As an artist who transcends boundaries and openly embraces her sexuality, GAIN doesn’t shy away from questions of sexual morality in “Paradise Lost.”

GAIN, who’s boldly explored controversial topics ranging from one's first time in “Bloom” to dating violence in “Fxxk U,” ruffled feathers even more with the single “Paradise Lost,” released on March 12, 2015. Her comeback album Hawwah was described as a retelling of the story of the first woman Eve and was told with the help of top tier collaborating artists like rappers Jay Park, Dok2, Mad Clown, and vocalist Wheesung. 

In the sinister and heavily metaphoric concept, GAIN questions religion and the basis from which society came to judge the morality of sex. Titled after Eve’s Hebrew name Hawwah, the album takes listeners through the motions of the first woman’s experience with temptation and greed. In the organ-heavy title track “Paradise Lost,” GAIN’s breathy vocals detail the desire to give up life after death in spiritual heaven in exchange for a new “heaven” created between her and her lover. 

The soloist takes on the persona of a tantalizing snake in the music video for “Paradise Lost,” spreading her legs and sliding across the floor as she calls for the person she loves to ignore the condemning rules. Viewers go with GAIN through what feels to be the underbelly of a church as she sits alone in hallways and basements, seemingly going through an inner turmoil with wanting to escape. As GAIN changes from a white lacy dress to a more glamorous rhinestone top and dances in a room full of mirrors, she seems to reach a moment of letting go and we see her strut more confidently in brightly lit dance scenes. 

GAIN gave a daring first performance of “Paradise Lost” on M!COUNTDOWN the day of the song’s release, revealing her inner snake in skin tight bodysuits and sparkling green rhinestones. The sultry performance seemed to push the boundaries even for a singer who’d become known for her sexy image, and received backlash from other television networks and viewers. Although the M!COUNTDOWN broadcast avoided showing scenes in which GAIN spread her legs while dancing on the floor, the choreography had to be changed for other broadcasts like Show! Music Core and almost entirely omitted the floor work portion of the dance. 

GAIN promoted the album’s second title track “Apple” featuring Jay Park alongside “Paradise Lost” on music shows. Fitting of its name, “Apple” is a sweeter pop song with a cheeky performance and lyrics in which a woman tries to convince her boyfriend to take a “bite” of her even if they risk getting in trouble. But like “Paradise Lost,” the song became censored on broadcast because of its sexually suggestive lyrics. 

Although the censorship and choreography changes almost caused GAIN to have a “mental breakdown” as she said in interviews, the uproar may have worked in her favor. With the growing attention, her music video garnered five million views in less than 10 days, a feat for K-Pop artists at that time. It became the second most-watched K-Pop video in the world for March 2015. 

GAIN took over the top 10 spots across seven Korean charts with Hawwah on the night of its release, and the double title tracks “Apple” and “Paradise Lost” landed at No. 6 and No. 16 respectively on the Gaon Monthly Digital Chart. International fans also gathered in strong support for the singer, and for the first time in her career she landed on Billboard’s World Album Chart at No. 9. GAIN stayed in the spotlight for the rest of 2015 and kept busy with television appearances, collaboration singles, and a long awaited comeback with her group mates Brown Eyed Girls.

Edited by Rachel Collucci