Better (BoA album)

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Better
Digital and Normal version cover
Studio album by
BoA
ReleasedDecember 1, 2020 (2020-12-01)
Recorded2020
StudioSM Studios, Seoul
Genre
Length37:43
LanguageKorean
LabelSM
BoA chronology
Starry Night
(2019) 		Better
(2020) 		The Greatest
(2022)
Singles from Better
  1. "Better"
    Released: December 1, 2020
Music video
"Better" on YouTube

Better is the tenth Korean-language studio album (twentieth overall) by South Korean singer BoA. It was released on December 1, 2020, by SM Entertainment, to commemorate her twentieth anniversary.[1] The album features 11 tracks, with the title song serving as the album's lead single.[2] It was met with praise from music critics upon its release.

Background and release[edit]

On November 5, 2020, SM Entertainment announced that BoA will come back with her tenth Korean studio album titled Better, two years after the release of her ninth album Woman (2018). The album release marks the singer's twentieth anniversary since her debut in 2000.[3] Preorders began the same day.[4] A music video teaser for the lead single "Better" was released on November 30.[5] The album was released on December 1, 2020, by SM Entertainment, through various music portals.[6] The accompanying music video for "Better" was released in conjunction with the album's release.[7]

I still can't believe that 20 years have passed since my debut, [...] it feels like people around me are giving more meaning to this than I am. Gearing up for Better, I tried to keep myself more lighthearted because I was afraid I might not be able to drop it now if I also put a lot of meaning into it and made it too weighty.

— BoA on the album and her 20th anniversary, The Korea Times[1]

"Better" is an alternative R&B written and arranged by longtime collaborator Yoo Young-jin. Alongside music production by Yoo, Aston Rudi, and Jay-Keyz, the song also contains a sample of "Like I Do" by Swedish singer AWA, who was given songwriting credits for the song.[8] A Mandarin version of the song was released in 2022, alongside singer Xin Liu.[9]

The physical album was made available for purchase on December 2, 2020, and has two editions: regular and limited.[10] The limited version was made available in two "special" editions: yellow and beige.[11][12][13] A few hours after the album's release, BoA held an online live show titled "Better BoA" which was broadcast through Naver's V Live channel, where she introduced songs from the album.[10]

Critical reception[edit]

Better received critical acclaim from critics upon release, with several publications listing Better in their rankings of best albums of 2020. It was ranked at number six on Metro UK's list The 20 Best K-Pop comebacks of 2020 and at number one on Billboard's list of The 10 Best K-pop Albums of 2020. The latter publication described the album as "one of her strongest records to date, and it's filled to the brim with songs that present her as someone assured in her artistry – its excellence is obvious."[14] Rolling Stone (India) included it in their list of the 10 best K-pop albums of 2020.[15]

South China Morning Post named it one of the best K-pop solo albums of 2020[16] while QQ Music ranked it number 16 on their list of the 100 best K-pop songs of the year.[17] "Start Over" was named the number one Best K-pop B-side of 2020 by MTV, which explained that "BoA's tangy, raspy-edged timbre is a compelling match for the song's pleading urgency and breathless declarations of "You're gonna love me, let me start over."[18]

Track listing[edit]

Better track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Better"Yoo Young-jin
  • Yoo Young-jin
3:19
2."Temptations"
  • Yubin Hwang
  • Moonshine
  • Realmeee
  • Nicole 'Kole' Cohen
  • Moonshine
3:15
3."Cloud"BoA
  • BoA
  • BXN
  • Park Seohyun
  • BXN
3:46
4."All That Jazz"BoA
  • BoA
  • Shaun Kim
  • Shaun Kim
3:58
5."L.O.V.E"BoA
  • LDN Noise
3:16
6."Cut Me Off"Kenzie
  • Leon Paul Palmen
  • Emilie Adams
  • Palm Trees
3:05
7."Got Me Good"
  • JQ
  • Park Ji-hee
  • Moonshine
  • Matilda Gratte
  • Linnea Norlen
  • Moonshine
3:04
8."Honey & Diamonds"
  • OKAY! KENJI
  • Maxx Song
  • Krysta Youngs
  • Julia Ross
  • OKAY! KENJI
3:54
9."Start Over"
  • Isran
  • Riley Biederer
  • Mick Coogan
  • Rosi Golan
  • Marcus Andersson
  • Marcus Andersson
3:08
10."Gravity"Kim Yeon-seo
3:31
11."Little Bird"BoA
  • BoA
  • Shaun Kim
  • Shaun Kim
  • Brian Cho
3:27
Total length:37:43

Notes

  • "Better" contains a sample of "Like I Do" performed by AWA.[8]

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Better
Chart (2020) Peak
position
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[19] 9

Sales[edit]

Sales for Better
Region Sales
South Korea (Gaon)[20] 17,371

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Dong, Sun-hwa (December 1, 2020). "BoA celebrates 20th anniversary of debut with album 'Better'". The Korea Times. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  2. ^ "'My next goal is to celebrate my 30-year anniversary': BoA". The Korea Herald. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  3. ^ "K-pop artist BoA to drop album marking 20th anniversary". The Korea Herald. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  4. ^ 보아, 12월 1일 데뷔 20주년 기념 앨범 발매 (공식) [BoA to release an album commemorating the 20th anniversary of her debut on December 1] (in Korean). YTN. November 5, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  5. ^ Kim, Myung-mi (November 30, 2020). 보아, 오늘(30일) 20주년 앨범 타이틀곡 ‘Better’ MV 티저 공개 [BoA, today (30th) 20th anniversary album title song 'Better' MV teaser released]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved December 3, 2020 – via Naver.
  6. ^ Lee, Seung-Hoon (December 1, 2020). "선택은 너의 몫" 보아, 20주년 걸크러시 끝판왕 'Better'..상상 이상의 솔직함(종합)[퇴근길 신곡] ["The choice is yours" BoA,'Better', the king of the end of the 20th anniversary girl crush.. Honest beyond imagination (comprehensive) [New song on the way home from work]]. Osen (in Korean). Retrieved December 3, 2020 – via Naver.
  7. ^ Jeon, A-Ram (December 1, 2020). "이젠 가져 준비됐어"…보아, '亞의 별' 20주년 바이브 'BETTER' [쥬크박스] ["I'm ready to have it now"... BoA, vibe'BETTER' for the 20th anniversary of'Star of 亞'[Jukebox]]. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved December 3, 2020 – via Naver.
  8. ^ a b Herman, Tamar (December 3, 2020). "K-pop grandmaster BoA on 20 years in the music industry: 'I'm grateful that I'm called a pioneer'". South China Morning Post. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  9. ^ "Single "Better (Chinese Version)" - BoA, 劉雨昕". Spotify. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Lee, Sun-min (November 26, 2020). "BoA to go live online to promote 'Better'". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  11. ^ "BoA Vol. 10 – Better (Normal Edition)". YesAsia. December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  12. ^ "BoA Vol. 10 – Better (Special Edition) (First Press Limited Edition) (YELLOW Ver.) + Random Poster in Tube (YELLOW Ver.)". YesAsia. December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  13. ^ "BoA Vol. 10 – Better (Special Edition) (First Press Limited Edition) (BEIGE Ver.) + Random Poster in Tube (BEIGE Ver.)". YesAsia. December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  14. ^ "The 10 Best K-Pop Albums of 2020: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  15. ^ "10 Best K-pop Albums of 2020 -". December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  16. ^ "The best K-pop solo albums of 2020: BoA, Kai, Hwa Sa and more". South China Morning Post. December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  17. ^ "QQ音乐-千万正版音乐海量无损曲库新歌热歌天天畅听的高品质音乐平台！". y.qq.com. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  18. ^ MTV News Staff. "The Best K-pop B-sides Of 2020". MTV News. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  19. ^ "2020년 49주차 Album Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  20. ^ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". Gaon Chart. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
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