Maps of Music
Better (2020)
Where the lyrics of Better take you, and where it was really made.
Better arrived as BoA's tenth Korean studio album in 2020, marking twenty years since her debut, and its title song is built on a sample of a Swedish singer's track.
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Overview
- Better: tenth Korean-language studio album (twentieth overall) by BoA
- Released 1 December 2020 by SM Entertainment
- Released to commemorate BoA's twentieth anniversary since her 2000 debut
- 11 tracks; the title song 'Better' serves as the lead single
- Follows her ninth album Woman (2018) by two years
Background
- SM Entertainment announced the comeback on 5 November 2020; preorders opened the same day
- Music video teaser for 'Better' released 30 November 2020
- Music video for 'Better' released together with the album
- Physical album available from 2 December 2020 in regular and limited editions
- Limited version came in two special editions: yellow and beige
- A few hours after release, BoA held the online live show 'Better BoA' on Naver's V Live channel, introducing songs from the album
- 'Better' is an alternative R&B song written and arranged by longtime collaborator Yoo Young-jin
- Production by Yoo, Aston Rudi and Jay-Keyz
- 'Better' samples 'Like I Do' by Swedish singer AWA, who received songwriting credit
- A Mandarin version of the song was released in 2022 with singer Xin Liu
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Tracklist
| 1 | Better | 3:19 |
| 2 | Temptations | 3:15 |
| 3 | Cloud | 3:46 |
| 4 | All That Jazz | 3:58 |
| 5 | L.O.V.E | 3:16 |
| 6 | Cut Me Off | 3:05 |
| 7 | Got Me Good | 3:04 |
| 8 | Honey & Diamonds | 3:54 |
| 9 | Start Over | 3:08 |
| 10 | Gravity | 3:31 |
| 11 | Little Bird | 3:27 |
Sources: musicbrainz.org
Artist
Formation
- Kwon Bo-ah, born November 5, 1986 in Gyeonggi Province, was discovered by SM Entertainment talent scouts at a 1998 talent search while accompanying her older brother.
- After two years of training in vocals, dance, English, and Japanese, she debuted in South Korea in 2000 with the album ID; Peace B.
- Her Korean label arranged with Avex Trax to launch her career in Japan, and she quit school to prepare.
Career
- Her debut Japanese album Listen to My Heart (2002) became the first album by a Korean artist to debut at number one on the Oricon chart.
- Valenti (2003) sold over 1,249,000 copies, and Best of Soul (2005) sold over a million copies in Japan.
- Her self-titled English album (2009) was the first record by a K-pop artist to appear on the Billboard 200.
- She has sold over ten million albums and has been called the "Queen of K-pop" for helping open the Japanese market to Korean pop.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Reception
At release
- Metro UK placed it at number six on its list The 20 Best K-Pop comebacks of 2020
- Billboard ranked it number one on The 10 Best K-pop Albums of 2020
- Billboard described it as one of her strongest records to date, filled with songs that present her as someone assured in her artistry
- Rolling Stone (India) included it in its list of the 10 best K-pop albums of 2020
- South China Morning Post named it one of the best K-pop solo albums of 2020
- Several publications listed the album in their rankings of the best albums of 2020
Records
- Physical release made available on 2 December 2020 in regular and limited editions
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- 'Better' samples 'Like I Do' by Swedish singer AWA, credited as a songwriter on the track.
- A Mandarin version of 'Better' was released in 2022 alongside singer Xin Liu.
- Discogs credits S.M. Booming System among the studios where the album was recorded.
- BoA's online show 'Better BoA' went out on Naver's V Live a few hours after the album's release.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com