XIAOJUN Takes the Cover of Billboard China's Latest SPOTLIGHT Issue

Billboard China has put XIAOJUN on the cover of the second issue of its SPOTLIGHT Artist Book, released on Oct. 31. The publication, reported by Billboard China, is built around his first solo release.

XIAOJUN is a member of the boy group WayV. On Oct. 26 he put out Hey, Somebody, his debut solo EP. An EP, short for extended play, is a release shorter than a full album, and this one has five tracks.

The title song appears in both Chinese and English. The other tracks are "Wave, Sky High" and "To Us." XIAOJUN was involved in writing and composing several songs on the record, Billboard China reported.

The EP had a lead-up. In mid-October, Soompi reported that XIAOJUN, who is also a member of NCT, had unveiled an intro film for the album. Forbes ran its own feature on the EP on Oct. 26, the day it came out.

In the Billboard China issue, XIAOJUN appears in four looks, each with its own name: Silent Green, True Blue, Burning Red and Dialogue White. The cover story sits inside a wider project. SPOTLIGHT launched in April as a print and digital publication for the Chinese music market. Its debut issue featured SM Entertainment's trainee group SMTR25.

For a performer, a solo EP is a different kind of release from a group album. The name on the sleeve is one person's, and the songs he helped write carry his credit. This second issue shows how a magazine-style feature can grow out of a single record, with the photography and the interview built around the same five songs.