''Better'' is the tenth

Korean-language Korean (South Korean: , ''hangugeo''; North Korean: , ''chosŏnmal'') is the native language for about 80 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the official and national language of both North Korea and South Korea (geographically Ko ...

studio album (twentieth overall) by South Korean singer

BoA Kwon Bo-ah (; born November 5, 1986), known professionally as BoA, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer and actress. One of the most successful and influential Korean entertainers, she has been dubbed the " Queen of K- ...

. It was released on December 1, 2020, by

SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...

, to commemorate her twentieth anniversary. The album features 11 tracks, with the title song serving as the album's lead single.

Background and release

On November 5, 2020,

announced that BoA will come back with her tenth Korean

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

titled ''Better'', two years after the release of her ninth album ''

Woman A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

'' (2018). The album release marks the singer's twentieth anniversary since her debut in 2000. Preorders began the same day. A

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

teaser for the lead single "Better" was released on November 30. The album was released on December 1, 2020, by SM Entertainment, through various music portals. The accompanying music video for "Better" was released in conjunction with the album's release. "Better" is an

alternative R&B Alternative R&B (also referred to as alt-R&B, indie R&B, hipster R&B, dark R&B, emo R&B and left-field R&B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s and came to pro ...

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 Awa (or variants) may refer to: People * Awa (given name), notable people named Awa or Hawa * Awá (Brazil), an indigenous people of Brazil * Awa-Kwaiker, an indigenous people of Colombia and Ecuador Languages * Awa language (China) or Wa (Va) ...

, who was given songwriting credits for the song. The physical album was made available for purchase on December 2, 2020, and has two editions: regular and limited. The limited version was made available in two "special" editions: yellow and beige. A few hours after the album's release, BoA held an online live show titled "Better BoA" which was broadcast through

Naver Naver (Hangul: 네이버) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. It was launched in 1999 as the first web portal in South Korea to develop and use its own search engine. It was also the world's first operator to in ...

V Live V Live (stylized as VLIVE), sometimes referred to as V App, is a South Korean live video streaming service that allows celebrities based in the country to broadcast live videos such as live chat sessions with fans, performances, reality shows ...

channel, where she introduced songs from the album.

Critical reception

''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 A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

s The 10 Best K-Pop Albums of 2020. ''Billboard'' 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." Additionally, the track Start Over was named the number one Best K-Pop

B-Side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

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."

Accolades

Track listing

Notes * "Better" contains a sample of "Like I Do" performed by

Charts

Sales

References

{{Authority control 2020 albums BoA albums Korean-language albums SM Entertainment albums