Korean singer Chung Ha has dropped a brand-new mini-album ‘Alivio’, alongside an accompanying visual for its title track, ‘Stress’.
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Both the record and the music video were released on February 12 at 6pm KST, marking her fifth mini-album so far and her first body of work in nearly three years. The music video for lead single ‘Stress’ features Chung Ha as a student in a yoga class, as she interacts with her fellow classmates who are all going through their own problems in life that she tries to alleviate.
“Take it easy, no stress (No stress, no stress) / Follow me, just dance (No stress, no stress) / Honey, love yourself best (No stress, no stress) / Get out of all my complexes /
Right now in this moment, baby, no stress,” she belts on the chorus.
‘Alivio’ consists of eight tracks including ‘Stress’, and features a number of new and old collaborators. Vietnamese-American artist thủy was credited on B-side ‘Creepin’, while Chung Ha enlists singer Sunmi on ‘Salty’.
“I had the chance to work with some amazing people on this album. thủy and I worked together on ‘Hair Down’ remix and while we were finishing that up, she actually sent me the song and lyrics for ‘Creepin’. It just clicked, so we decided to include it,” Chung Ha said in a press release for the new album.
“And Sunmi, she’s like a sister to me. We’ve been friends for so long, so working together on ‘Salty’ felt super easy and natural. I’m just really thankful and honoured to have worked with such talented women on this album”, she continued.
‘Alivio’ is Chung Ha’s first record as a More Vision artist, after she put out a single album in 2024 titled ‘Eenie Meenie’, which included a title track featuring ATEEZ rapper Hongjoong and B-side ‘I’m Ready’. The latter song would go on to be named the 25th best K-pop song of 2024 by NME.
“This fiercely charismatic track was a welcome return for K-pop all-rounder Chung Ha, who’d taken a step away from the industry for the better part of two years,” NME’s Gladys Yeo wrote for NME. “Chung Ha imbues ‘I’m Ready’ with a menacing edge, one that signals she’s truly back to stay.”
