Hwa Sa's first mini album, titled #María after her Christian name, is filled with deeply personal tracks tied to addictive beats. Her sultry vocals and confident attitude will bode well with markets outside of Eastern Asia.
Hwa Sa: María - Album Cover & Live Broadcast. © RBW Entertainment
After releasing highly successful single #TWIT just over a year ago, Hwa Sa has come back with a beautiful EP demonstrating her unique raspy vocals and trendy sound. Upon release, Hwa Sa has set the standard by becoming the first Korean female soloist to top the US iTunes Top Albums Chart, while also recording No.1 in 19 other regions such as Spain and Russia. It's no surprise considering María is packed with addictive tracks and gorgeous vocals which suit every mood. With deeply personal lyrics, mainly revolving around the importance of self-love/esteem, María feels like a relatable note-to-self which can instil confidence in moments of doubt.
Kick-starting the album is english track 'Intro: Nobody Else', a calming melody that vibrantly explodes into an EDM beat after the cassette tape load-up sample. Poignant lyrics like 'People tell me to be nice, I forgot how to smile' hint at the superficial image Korean idols are forced to maintain to appease public opinion. Public perception is a main theme throughout the album, displaying the constant battle of fighting strangers' harsh comments and your own personal negativity, to achieve self-esteem. The intro song connects perfectly to the title track, paradoxical happy beats and sombre lyrics - A detailed analysis of 'María' can be found below!
“María feels like a relatable note-to-self which can instil confidence in moments of doubt.”
Produced by the incredibly talented Zico, the instrumentals for 'Kidding' precisely link up with Hwa Sa's vocal tone and lyrics, making this track a pleasure to listen to. Opening with a whimsical acoustic tune and sarcastically joyous lyrics "they said they'll love me forever", to then contrast perfectly with the Billie Eilish style groovy ominous beats and a surprisingly jazzy piano-orientated chorus. Every twist and turn of this track is surprising in the best way; the style is constantly switching up, while also being incredibly consistent and well put together. Hwa Sa's whispery vocal tone, and then laid-back rap, flows so smoothly - It's the type of song you can't help but bop along to. In conclusion, this addictive track deserves a music video with a cameo from Zico.
'I'm bad too (Feat. DPR LIVE)' is one of my personal favourites, its fun vibe is perfectly timed for this Summer album release. DPR LIVE's rap & ad-libs are great, and fit in well with the track's style - Hwa Sa has collaborated with quite a few K-HipHop artists already, including Woodie Gochild, SURAN and Loco, so it's great to see a talented artist from this scene feature on the EP.
The instrumentals and structure of 'WHY' remind me a lot of 4MINUTE's 'Crazy' - The slow ballad build-up to a sudden EDM chorus break-down. While 4MINUTE does this incredibly well by creating hype from the shock-value, Hwa Sa's track feels quite outdated for current times and doesn't strike as effectively as intended. Meanwhile, 'LMM' is an incredibly beautiful ballad track, showcasing Hwa Sa's wonderful vocal range. The chorus's lyrics/melody subtlety echoes the final track 'TWIT'. It's one of those songs you'd like to have playing in the background while studying, or listen to with headphones on to fully appreciate the vocals and instrumentals.
TWIT rounds up the album - I've had this track on repeat since it was released over a year ago, it's incredibly catchy and fun. There's no doubt in my mind that this song would have gone viral worldwide if it had been promoted more thoroughly to Western audiences, and a TikTok challenge definitely would have helped it gain traction.
To listen to the mini album on your favourite music provider, click the following links:
Hwa Sa María
iTunes & Apple Music: Listen Now
Spotify: Listen Now
YouTube: Watch Now
HWA SA 'MARÍA' TEASER IMAGES © RBW
If I'm being honest, the title track took a while to grow on me - Simply I was expecting another bold tune like 'TWIT', with a repetitive chorus and addictive beats, so 'María' didn't immediately catch my attention. However, after a couple listens, the catchy La-li-le-lu-lai's have indoctrinated me into loving this track!
Hwa Sa is one of my favourite Korean female vocalists, her vocal tone is deep & raspy, but she can also pull off some beautiful high notes and whispery tones. Don't even get me started on those couple lines of rap in the second verse of this track, absolute perfection! Alongside her gorgeous vocals are inspiring lyrics which are needed in K-Pop right now. Hwa Sa faces hate comments head on, by stating 'Everyone's trying so hard to hate me, if they break me down, does it feed them?' which then positively spins into affirmation that she's confident as she is and doesn't need to change for anyone, 'Why are you trying so hard, you're already beautiful'. Hwa Sa has received hatred in the past for the most trivial things, such as not conforming to strict standards of beauty/weight and a 'scandal' over not wearing a bra at the airport. This track perfectly presents an insight into South Korea's deeply conservative (and sometimes ridiculous) society.
The snare drum layered throughout the track makes your head bop along, while the high-pitched piano riff gives off a fairytale-like effect. There's something about the beat and vocals which feel very Dua Lipa like, which isn't a bad thing considering these two queens have done some great collabs in the past! I wasn't so keen on the Latin American style break-down - Whilst this moulded in well and also provided good contrast, it also felt quite out-dated. It seems as if Korean producers have got into 'Despacito' a little too late, and have gone crazy incorporating this into EVERY single Summer track. The multi-cultural blend of music was incredibly exciting at first, but the repetitive use of this across K-Pop groups has defused the unique spark completely.
The music video is beautifully poetic, with visual metaphors scattered throughout. The set almost seems like a mental asylum, possibly hinting at how you could drive yourself insane by focusing on negative opinions/comments. The choreography is hip thrust and body roll galore, and I'm absolutely loving it. Hwa Sa is known for being one of the sexier idols in K-Pop, so I'm happy to see her owning her sexuality without putting up this silly 'innocent' front that many girl groups are forced to maintain. It's also obvious that Hwa Sa has a great relationship with her back-up dancers, as they work incredibly well together. The music video also includes a super cute cameo from the rest of the Mamamoo girls, representing that they'll always have Hwa Sa's back and lovingly support her solo ventures.
Watch the Music Video for #María below (i.e. our Queen of Visuals & Choreo):
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