It’s been about a year since we heard from Hwasa with the gimmicky (but somehow enduring?) I Love My Body. On new single NA, she’s traded that song’s retro trappings for a more modern house beat. It’s a welcome jolt of energy within her discography, even if the track spends too much time talking when it could be singing.
First off, I love hearing this kind of energy back in K-pop. NA‘s dance beat isn’t anything new or idiosyncratic, but its insistent pulse makes for an exciting listen. This intensity helps showcase Hwasa’s natural charisma, drawing out a feistiness that gives the track character. She shines on the vocal-led pre-choruses, varying her delivery for maximum effect.
Unfortunately, NA‘s chorus is a letdown. The effusive production calls for a fleshed-out hook where Hwasa can really belt. Instead, the song reverts to the tired sing-talk that’s become a K-pop staple over the past few years. It’s all attitude, attitude, attitude. But without robust melody or compelling flow to back that attitude up, the hook feels more like posturing lip service than a true declaration of confidence. It’s a shame, because I love this sonic direction for Hwasa and we know she has the talent to knock it out of the park. It’s yet another case of TikTok virality taking precedence over songwriting that might linger past a thirty second sound bite.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Love the UK garage and house elements. Wish the chorus was stronger and there was a bridge and third chorus to send things on a high note.
8 (7, 9, 8, 8) for me
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Okay, part of the general problem in kpop right now is that even idols who CAN sing masterfully, are not given material that pushes them or showcases that skill. That being said, house is one of my favorite genres, and unless a song majorly fumbles it, I tend to baseline enjoy most songs
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Agree. Hwasa can sing pretty well. Here, she or the producers decided that each line in the verses are sung one at a time, instead of having the whole verse sung through. (The hiccups are noticeable at 0:24 and 0:28 and other places.) Its not even a hard song, so whyeeeee.
That said, I also appreciate the energy. The song is ready made for high street fast fashion shop soundtracks.
The oh ready set go section starting at 1:04 reminds me of the ooohhhhh sexy lady part of Gangnam Style.
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P NATION needs to hang it up already I’m sorry
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Trash, as we’ve come to expect from PSY and his crew.
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I love the production OMG but whyyyyyyy is the song so tame and like really average? There’s like 10 authors in the credits, to write this? I get it, it’s for TikTok, but you can still have a great chorus and then a “tiktok viral sort of section” … I don’t understand.
I miss the times when we had something like f(x) 4 WALLS 😦
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I miss the times when we had Rude Love!!! You can do slow house and make it moving, compelling, heartfelt, and engaging!! Also shoutout to Papi and Somebody (and the king of all, View)
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