Strawberry | ||||
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Released | February 1, 2023 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 12:08 | |||
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Epik High chronology | ||||
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Singles from Strawberry | ||||
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NME | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Strawberry is the third extended play and first global album by South Korean hip hop trio Epik High. The EP was released on February 1, 2023, through OURS Co. and distributed by Genie Music. [1] The album consists of five tracks, including the lead single "Catch" featuring Hwasa of Mamamoo, and a collaboration with Got7's Jackson Wang on the song "On My Way". [2] [3]
All the tracks on the album were written or co-written by Tablo and Mithra Jin of Epik High; and were co-produced by DJ Tukutz and Tablo of Epik High, along with collaborations from Grammy-winning producers on a few of the tracks. [4] Strawberry follows Epik High's tenth studio album Epik High Is Here (2021–2022).
Describing why the album is called Strawberry, Epik High's leader Tablo explained, "We like strawberry representing the album because it’s sweet and fresh, which is what we wanted to do at the beginning of our 20th anniversary. We thought that people would expect some music that is reminiscing and weighed down by the years, and we wanted to go against that expectation and just create something that sounds like three guys that just decided to create a group together. But strawberries are interesting because they’re so fragile; you can smash them up with your thumb but, somehow, they’ll stain on your table perfectly fine. And it reminds me of blood when it’s squished. So, there’s a little bit of pain in that sweetness. I think that that’s what Epik High is." [5]
On December 6, 2022, along with the announcement of Epik High's 2023 All Time High Tour across Europe and North America, Tablo teased "New music is coming soon..." on his social media accounts. [6] On January 9, 2023, he confirmed that Epik High is indeed working on a new album. Then on January 18, the title of the EP was announced to be Strawberry, to feature five tracks, and to be released on February 1, 2023. [7]
On January 25, 2023, the complete tracklist, including collaborations with Jackson Wang on "On My Way" and Hwasa on "Catch", was revealed. Epik High said in a press release that they "aim to introduce a well-made album that encompasses the colorful characteristics of diverse producers and artists infused with the Epik High trio's symbolic musical color." [4] Epik High appeared on the Hwasa Show on January 28, and performed an exclusive pre-release of "Catch" featuring Hwasa, prior to the release of the album. [8] Two days later, the EP's sampler was released. [9]
Strawberry was mainly promoted using memes posted by Tablo and fans on social media. [10] The EP was released to digital music and streaming platforms on February 1, 2023. The accompanying visualizer videos for all five tracks were released on Epik High's official YouTube channel. In addition to the five tracks, the album's CDs included instrumentals for all the tracks. [11]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Strawberry" |
| 1:28 | |
2. | "On My Way" (featuring Jackson Wang) |
| 3:03 | |
3. | "Catch" (featuring Hwasa) |
|
| 3:44 |
4. | "Down Bad Freestyle" | Tablo |
| 1:28 |
5. | "God's Latte" |
|
| 2:23 |
Total length: | 12:08 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
6. | "Strawberry" (instrumental) | 1:28 |
7. | "On My Way" (featuring Jackson Wang; instrumental) | 3:03 |
8. | "Catch" (featuring Hwasa; instrumental) | 3:44 |
9. | "Down Bad Freestyle" (instrumental) | 1:28 |
10. | "God's Latte" (instrumental) | 2:23 |
Total length: | 24:12 |
Chart (2022) | Peak position |
---|---|
South Korean Albums (Circle) [12] | 33 |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
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Various | February 1, 2023 |
| [13] | |
South Korea | CD |
Epik High (Korean: 에픽하이) is a South Korean hip-hop trio formed in 2001, composed of rapper and songwriter Tablo, rapper and lyricist Mithra Jin, and DJ and record producer DJ Tukutz. Based in Seoul, the trio first met in 2001 before signing with Woollim Entertainment and released their first two studio albums, Map of the Human Soul (2003) and High Society (2004), to minor success. The trio rose to fame with the release of their follow-up studio albums, Swan Songs (2005), Remapping the Human Soul (2007), and Pieces, Part One (2008), spawning the hit singles "Fly", "Paris", "Fan", "Love Love Love", "One" and "Umbrella". Although the majority of these albums were censored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism due to strong language and themes of crimes, war, religion, and education, Epik High established themselves as one of the leading hip-hop artists in the country, gaining a cult following and critical acclaim.
Swan Songs is the third studio-album by South Korean hip-hop trio Epik High, released on October 4, 2005. Featuring a variety and mix of hip hop, electronica, rock, and jazz, the album has been praised by music critics and the Korean mainstream public upon its debut. "Fly" and "Paris" were the lead hit singles spawned from the album, with "Fly" featured in the soundtrack of the 2006 video game FIFA 07. Due to the numerous offers to remake "Fly" as well as "Paris", a CD sampler was released in Japan in 2007.
Remapping the Human Soul is the fourth studio album by South Korean hip hop trio Epik High. It was released through Woollim Entertainment and CJ Music on January 23, 2007, and contains 27 tracks on two CDs. The singles "Fan" and "Love Love Love" were promoted as part of the album.
Daniel Armand Lee, better known by his stage name Tablo (타블로), is a Canadian hip hop rapper, songwriter and record producer of South Korean origin. Tablo is best known as the leader and producer of South Korean hip-hop group Epik High, and the founder of independent music label Highgrnd, which housed bands Hyukoh and The Black Skirts.
Choi Jin, more commonly known by the stage name Mithra Jin, is a South Korean rapper and lyricist, best known as a member of the hip hop group Epik High.
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Mamamoo is a South Korean girl group formed and managed by RBW. The group is composed of four members: Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein, and Hwasa. Known for their strong live vocals, harmonies, and writing much of their material, they are recognized as one of the premier girl groups in K-pop. They are highly regarded in the industry for their talent and ability to cross multiple genres with their music; from retro, jazz, and R&B concepts in their early years to more contemporary hip-hop, as well as emotional ballads. Since their debut in 2014, they have been noted for challenging conventional beauty standards, breaking gender stereotypes, and conducting themselves in ways that most typical K-pop stars do not.
Kim Han-bin, known professionally as B.I (Korean: 비아이) is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer. He debuted in the South Korean boy band IKon under YG Entertainment in September 2015. On June 12, 2019, he departed from the group due to drug allegations. During his time with the group, he played a significant role in the production and songwriting of their music, and is credited as the sole record producer for all of the group's releases. His contributions to iKon's second studio album, Return, for the lead single "Love Scenario", earned him the prestigious "Songwriter of the Year" award at the 2018 Melon Music Awards.
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Ahn Hye-jin, known professionally by her stage name Hwasa, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Mamamoo in 2014. In February 2019, she made her solo debut with the song "Twit" which topped the Circle Digital Chart and won song of the year at the Gaon Chart Music Awards.
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