' 첫 1위…조유리·영재 솔로 데뷔 [종합]|url=https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/109/0004488694|access-date=2021-10-10|website=Naver News|language=ko}} and Inkigayo{{Cite web|title="믿지 감사" ITZY '인기가요' 1위, 영재·조유리·엔플라잉·골든차일드 컴백[종합]|url=https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/609/0000497835|access-date=2021-10-10|website=Naver News|language=ko}} from October 7 to October 10.

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = NME

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}

}}

Rolling Stone India described "Vibin" as "a distinct soundscape".{{Cite web|url=https://rollingstoneindia.com/youngjae-keeps-it-breezy-in-vibin/|title=Youngjae Keeps It Breezy in 'Vibin'|date=2021-10-05|language=en-US|access-date=2021-10-08}} Writing for Soundigest, Amanda Thilo chose "Moonlight" and "Roses" as the stand-out tracks because, with their string arrangements, "they stand as excellent examples of Youngjae's vocal skills. [...] He has a natural, airy quality to his voice, which on tracks like these, are transcendent and pull at the heartstrings," concluding that the touches of lofi, strings, and electronic beats mixed to the general pop vibe of the album, enhanced the tracks. For Bollywood Hungama's Nandini Iyengar "Colors from Ars is a colorful presentation of music and lyrics for emotions like love, loss, and hope," with which the singer proved his musical versatility in a "vibrant palette". This comparison was used by NME, too, who gave the record 4 out of 5 stars, and praised Youngjae's emotional depth and range, commenting that the approach of molding songs around his voice, with band or piano-driven melodies dominating much of the record, allowed his vocal spectrum to stand out.

{{Track listing

| extra_column = Arrangement

| total_length = 24:32

| title1 = Beautiful

| length1 = 3:01

| lyrics1 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Kuro (Blatinum)}}

| music1 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Disko (Blatinum)|Kuro (Blatinum)}}

| extra1 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Disko (Blatinum)}}

| title2 = Tasty

| length2 = 3:01

| lyrics2 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Peter Hyun (Blatinum)|Young Sky (Blatinum)|Houdini}}

| music2 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Peter Hyun (Blatinum)}}

| extra2 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Peter Hyun (Blatinum)}}

| title3 = Vibin

| length3 = 3:22

| lyrics3 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|ADN|WD|Young Sky (Blatinum)|Peter Hyun (Blatinum)}}

| music3 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Disko (Blatinum)|ADN|WD}}

| extra3 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Disko (Blatinum)}}

| title4 = Roses

| length4 = 3:22

| lyrics4 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Young Sky (Blatinum)|Peter Hyun (Blatinum)}}

| music4 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Young Sky (Blatinum)|Peter Hyun (Blatinum)}}

| extra4 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Young Sky (Blatinum)|Peter Hyun (Blatinum)}}

| title5 = Eternal

| length5 = 3:53

| lyrics5 = Ars

| music5 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Jay & Rudy|Aaron Kim|Isaac Han|Kial}}

| extra5 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Aaron Kim|Isaac Han|Kial}}

| title6 = Moonlight

| length6 = 4:09

| lyrics6 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Houdini}}

| music6 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Aaron Kim|Isaac Han|Houdini}}

| extra6 = {{hlist|Ars|Boytoy|Aaron Kim|Isaac Han}}

| title7 = Lonely

| length7 = 3:44

| lyrics7 = {{hlist|Ars|Noday}}

| music7 = {{hlist|Ars|Noday}}

| extra7 = {{hlist|Ars|Noday}}

}}

{{reflist}}

Category:2021 debut EPs

Category:Korean-language EPs