''Hawwah'' (stylized as ''ḥawwāh'') is the fifth

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

by South Korean singer and actress

Gain Gain or GAIN may refer to: Science and technology * Gain (electronics), an electronics and signal processing term * Antenna gain * Gain (laser), the amplification involved in laser emission * Gain (projection screens) * Information gain in de ...

. It was released digitally on March 12, 2015, and physically five days later by APOP Entertainment (now a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...

Mystic Entertainment Mystic Story (formerly Mystic Entertainment, , abbreviated as MSTSTR) is a South Korean entertainment company established by South Korean singer-songwriter Yoon Jong-shin. It has four subsidiaries, including Mystic Actors (formerly Family Actors ...

), and distributed by

LOEN Entertainment Kakao M (; formerly Seoul Records, YBM Seoul Records and LOEN Entertainment) was a South Korean entertainment company established by Min Yeong-bin in 1978. It is currently one of the largest co-publisher companies in South Korea. The company op ...

. Described as a

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

-influenced concept through the singer's understanding as a story, the extended play was executively produced by Jo Yeong-cheol and

Lee Min-soo Lee Min-Soo (; born January 11, 1992) is a South Korean football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of footbal ...

, with lyricist

Kim Eana Kim Eana ( ko, 김이나; born April 27, 1979) is a South Korean lyricist. She is best known for writing the lyrics to hit K-pop songs, including "Abracadabra" performed by Brown Eyed Girls, and " Good Day" performed by IU. She has been activ ...

penning most of the record's lyrics. The extended play also saw Gain collaborating with several South Korean rappers, namely

Jay Park Jay Park ( Korean name: Park Jae-beom (Hangul: 박재범; Hanja: 朴載範); born April 25, 1987) is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and entrepreneur of based in South Korea. He is a member of the Seattle-based ...

and

Dok2 Lee Joon-kyung (; born March 28, 1990) better known by his stage name Dok2 (, pronounced as Dokki), is a South Korean rapper, record producer and co-founder of now-defunct Illionaire Records. Biography Early life Dok2's mother is Korean, and h ...

, while G.Gorilla,

Mad Clown Jo Dong-rim ( ko, 조동림; born March 25, 1985), better known by the stage name Mad Clown ( ko, 매드클라운), is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He debuted with the single "Luv Sickness" in 2008 and released his fi ...

and singer

Wheesung Choi Whee-sung (; born February 5, 1982), known professionally as Wheesung or by the stage name Realslow, is a South Korean R&B singer, record producer, and musical theatre actor. Career 1982: Early life and education Wheesung was born on ...

contributed lyrically to the release. Upon its release, ''Hawwah'' received positive reviews from critics for its "fine" tune, further complimenting Gain for crossing the "extreme

ess The suffix ''-ess'' (plural ''-esses'') appended to English words makes a female form of the word. ESS or ess may refer to: Education * Ernestown Secondary School, in Odessa, Ontario * European Standard School, in Dhaka, Bangladesh Governmen ...

in sexuality. The extended play was a commercial success for the singer in her native country, peaking at number five on the Gaon Album Chart, while experiencing her breaking into the United States, reaching number nine on the ''Billboard'' World Digital Albums chart. Two singles were released to promote the release, namely "Apple" and "Paradise Lost", to great commercial success.

Background

After many reports of her home group's comeback in 2015, it was announced on February 26, 2015, that Gain would be releasing her fourth solo

mini-album A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...

entitled ''Hawwah'', which would be released in the middle of March. Through a modernized reinterpretation of Hawwah, the first woman created by

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

(

Yahweh Yahweh *''Yahwe'', was the national god of ancient Israel and Judah. The origins of his worship reach at least to the early Iron Age, and likely to the Late Bronze Age if not somewhat earlier, and in the oldest biblical literature he posse ...

, the God of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

), the album was expected to present unconventional music and concept. The

-inspired album's release date was confirmed to be March 12, 2015. According to APOP Entertainment, Gain's agency, the EP would be promoted by two

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

s, and released digitally at 12:00 am KST on the aforementioned day.

Composition

''Hawwah'' was

executive produced Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

by Jo Young-cheol, while

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

co-produced the album and

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income ...

participated as a lyric producer. Various male musicians collaborated with Gain for the album;

(

featured artist In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, Performance, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast ...

and lyricist, "Apple"),

(featured artist and lyricist, "Free Will"),

(lyricist, "Guilty") and

(lyricist, "Free Will"), while previous producers, such as KZ and east4A also participated in producing the songs. Due to her being an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

, Gain understood the album's concept as a story, while expressing the album is "not easy to enjoy for a pop audience". The album takes influences from mostly

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...

and R&B, white interpolating elements from

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and

bossa nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...

. Featuring a lot of genres and moods, its content was described as a Biblical portrayal of

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

with emphasis on

temptation Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...

duality Duality may refer to: Mathematics * Duality (mathematics), a mathematical concept ** Dual (category theory), a formalization of mathematical duality ** Duality (optimization) ** Duality (order theory), a concept regarding binary relations ** Dual ...

and self-confiding.

Singles

"Apple"

"Apple" is one of two lead singles from ''Hawwah''. It cutely expresses the desire about the "

forbidden fruit Forbidden fruit is a name given to the fruit growing in the Garden of Eden which God commands mankind not to eat. In the biblical story, Adam and Eve eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and are exiled from Eden. As a ...

". Featuring a

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

by Jay Park, the song comes up with an answer to the worry about something to try in spite of knowing that it shouldn't be done. Based on

jazz piano Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instru ...

and

melodies A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...

, the

funky Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid ...

track shows an impressive combination of Gain's

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

and Jay Park's rapping. The song also contains a "Four, Tres, Two, Uno" sample from Fergie's "

Fergalicious "Fergalicious" is a song recorded by American singer, songwriter and rapper Fergie for her debut studio album, ''The Dutchess'' (2006). The title is a portmanteau of ''Fergie'' and ''delicious''. It was written by Fergie and The Black Eyed Peas ...

". "Apple" reached number two on the

Gaon Singles Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...

for the 12th week of 2015. Since its release, the song has sold over 574,000 digital copies in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

.Sales references for "Apple": * A ''

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 ...

'' review of the song said that the accompanying

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 ...

"was also sweeter, but just as seductive as "Paradise Lost"."

"Paradise Lost"

"Paradise Lost", another lead track from the album, is inspired from the same-titled epic poem written by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

. The song depicts

Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

(

the first man ''The First Man'' (french: Le Premier homme) is Albert Camus' unfinished final novel. On January 4, 1960, at the age of forty-six, Camus died in a car accident. The incomplete manuscript of ''The First Man'', the autobiographical novel Camus wa ...

) and Hawwah expelled from the

Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden ( he, גַּן־עֵדֶן, ) or Garden of God (, and גַן־אֱלֹהִים ''gan-Elohim''), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the Bible, biblical paradise described in Book of Genesis, Genes ...

after succumbing to the serpent's temptation. The single reunited composer Lee Min-soo and lyricist Kim Eana, who have worked together with Gain since her first solo EP '' Step 2/4'' (2010). It adds the

steel guitar A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...

sound and

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...

instrumentation, which is rarely used in

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

. On March 9, 2015, in a premiere held prior to the album's release, Gain stated that she borrowed the character of the serpent attracting Hawwah in the song, to express the character of the woman. The track's corresponding music video was filmed in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. About her snakelike

choreography Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design ...

in the music video, the singer commented, "Snakes caught my eyes as I studied about the concept of Hawwah. While snakes go slow they suddenly move quickly, and the sensation of their speed was attractive. I tried to capture that part." "Paradise Lost" peaked at number six on the Gaon Singles Chart for the 13th week of 2015, and has sold nearly 363,000 digital copies domestically.Sales references for "Paradise Lost": *

Fuse TV Fuse is an American pay television channel launched in 1994 which was originally dedicated to music. After merging with the Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latino-oriented NuvoTV in 2015, Fuse shifted its focus to general entertainment and lifestyl ...

named the single's video clip as "one of the darkest

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...

music videos of 2015", saying that "Gain brings in a new perspective of K-pop to the world." ''Billboard'' magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that "it opened with a nice balance of classical elements and modern embellishments." It also called the corresponding video a "must-see".

Release and promotion

On February 28, the album's collaborative artists and track listing were revealed via the Web. A 25-second preview video for "Paradise Lost", one of two lead singles from the album, was released online at 3:12 PM on March 9. A preview video for another lead single "Apple" was released online the following day. The entire album was released with an official music video for "Paradise Lost", and a corresponding music video for "Apple" came out a day after the EP's release. Upon its release, ''Hawwah'' debuted and peaked at number five on the Gaon Weekly Albums Chart. The album also reached number nine on the ''Billboard'' World Albums Chart for the week of March 28, 2015, becoming Gain's first appearance on any U.S. chart. Gain began promoting her comeback album on various music programs, starting on the March 12, 2015, broadcast of ''

M! Countdown ''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet. The show features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. It is broadcast from CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul. Bro ...

'' (

Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

). She promoted the lead singles on ''M! Countdown'', ''

Music Bank Music Bank may refer to: * ''Music Bank'' (TV program), a South Korean music program by KBS **''Music Bank World Tour The ''Music Bank'' World Tour is a worldwide live concert tour of South Korean music show ''Music Bank'' by the Korean Broad ...

'' ( KBS), ''

Show! Music Core ''Show! Music Core'' (), or simply ''Music Core'' is a South Korean music television program broadcast by MBC. It airs live every Saturday at 15:30 (KST). The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform live on stage. ...

'' ( MBC), ''

The Music Trend ''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who p ...

'' ( SBS), and ''

The Show Show or The Show may refer to: Competition, event, or artistic production * Agricultural show, associated with agriculture and animal husbandry * Animal show, a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy ** Cat show ** Dog show ** Horse show ** Sp ...

'' (

SBS MTV SBS M is a South Korean pay television music channel owned by SBS Medianet, a division of SBS Media Holdings. It features South Korean pop artists, international music, news, and a few reality and variety programs. It was launched in 2001 as t ...

). Promotions for the album were concluded by the singer's performances on ''

You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook ''You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook'' () is a South Korean talk show and live music television program airing from April 24 2009 until July 22nd 2022. It was hosted by You Hee-yeol, also known as his one-man band, Toy. The program has aired since April ...

'' (KBS), aired on April 24, 2015. On the show, Gain performed "Paradise Lost", along with her previous

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

Bloom Bloom or blooming may refer to: Science and technology Biology * Bloom, one or more flowers on a flowering plant * Algal bloom, a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in an aquatic system * Jellyfish bloom, a collective n ...

" () and her home group's mega hit "

Abracadabra ''Abracadabra'' is a magic word, historically used as an incantation on amulets and common today in stage magic. Etymology ''Abracadabra'' is of unknown origin, but according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', its first known occurrence i ...

Track listing

Charts

Release history

References

External links

* * * * * * *
Gain's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawwah (Gain EP) 2015 EPs Dance music albums by South Korean artists Gain (singer) albums Korean-language EPs Kakao M EPs Cultural depictions of Adam and Eve