''Better'' is the tenth

Korean-language Korean is the native language for about 81 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the national language of both South Korea and North Korea. In the south, the language is known as () and in the north, it is known as (). Since the tur ...

studio album (twentieth overall) by South Korean singer

BoA Boa, BoA, or BOA may refer to: Snakes * Any member of the Boidae, a family of medium to large, non-venomous, constricting snakes ** Any member of the Boinae, a subfamily of boid snakes *** Any member of ''Boa'' (genus), a group of boid snakes * ...

. It was released on December 1, 2020, by

SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...

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

lead single A lead single (or first 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. A similar term, "debut ...

. It was met with praise from music critics upon its release.

Background and release

On November 5, 2020,

announced that BoA will come back with her tenth

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

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

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'' (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 that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

teaser for the

"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, and originally known as PBR&B, hipster R&B, emo R&B, or R-Neg-B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s and ...

written and arranged by longtime collaborator

Yoo Young-jin Yoo Young-jin is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer and vocal trainer formerly under SM Entertainment. He has produced and written songs for H.O.T., S.E.S, BoA, Shinhwa, TVXQ, CSJH The Grace, Super Junior, Girls' Generatio ...

. Alongside music production by Yoo, Aston Rudi, and Jay-Keyz, the song also contains a sample of "Like I Do" by Swedish singer AWA, who was given songwriting credits for the song. A Mandarin version of the song was released in 2022, alongside singer Xin Liu. 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

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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 ''Metro'' is a British freesheet tabloid newspaper published by DMG Media. The newspaper is distributed from Monday to Friday mornings on public places in areas of England, Wales and Scotland (excluding public holidays and the period betwee ...

'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 advertis ...

''s list of The 10 Best K-pop Albums of 2020. The latter publication 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." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' (India) included it in their list of the 10 best K-pop albums of 2020. ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remaine ...

'' named it one of the best K-pop solo albums of 2020 while

QQ Music QQ Music () is one of three Chinese freemium music streaming services owned by Tencent Music, a joint venture between Tencent and Spotify, now majority owned by Tencent. , the service is set to reach over 700 million users with an estimated 120 ...

ranked it number 16 on their list of the 100 best K-pop songs of the year. "Start Over" was named the number one Best K-pop B-side of 2020 by

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

, 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."

Track listing

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

Charts

Sales

References

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