Querencia (album)

Querencia (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by South Korean singer Chungha. It was released on February 15, 2021, under MNH Entertainment and 88rising. Originally set for a January 4 release, the album was delayed to February 15 after Chungha tested positive for COVID-19 on December 7, 2020, in order to focus on her recovery. It is the singer's first full-length album since her debut in 2017. The concept of the album lies in its title, "Querencia" which is a metaphysical concept in Spanish referring to a place where one can be one’s true self.
"Querencia" consists of 4 themes: Noble, Savage, Unknown, and Pleasures, and contains a total of 21 songs. The album features guest appearances from the DJ and record producer R3hab, Puerto Rican rapper Guaynaa and South Korean singer-songwriter Colde. Singer-songwriters Sumin and Baek Yerin were also involved in the making of this album, the two artists co-wrote “Bother Me” and “All Night Long” respectively. The album is primarily a pop record that combines EDM, synth-pop, R&B, afrobeat, house, korean ballad and latin-pop elements.
The album received both commercial success and generally favorable reviews from music critics, who complimented the wide variety of music genres featured in the album as well as the singer's musical growth. "Querencia" was supported by five singles: "Stay Tonight", "Play" featuring Changmo, "X", "Bicycle" and "Demente", the first two became top ten and twenty hits on the Gaon Digital Chart. The album also includes the singles "Everybody Has" and "Dream of You" with R3hab.
Background.
On March 10, MNH Entertainment announced that Chungha had signed with American agency, ICM Partners, for her America and global promotions. On April 12, 2020, Chungha released an ad image titled "pre-release single #1". According to the image, a photo teaser, an online cover image, and a music video teaser would be revealed on April 20–24. The image contained a dreamlike moonlight and hand-shaped sculptures that stretch toward it. On the April 21, the official cover of the single was revealed. The music video teasers were released on April 22 and 23. On June 18, Chungha released a teaser video for the second pre-release single titled "Play" and later announced that it would be released on July 6, 2020. On July 1, the official cover of the single was revealed. On the same day the music video teasers were released.
On November 18, the singer dropped a series of teasers on her social media channels and one of which states a new collaboration single "Dream of You" between the singer and an unnamed artist, which would be released on November 27, accompanied with "X", that was set to be released on December 10. Chungha also announced that her first studio album would be released on January 4, 2021. On November 23, 2020, the unnamed artist was revealed to be Dutch DJ and record producer R3hab. The performance video teaser was released on November 25.
On December 7, it was confirmed that Chungha has tested positive for COVID-19. She also missed the live press conference for the new show "Running Girls", but made appearance as her parts were shown in the premiere. On December 9, MNH Entertainment announced that Chungha's pre-release single "X" and upcoming studio album "Querencia" would be delayed to focus on her recovery. On January 11, 2021 Chungha announced that "X" will be released on January 19, while "Querencia" will be released on February 15. On January 12, it was announced that "Bicycle" will be released on February 15, as the fifth and primary single off of the album. The same day, the singer revealed the album track listing. On January 14, Chungha shared the online cover of the album.
Composition.
Music and lyrics.
"Querencia" is Chungha's first full-length album which consists of a total of 21 tracks. The standard edition of the album is about one hour long. It features guest appearances from the DJ and record producer R3hab, Puerto Rican rapper Guaynaa and South Korean singer-songwriter Colde. At twenty-one tracks, "Querencia" is the longest material in the singer's catalogue. The album makes heavy use of acoustic guitar, bass guitar and fuzz guitar, pianos, funk bass, drum machines, synthesizers and sentimental string instruments. The word "Querencia" is Spanish and it has the meaning of a resting place. Continuing to touch on multiple genres and themes, "Querencia" is conveniently split into four sides: "Noble", "Savage", "Unknown" and "Pleasures" – each marked by one-minute interludes. "Noble", the album's opener, buzzes through echoing beats and industrial noise, while "Savage" takes the listeners into the pumping sounds of a club and "Unknown" delves deeper into the night with a skittering breakbeat. Transitioning into the ballad-filled side of "Querencia", "Pleasures" sets up for a vulnerable side of the singer. Through these four themes, the singer wanted to show a person who takes on challenges and musical concepts without being limited to one concept. Chungha participated in the composing and writing of "Bicycle" and "Byulharang (160504 + 170607)". With the album, Chungha demonstrates her versatility as a vocalist but also gives the audience a bigger glimpse of her rap and songwriting capabilities. NME compared the album to Dua Lipa's second studio album "Future Nostalgia", stating that instead of mirrorball-flecked sounds of the 70's, "Querencia" takes listeners on a globe-trotting trip through a melting pot of sounds and influences.
Songs.
"Bicycle" is a collage of electric guitar, churning synths, bouncy piano and switching tempos that expresses the excitement and overwhelming energy of the moment when you step on the pedal with the R&B, pop and trap sound developed with the introduction of the intense fuzz guitar. "Masquerade" is a song with salsa swings and boogaloo beat where she entices a lover to search for her. "Flying on Faith" is a crunchy pop, electro-pop and R&B track with a vulnerable tone about a failing relationship where her partner stays weighed down by their emotions for an ex. Beginning with a guitar riff that eventually expands into a colourful explosion of synths, Chung Ha sings "She keeps weighing us down / I keep wondering if you wanna stay." The fifth track, "Luce Sicut Stellae", which possesses mysterious, enticing production with a bouncy beat, guitar, strings and echoing harmonies, is a dreamy, romantic track about following the starlight and embracing the moment. "Stay Tonight" is a disco and pop song captivated with its harp and piano riff elements. The future house production consists of booming bass sound in the chorus, 90's house beats, atmospheric electronics and a disco guitar. Thematically, the track is about love. The bass-heavy, house-pop cut, "Dream of You" is an electronic music track with a mix of house beat and a thick baseline. The track has a harmony of sounds including strings, brass, vocoder and synthesizer. The song also delivers "some of the singer's boldest, most seductive lyrics". The disco-tinged gloss song, "Bother Me" is a classic-sounding dance-funk and deep house track with bass guitar, dreamy synths and a propulsive beat. In the song Chungha sings her frustrations and annoyance towards someone who doesn’t reciprocate her efforts. "Chill" was described as a quintessential pop track with "uninspiring lyrics and a boring composition".
"Play" featuring Changmo is a Latin pop-inspired dance track with moombahton and reggae influences. The song is about an exciting secret encounter between two lovers. "Demente" is a catchy pop song with reggaeton rhythms, aided by Puerto Rican rapper Guaynaa. Lyrically, the song tell a story of a confused love that causes great sadness due to the lack of interest of the other person. The song marks the first Latin and K-pop collaboration for a female Korean soloist and highlights Chungha's refusal to be pinned down or limited by boundaries – either geographical or genre – meshing Korean, Spanish and the dancehall-derived beats into an infectious, vibrant cut. The bossa nova grooves song, "Lemon" featuring Colde has a funk-influenced R&B songtune, where she sings to her lover. "Byulharang (160504 + 170607)" is a ballad with soft acoustic strums. The track is named after her fandom, with the dates referring to both her debut with girl group I.O.I and, a year later, as a solo artist. "X" is a modern rock pop number characterized by a rich melody. It tells the story of having to rebuild yourself after being brought down by betrayal by others and coming out stronger than ever. "All Night Long" was described as a "glossy R&B slow jam". "Everybody Has" is a sentimental ballad that aims to comfort those feeling worn out and exhausted. The 90s-influenced, "Come N Goes" is dream-pop ode to acceptance that people and the emotions associated with them don’t ever completely leave.
Artwork and conception.
According to Chungha's label 88Rising, she explained the album's meaning, where the title refers to "a place from which one's strength is drawn, where one feels at home; the place where you are your most authentic self". The singer also stated that: "This album is my querencia, and I hope it becomes yours too". In an interview held in April, the singer explained that Querencia means "a place to rest and gain energy" in Spanish, saying she was drawn to the sound and meaning of the word and thought it was the perfect title for her album.
Cover artwork.
The singer released the online cover image of "Querencia" through her social media on January 14, 2021. The image shows Chungha staring intensely at one place, showcasing a fierce expression and wearing unique vivid color outfit with her hair slicked back, strong enough to break through the glass that is edited onto the artwork. Chungha explained that the cover symbolizes breaking through any limitations that are visible or invisible - to be who she wants to be.
Release and promotion.
On January 11, 2021, MNH Entertainment uploaded a teaser poster with the album's name, also announcing the release date. Preorders for the album began the following day. On January 12, Chungha teased the title of the album's lead single "Bicycle" on Twitter. On the same day, the singer posted the album's track list and digital cover two days later. Eighteen months after Flourishing, "Querencia" was released worldwide on 15 February 2021 through MNH and 88rising in conjunction with the music video for "Bicycle". In celebration of her comeback, Chungha held an online showcase and press conference to talk about her debut studio album and also her recovery from COVID-19, for which she asymptomatically tested positive in December 2020.
For the album's physical release, Chungha and her label opted to have copies manufactured with as many environmentally-friendly materials as possible. According to MNH Entertainment, a regular single-disc CD is packaged with less lamination – save for those all-important photo cards – and sold in paper envelopes instead of plastic jewel cases. Chungha added "We also tried to minimise the use of lamination and other unnecessary plastics, except for photo cards, something very important for our fans," the artist told a local radio show.
Singles.
"Stay Tonight", released on April 27, 2020, serves as the lead single of "Querencia". An accompanying music video for the song, directed by Rima Yoon and Dongju Jang, was uploaded to Stone Music's and Chungha's YouTube channels simultaneously with the single's release. Commercially, the single charted in three countries. In South Korea, the song debuted at number 9 on the Gaon Digital Chart, while peaking at number 4 on the "Billboard" World Digital Songs chart. A promotional CD was made available through special events only.
"Play" featuring Changmo was released as the album's second single on July 6, 2020. An official music video for the song was released on August 28, 2020. The video shows Chungha as a matador to bullfight against a bright red sports car rather than a bull. It peaked at number 14 in South Korea and 17 on US World Digital Songs. The single was later repackaged into a maxi single, which consists of the two pre-released singles, together with "Stay Tonight" peaked at number 7 on the Gaon Album Chart with 12,613 sales.
"X" was released as the third single on January 19, 2021. The song peaked at number 100 in South Korea. 
"Bicycle" was released as the fourth single on February 15, 2021, the same day the album was released.
"Bicycle" debuted at number 38 on South Korean's Gaon Digital Chart for the chart issue dated February 14–20, 2021. The song debuted on Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart at number 11 on February 25, 2021. 
"Demente" with Guaynaa was released as the fifth single on March 17, 2021.
Critical reception.
"Querencia" received widespread acclaim from music critics. At AOTY, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 92 based on 3 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim"; it is her best-reviewed album on the site.
"NME" critic Rhian Daly opined that "If its title refers to a place where you can be your true self, then this album reflects its creator as a curious, confident and passionate artist whose songs help make the world feel that little bit bigger again". For "Rolling Stone", Divyansha Dongre wrote that "with her debut album, Chungha demonstrates her versatility as a vocalist" but also "gives the audience a bigger glimpse of her rap and songwriting capabilities". Emanuel Rodriquez of "Daily Trojan" stated that "The star empowers both fans and the global audience through Latin-Korean fusion, house music, R&B and everything in between, making her 21-track album a safe haven for everyone". Writing for "Nylon", Crystal Bell stated that the album is a "testament to the singer's metamorphosis from a captivating performer into a true global superstar". Kelly Nguyen of "The Daily Californian" said that " Querencia" proves that "the singer no longer has any competition — she’s in an entire universe of her own".
Writing for "Dork", Abigail Firth deemed "Querencia" "an album where not only (as she says in the intro) her desires are protected, but where she’s in control of them too". Billboard's Nolan Feeney praised the album's concept and production, writing "Querencia’s ambitious and sophisticated sampling of global sounds may mark a turning point for K-pop’s international reach". Writing for "Beats Per Minute", JT Early gave the album a score of 76/100, describing the material as "an exciting and surprising debut" and stated that the material is "completely unrestrained in its ambition to be one of the ‘big’ pop albums". Lexy Gonzalez of "Study Breaks" stated that "Querencia" proves that "Chungha no longer has any competition and that she is in a league of her own".
In a mixed review, Kim Doheon from IZM said that "Querencia's" "production, which relies in large part on the artist's versatility, does not create flashy moments, and Chungha, who faithfully performs a given song, does not exceed the level in singing, contrary to passionate dance performances"
Commercial performance.
Commercially, "Querencia" debuted at number 1 on the Gaon Retail Album Chart at 1pm KST with 1518 sales in its first hour of tracking. In addition, all of the album tracks charted within the Top 100 of the notable South Korean streaming service, Bugs. The title track "Bicycle" also debuted at number 2 on streaming services Bugs and Genie. At the end of "Querencia's" first day, it sold 8921 copies in Korea, marking a new record for Chungha, beating out her Maxi Single by 4891 sales. Upon release, "Querencia" reached the top three on the all-genre US iTunes sales chart, only behind Morgan Wallen's "" and The Pretty Reckless' "Death by Rock and Roll". On February 27, "Querencia" debuted and peaked at number 10 on the US "Billboard" World Albums chart and at number 5 on the "Billboard" Heatseekers Albums, making it her second entry on the latter.
Personnel.
Adapted from Tidal and the album liner notes.