A+ is the fourth extended play (EP) by South Korean singer Hyuna. It was released on August 21, 2015, by Cube Entertainment and distributed by Universal Music. The EP consists of five tracks and incorporates Pop, R&B and Hip hop music genres. The physical album was released three days later on August 24. To promote the EP, Hyuna appeared on several South Korean music programs, including Music Bank, Show! Music Core and Inkigayo. "Roll Deep" was released as the lead single alongside the EP release.

A+
EP by
ReleasedAugust 21, 2015
Recorded2015
Genre
Length15:13
Label
Producer
  • Seo Jaewoo
  • Big Sancho
  • Son Youngjin
  • Jung Ilhoon
  • Kwon Jungyeol
Hyuna chronology
A Talk
(2014)
A+
(2015)
A'wesome
(2016)
Singles from A+
  1. "Roll Deep"
    Released: August 21, 2015
  2. "Run & Run"
    Released: September 14, 2015

Background and release

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On June 4, 2015, it was announced that Hyuna was preparing for her solo comeback in August.[1][2] On August 9, Cube Entertainment released a trailer filmed in Los Angeles for her fourth mini-album A+, which was released on August 21.[3][4] On August 13, "Because I'm the Best" (or "Roll Deep" in international markets) featuring Jung Ilhoon of BtoB was announced as the album's title track.[5]

On August 20, the music video for "Because I'm The Best" was released via the 4Minute YouTube channel,[6] followed by a racier 19+ version of the video deemed the "Original Version" on September 6.[7]

On September 14, 2015, Hyuna released a short music video for the album's intro track "Run & Run".[8]

Commercial performance

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A+ entered and peaked at number 5 on the Gaon Album Chart on the chart issue dated August 22–29, 2016.[9] In its second week the mini album fell to number 33, dropping the chart the following week.[10] A+ charted at number 15 on the Gaon Album Chart for the month of August 2015 with 7,387 copies sold.[11]

The title track "Roll Deep" entered at number 32 on the Gaon Digital Chart on the chart issue dated August 22–29, 2016 with 80,086 downloads sold and 803,443 streams based on its first two days of availability.[12][13][14] In its second week, the song peaked at number 13 with 107,723 downloads sold and 2,599,263 streams in its first full week.[15][16][17] "Roll Deep" charted at number 44 on the Gaon Digital Chart for the month of August 2015.[18]

Reception

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Billboard contributor Jeff Benjamin praised "Because I'm The Best", saying "HyunA confidently raps and chants about her swag, making playful remarks about how even her friends are jealous of her because, well, she's the best. Ilhoon [...] drops in to further the claims as the two spit over hard-hitting, synth-heavy hip-hop production with elements recalling recent work from Mike Will Made It and DJ Mustard." Benjamin also highlighted the styling and aesthetic of the track's music video, citing its "tongue-in-cheek presentation" as proof of the opinion that "HyunA is easily one of the baddest females in K-pop."[19]

Track listing

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Track list[20]
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Run & Run" (intro)Hyuna, Seo Jaewoo, Big SanchoSeo Jaewoo, Big SanchoSeo Jaewoo, Big Sancho, Son Youngjin1:31
2."Roll Deep" ("Because I'm The Best"; feat. Jung Il-hoon)Seo Jaewoo, Big Sancho, Son Youngjin, Jung IlhoonSeo Jaewoo, Big Sancho, Son YoungjinSeo Jaewoo, Big Sancho3:22
3."Ice Ice" (feat. Yuk Jidam)Big Sancho, Hyuna, Yuk JidamSeo JaewooSeo Jaewoo, Big Sancho3:16
4."Get Out of My House" (feat. Kwon Jungyeol)Big Sancho, Jung Il-hoon, Kwon JungyeolBig Sancho, Jung Il-hoon, Kwon JungyeolSeo Jaewoo, Big Sancho3:22
5."Serene"Seo Jaewoo, Son Youngjin, HyunaSeo Jaewoo, Son YoungjinSeo Jaewoo, Son Youngjin3:42

Charts

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Music charts

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Chart Peak
position
Note
Gaon Weekly Albums Chart 5 [21]
Gaon Monthly Albums Chart 15 [22]
Billboard World Albums Chart[23] 2 [24]

Sales and certifications

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Chart Amount Note
Gaon physical sales 12,240+ [25]

Release history

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Country Date Format Label
South Korea August 21, 2015 Digital download Cube Entertainment
August 24, 2015 CD
United States September 18, 2015 Digital download

References

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  1. ^ Lee, Jeong-ah (June 5, 2015). "[단독]'패왕색' 현아, 8월 솔로 컴백 '더 아찔해진다'". SNS Entertainment News. SBS & SBS Contents. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  2. ^ Seon, Mi-gyeong (June 5, 2015). "현아 측 "8월 목표 솔로 컴백 준비중..확정된 것은 없어"". OSEN. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  3. ^ Jeong, Yu-shin (August 12, 2015). "현아, 21일 정오 '에이플러스' 발표..컴백 확정". OSEN. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  4. ^ "HYUNA – 4th Mini Album Trailer". Cube Entertainment. August 9, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2015 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ Ghim, Sora. "HyunA Reveals Her Title Song Featuring BTOB's Jung Ilhoon". BNT News. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  6. ^ "HYUNA(현아) – '잘나가서 그래 (Feat. 정일훈 Of BTOB)' (Roll Deep) M/V". Cube Entertainment. August 20, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2015 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ "HYUNA – 잘나가서 그래 (Feat. 정일훈 Of BTOB) (A+ Original Ver. MV)". Cube Entertainment. September 6, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2015 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "HYUNA(현아) – Run & Run M/V". Cube Entertainment. September 13, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2015 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on September 3, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  10. ^ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  11. ^ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  12. ^ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  13. ^ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  14. ^ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  15. ^ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  16. ^ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  17. ^ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  18. ^ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  19. ^ Benjamin, Jeff. "HyunA's 'Because I'm the Best' Video Would Make Miley Cyrus Proud: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  20. ^ "A+ (Naver Music)". Naver Music. NAVER Corp. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  21. ^ "Gaon Weekly Albums Chart, August 23 – 29, 2015". Gaon Music Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  22. ^ "Gaon Monthly Albums Chart, August 2015". Gaon Music Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  23. ^ "Billboard World Albums". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  24. ^ "Billboard World Albums Chart, Week of October 10, 2015". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  25. ^ "Gaon Monthly Album Chart, August 2015 (see #15)". Gaon Music Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved October 12, 2015.