María (EP)

María is the debut extended play by South Korean singer and Mamamoo member Hwasa. It was released on June 25, 2020, through RBW. The EP was supported by two singles: the lead single "Twit", which reached number one in South Korea, and the title track. Hwasa stated that the album "is like a diary that contains the emotions she felt as a 24-year-old".[1]

María
EP by
Hwasa
ReleasedJune 25, 2020 (2020-06-25)
Recorded2018–2020
StudioRBW Studios
Genre
Length21:25
Language
  • Korean
  • English
LabelRBW
Producer
  • Kim Do-hoon (exec.)
  • Kim Jin-woo (exec.)
  • Park Woo-sang
  • Zico
Singles from María
  1. "Twit"
    Released: February 13, 2019
  2. "María"
    Released: June 25, 2020

Background and release

In February 2019, Hwasa made her debut as a solo artist with the digital single "Twit", which she co-wrote and co-composed.[2] The song was a commercial success; topping the Gaon digital, download and streaming charts in South Korea, achieving a "Triple Crown".[3]

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).[4] 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.[5] 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 called "I'm Bad Too".[6]

Music and composition
"I don't think I've ever worked so passionately on something before. I loved it so much to the point that it hurt. Due to that, I think this album will remain in my memory for a long time."

- Hwasa discussing the making of María[1]

At seven tracks, María is the longest EP in Hwasa's catalogue. Musically, the album is a K-pop record that contains influences of dance, R&B and Latin pop. 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 "LLM" and composed "Why".[7]

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.[8] Co-composed by Hwasa and producer Park Woosang, “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.[9] 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.[8] 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.[8] "LMM" is a "soul stirring track" with a orchestral tone, piano and violin based melody.[8] 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.[10] The song was co-written and co-produced by Hwasa with Dohun Kim and Woosang Park.[11]

Promotion

Singles

"Twit" was released on February 13, 2019 as a pre-release single.[12] The music video was directed by Park Sangwon.[13] 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 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, Music Bank, Inkigayo, and M Countdown.[14] "Twit" later won first place at MBC's Show! Music Core on March 2 and March 16.[15] On the same day as the single's release, the music video of the song was released on YouTube to both Mamamoo's official channel and the 1theK distribution channel.[16] As of January 1, 2021, the music video has 104 million views combined on both channels.

"Maria" was released as the EP's second single on June 29, 2020. 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.[17][18][19] The music video, posted simultaneously to Mamamoo's YouTube channel and 1theK, has over 143 million views as of January 1, 2021.

Commercial performance

María debuted and peaked at number five on the Gaon Album Chart for the 30th week of 2020.[20] It placed at number 18 for the month of June, selling over 47,000 copies that month.[21] 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.[22][23]

Accolades
Year-end lists
Critic/Publication List Song Rank Ref.
Billboard The 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2019 "Twit" 8 [24]
Refinery29 The Best K-Pop Songs of 2019 "Twit" 13 [25]
Rolling Stone India 10 Best K-pop Music Videos of 2019 "Twit" N/A [26]
Time The Songs and Albums That Defined K-Pop's Monumental Year in 2020 "Maria" N/A [27]
Billboard A Look Back at Billboard's K-Pop 100 Chart in 2020 and All Its Big Players "Maria" N/A [28]
MTV News The Best K-POP B-sides of 2020 "LMM" 8 [29]
Rolling Stone India 20 Best K-pop Music Videos of 2020 "Maria" 2 [30]
Paper Magazine The 40 Best K-pop Songs of 2020 "Maria" 27 [31]
Awards/Nominee
Year Award Category Song Result Ref.
2019 Seoul Music Awards Bonsang Award "Twit" Nominated [32]
Dance Performance Award Nominated
2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards Best Dance Performance – Solo "Twit" Nominated [33]
2019 9th Gaon Chart Music Awards Artist of the Year – Digital Music (February) "Twit" Won [34]
2019 Golden Disc Awards Best Digital Song (Bonsang) "Twit" Nominated
2020 Asian Pop Music Awards[lower-alpha 1] Song Of The Year (Overseas) "María" Won [35]
2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards Best Dance Performance – Solo "María" Won
2020 Melon Music Awards Best Dance Award (Female) "María" Nominated
2020 Golden Disc Awards Best Digital Song (Bonsang) "María" Won
2020 Seoul Music Awards Bonsang Award "María" Pending [36]

Music program awards
Song Program Date Ref.
"Twit" Show! Music Core (MBC) March 2, 2019 [37]
March 16, 2019 [38]
"María" Inkigayo (SBS) July 26, 2020
August 2, 2020
August 9, 2020 [39]
Music Bank (KBS) August 7, 2020 [40]
August 21, 2020

Track listing
María track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Intro: Nobody Else"Park WoosangPark Woosang1:57
2."María" (마리아)
  • Hwasa
  • Woosang
  • Hwasa
  • Woosang
3:19
3."Kidding" (prod. Zico)
  • Kim Eana
  • Zico
  • Kim Eana
  • Hwasa
  • Zico
2:45
4."Why"
  • Hwasa
  • Cosmic Sound
  • Cosmic Girl
  • Cosmic Sound
  • Cosmic Girl
3:21
5."I'm Bad Too" (featuring DPR Live)
  • Hwasa
  • DPR Live
  • Hwasa
  • DPR Live
2:12
6."LMM"
  • Hwasa
  • Woosang
  • Hwasa
  • Woosang
4:41
7."Twit" (멍청이)
  • Kim Dohoon
  • Hwang Sungjin
  • Hwasa
  • Hwasa
  • Woosang
3:10
Total length:21:31

Charts

Charts
Sales chart performance for María
Chart (2020) Peak
position
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[41] 5
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[42] 81
US World Albums (Billboard)[43] 7

Release history
Release formats for María
Region Date Format Label Ref.
South Korea June 29, 2020 CD, digital download, streaming RBW
[44]
Various

Notes
  1. Hosted by the Hong Kong Asia Pacific International Group and Sunway Records, the Asian Pop Music Awards bases its winners on the "Asian Pop Music Chart" which opened on September 2019

    References
    1. "마마무 화사 "팬은 내 삶의 활력, 내 진심 잘 전달됐으면"[일문일답]". Naver. June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
    2. "멍청이(twit)". www.melon.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-06-29.
    3. OSEN (2019-02-28). "마마무 화사, 솔로 데뷔곡 '멍청이'로 가온차트 3관왕". mosen.mt.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-06-29.
    4. @RBW_MAMAMOO (June 15, 2020). "Hwa Sa 1st Mini Album María" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    5. "화사 1st Mini Album María Intro : Nobody else". RBW. June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020 – via YouTube.
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