''María'' is the debut
extended play
An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
by South Korean singer and
Mamamoo
Mamamoo (; commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed and managed by RBW (company), RBW. The group is composed of four members: Solar (singer), Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein, and Hwasa. Known for their strong live vocals, Harm ...
member
Hwasa
Ahn Hye-jin (; born July 23, 1995), known professionally by her stage name Hwasa (; sometimes stylized as Hwa Sa), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Mamamoo in ...
. It was released on June 29, 2020, through
RBW. The EP was supported by two singles: the lead single "
Twit
TWiT.tv is a podcast network that broadcasts technology-focused podcasts, founded by broadcaster and author Leo Laporte in 2005, and run by his wife and company CEO Lisa Laporte. The network began operation in April 2005 with the launch of ...
", which reached number one in South Korea, and the title track "
María". For María, Hwasa recorded five new tracks including two collaborations: "Kidding" prod. by rapper
Zico and "I'm Bad Too" featuring
DPR Live
Hong Da-bin (born January 1, 1993), better known by his stage name DPR Live, is a South Korean rapper and singer. Along with Ian, Cream, and artic, Hong co-founded the label Dream Perfect Regime—all of whom attach the label's acronym "DPR" to ...
. The album was co-written and produced by
Hwasa
Ahn Hye-jin (; born July 23, 1995), known professionally by her stage name Hwasa (; sometimes stylized as Hwa Sa), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Mamamoo in ...
alongside Park Woo-sang. She stated that the album "is like a diary that contains the emotions she felt as a 24-year-old".
Background and release
In February 2019, Hwasa made her debut as a solo artist with the digital single "
Twit
TWiT.tv is a podcast network that broadcasts technology-focused podcasts, founded by broadcaster and author Leo Laporte in 2005, and run by his wife and company CEO Lisa Laporte. The network began operation in April 2005 with the launch of ...
", which she co-wrote and co-composed. The song was a commercial success; topping the
Gaon digital, download and streaming charts in South Korea, achieving a "Triple Crown".
On June 15 at midnight KST, Hwasa revealed the first teaser image for the album along with the release date. It was also revealed that the EP and title track would be titled "María" (which refers to her baptismal name). On June 16, a video introduction titled "Nobody Else" was released in which she is shown in different locations as she tells a story in a voiceover. On June 22, the track list for ''María'' was shared, containing seven songs, including the title track "María", the previous single "Twit" and a new song produced by
Zico titled "Kidding". It also contains a song featuring rapper
DPR Live
Hong Da-bin (born January 1, 1993), better known by his stage name DPR Live, is a South Korean rapper and singer. Along with Ian, Cream, and artic, Hong co-founded the label Dream Perfect Regime—all of whom attach the label's acronym "DPR" to ...
called "I'm Bad Too".
Music and composition
At seven tracks, ''María'' is the longest EP in Hwasa's catalogue. Musically, the album is a
K-pop
K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...
record that contains influences of
dance
Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
,
R&B and
Latin pop
Latin pop () is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. It originates with List of countries where Spanish is an official language, Spanish-speaking ...
. The lead single of the same name was composed by Hwasa, with her working with producer Park Woo-sang and shows her growth as a singer-songwriter. Hwasa also wrote the lyrics for "LMM" and composed "Why".
The opening track of the album, "Intro: Nobody Else", is a song with profound lyrics against a dramatic soft piano and synth melody convey how sometimes behind a dazzling demeanor, dark thoughts still hide and play on a person's mind.
Co-composed by Hwasa and producer Park Woo-sang, “María” combines elements of trap and synth with an upbeat Latin pop section over the bridge, which makes a slightly strange segue into a ballad-y string section. The lyrics describe the struggles that come with fame, outlining the emotions that need to be suppressed and the effect being in the public eye has on one's mental health.
Produced by
Zico, "Kidding" is a song with a "playful R&B melody" that gives the song a bit of a 90s personality. The song tells the story of an unfaithful lover. "Why" is a dynamic contemporary ballad with a trap synth beat. The song is about an unrequited love.
Hwasa's collaboration with DPR Live, "I'm Bad Too," is a dynamic song that features R&B and Latin influences. Hwasa wrote the song about her friendship with DPR Live.
"LMM" is a "soul stirring track" with an orchestral tone, piano and violin based melody.
The final track, "Twit," is a bouncing pop melody that features chirpy trap beats and tropical house elements as the artist switches between chanting raps and her soaring, powerful vocals.
The song was co-written and co-produced by Hwasa with Kim Dohun and Park Woo-sang.
Promotion
Singles
"Twit" was released on February 13, 2019, as a pre-release single.
The music video was directed by Park Sangwon. The single peaked at number one on South Korea's
Gaon digital, download and streaming charts. The song also debuted at number three on the US
World Digital Song Sales
The World Digital Song Sales chart (formerly World Digital Songs) is a weekly record chart compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Established in 2010—its first issue was dated January 23—as one of 21 genre-speci ...
chart and at number 23 on New Zealand's
Hot Singles chart. Hwasa performed the song on several
music programs in South Korea including ''
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. I ...
'', ''
Music Bank
''Music Bank'' () is a South Korean music program which airs every Friday at 17:15 KST on KBS2. the show is also broadcast in more than a hundred countries through KBS World. Episodes are filmed at the KBS New Wing Open Hall in Yeouido-dong, Ye ...
'', ''
Inkigayo
''Inkigayo'' (; 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 perform on stage. ...
'', and ''
M Countdown
''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet from the CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul. It features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. First hosted by Leeteuk ...
''. "Twit" later won first place at
MBC's ''
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. I ...
'' on March 2 and March 16. On the same day as the single's release, the music video of the song was released on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
to both Mamamoo's official channel and the 1theK distribution channel. As of December 30, 2022, the music video has 136 million views combined on both channels.
"María" was released as the EP's second single on June 29, 2020. The music video was directed by Beomjin J of VM Project Architecture. The single debuted at number three on the Gaon Digital Chart, later peaking at number two, and at number six on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart. The music video, posted simultaneously to Mamamoo's YouTube channel and 1theK, has over 305 million views as of December 30, 2022.
Commercial performance
''María'' debuted and peaked at number five on the Gaon Album Chart for the 30th week of 2020. It placed at number 18 for the month of June, selling over 47,000 copies that month. The EP also debuted at number seven on the ''Billboard'' World Albums and 81 on ''Billboard'' Top Current Albums Sales charts for the week of July 11, 2020.
Accolades
Track listing
Charts
Charts
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2020 debut EPs
Korean-language EPs
2020s Korean-language albums
Dance-pop albums by South Korean artists
Contemporary R&B albums by South Korean artists