MEAWW.COM / ENTERTAINMENT / MUSIC

Chung Ha's 'Querencia': Release date, concept, tracklist, pre-buzz and all you need to know about K-pop singer's debut album

The latest K-pop album dropped alongside a glamorous music video for the title track, ‘Bicycle’

K-pop singer, Kim Chung-Ha, better known as Chung Ha, has finally dropped her debut full-length album ‘Querencia’. The album was scheduled to release on all the major streaming services on January 4, 2021, but was delayed in order for Chung Ha to recover from COVID-19 after testing positive in December 2020. The latest K-pop album dropped alongside a glamorous music video for the title track, ‘Bicycle’. Upon the release, ‘Querencia’ had become Apple Music’s cover of The A-List: K-pop.

In March 2020, MNH Entertainment announced that the K-pop artist Chung Ha had signed with the American agency, ICM Partners, for the global promotions of her forthcoming works. On April 12, 2020, Chung Ha released an ad image titled ‘pre-release single #1’. The shared picture contained a dreamlike moonlight and hand-shaped sculptures that stretch towards it.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Taylor Swift ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’: Release date, tracklist, pre-buzz and all you need to know about re-recorded album

Rain and Kim Chung-ha's untitled song: Release date, concept and all you need to know about fan-approved collab

Release date

Chung Ha’s ‘Querencia’ was released on all major streaming platforms under the label MNH / 88rising on February 15, 2021.

Concept

Chung Ha’s debut album ‘Querencia’ takes its name from the Spanish word, which the singer previously described as “a place from which one’s strength is drawn, where one feels at home; the place where you are your most authentic self”. In the weeks leading to the release of ‘Querencia’, Chung Ha posted four audio snippets from the album. ‘Querencia’ consists of four themes -- Savage, Pleasures, Noble, and Unknown. 

Following the release of ‘Play’, Chung Ha dropped a series of teasers on her social media channels where she revealed her collaboration single ‘Dream of You’ with Dutch DJ and record producer R3hab. ‘Dream of You’ was accompanied by ‘X’. The K-pop singer announced that her first studio album would be released in January 2021. In December 2020, MNH announced that ‘Querencia’ and the single ‘X’ were delayed as the singer dedicated her time to recover from the COVID-19 illness.

Album Cover

Chung Ha's debut album’s main cover shows the K-pop artist staring intensely at one place as it showcases her fierce expression, which is strong enough to break through the glass.

Tracklist

The album includes 21 tracks, including four interludes, one outro, and the pre-release singles ‘Play’ with CHANGMO, ‘Stay Tonight’, ‘Dream of You’ with R3HAB, and ‘X’.

As per Chung Ha, the ‘Bicycle’ track from ‘Querencia’ expresses the excitement and overwhelming energy when one starts focusing on R&B, pop, and trap sound. Another song titled ‘Stay Tonight’ is a disco and pop song captivated with hard and piano riff elements. ‘Dream of You’ is described as an electronic music track with a mix of house beat and a thick baseline. ‘Play’ from ‘Querencia’ is a Latin-pop inspired dance track with a reggae influence. ‘X’ is a modern rock-pop number characterized by a rich melody.

‘Masquerade’ [Romanized]
The lyrics go: “You can find me, right? / You can find me, right? / You can find me, right? / Eojireoun masquerade / Nal banjjeum garin masquerade / Binggeulbinggeul doraganeun siseone gaduneun.”

‘Flying on Faith’
The lyrics go: “You’re exactly what you’re meant to be /  Oh no there ain’t nothing wrong with you / I lift you up so that you can see /  Oh what your ex has done to you / I always treat you different…”
 
‘Luce Sicut Stellae’ [Romanized]
The lyrics go: “Shine for shine for me tonight  / Let it shine for me tonight / kolal bich-ui libseutigkkaji waenji beogeobge neukkyeojin mam / hwalyeoham neomeo gamchwojin ttoggat-eun maeil-e all day”.
 
‘Stay Tonight’ [Romanized]
The lyrics go: “I feel you bitgwa eodum geu sai / Neon naui gyeoteuro (all the time) / Warning warning wae iri seotuni / Neol naege matgyeobwa bwa ah”.

‘Dream of You’ [Romanized]
The lyrics go:  “I can't stand / That you might be in someone's bed / With some * that you just met all over you / And you can't breathe / When your eye's all fixed on me / Know you think that I don't see it but I do”.

‘Bother Me’ [Romanized]
The lyrics go: “Do you take me for a fool? /  Or do you want me to spoon feed you?  / I think I know it but I don’t, it’s annoying  / You keep reading my face /  What the hell are you / Really, what are you…”
 
‘Chill’ [Romanized]
The lyrics go: “Every day's the same, it's not fun everyday / Sometimes it's okay to relax your tight mind /  Here and there lonely, lonely / I was sick of it everyday, everyday / We're burning tonight, Friday / Tighten your shoelaces”.

Where to stream

Chung Ha’s ‘Querencia’ can be streamed or downloaded on all the major platforms, including Bandwagon, Spotify, and Apple Music.