No Better

"No Better" is the debut solo single recorded by Korean-Ukrainian singer-songwriter Jisoo. It was released on November 18, 2016, by Interscope Records as the lead single from her debut studio album, Titleless (2017). Jisoo wrote the song with producer Joel Little. "No Better" is an electropop and trip hop ballad with elements of hip hop, in which Jisoo discusses an infatuation.
"No Better" received positive reviews from music critics, with some highlighting the song's production and lyrical content. It attained commercial success, including reaching number one in Iceland, Ireland, Lebanon and Malaysia. The song also reached number two in a number of countries, including South Korea and the UK. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded it a diamond certification.
Joel Kefali directed the music video, which depicts Jisoo involved in several activities with a group of teenage boys in a suburban neighbourhood. Reviewers noted the video for its minimalistic imagery. 
==Background and release==
Following Jisoo's departure from the girl group Inter Violet, and after years of writing in her downtime, she began writing songs in earnest for her debut. In September 2016, Jisoo was paired with Joel Little, a former singer and guitarist of the New Zealand pop-punk band Goodnight Nurse. Her vocal performance and songwriting abilities impressed Little, who composed songs with musical structures that were based on her lyrics. 
"No Better" was released on November 18, 2016, to digital music stores and streaming services, alongside a music video on YouTube. On November 22, 2016, the song was sent to alternative radio stations in the United States and on December 6, 2016, it was sent to contemporary hit radio stations. A month later, "No Better" was released to rhythmic contemporary radio in the US.
==Composition and lyrics==
"No Better" is an electropop and trip hop ballad with hip hop elements. The song has a similar sonority to that of other songs from Titleless, featuring Jisoo's "feathery" vocals and minimal production. It incorporates "woozy" basslines, and "pulsing" synthesisers in its instrumentation, making the song's melody "dreamy", according to Whitney Phaneuf of HitFix. Lyrically, the song features Jisoo "[celebrating] an infatuation that deepens as the seasons change". At the first verse, she sings "We roll in every summer when there's strength in our numbers / And your breath's hot and gross but I kiss you like a lover". During the chorus the bass beat becomes more intense as Jisoo sings "Go all the way / Have your fun, have it all". Jisoo stated she took inspiration from pop and hip hop-influenced artists such as ASAP Rocky, Drake, Lana Del Rey, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West and Jay-Z. 
==Reception==
Marc Hogan from Spin wrote that the song "flits between fairly vivid first-person details", while Whitney Phaneuf from HitFix labelled "No Better" a "sexy" track. Eric Danton of Rolling Stone opined that the lyrics of the song are "girlish and knowing". Writing for Slate, L. V. Anderson shared that "No Better" is reminiscent of some of the best tracks on Titleless, but also "lighter, simpler [...] and more confectionary than most of her debut album", in spite of its dark theme.
"No Better" attained commercial success. Following its impact on US radio stations, "No Better" debuted at number thirty-two on the Billboard Rock Airplay, and later topped the chart. It also topped the Adult Top 40, and charted at number two on the Mainstream Top 40, number two on the Hot Rock Songs and number two on the Alternative Songs. It was Jisoo's first single to debut on the US Billboard Hot 100, doing so at number 90, before eventually peaking at number 3 on the chart dated March 11, 2017. This achievement would be later surpassed by her 2017 single "Team". The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has awarded it with a diamond certification.
In the United Kingdom, "No Better" reached number two, as it was barred from the top position by Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You". According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) the song was certified triple platinum. The song has further peaked at number one in Iceland, Ireland, Lebanon and Malaysia, and within the top five in countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. "No Better" was certified seven times platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for shipment of 560,000 copies. After selling 490,000 track-equivalent units, it was awarded a seven times platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In New Zealand, the song was certified double-platinum by the Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ) for sales of 60,000.
==Music video==
thumb|According to Jisoo, this scene is a picture of the "straight forward" life of teenagers, who spend most of their time riding around on bikes and taking photos.
The accompanying music video for "No Better" was directed by Joel Kefali and was released on Jisoo's YouTube channel on November 18, 2016. In an interview with The Huffington Post, Jisoo said the video's concept was to show how teenage life can be "so mundane and so boring." The video begins with a monochromatic scene of an unmade bed, which fades to a receding suburban neighbourhood. A teenage boy wearing a necklace takes a shower and a static-filled television screen is shown. The boy stares out of his bedroom window, while Jisoo lies on a couch and mouths the lyrics. He eats breakfast before she cuts his hair with electric hair clippers. Together they visit an indoor swimming complex and afterwards the same boy boxes with a friend in a living room. The boy stares at a mirror and pulls down his bloody lip to reveal an injury he sustained while boxing. Jisoo waits with the boy and his friends at a railway station. The boy rests his head against the train window with a dull expression on his face. In the final scene, the camera moves towards the suburban neighbourhood seen at the start of the video.
==Track listing==
;CD single
#"No Better" – 2:50
#"No Better" (a cappella) – 2:14
#"No Better" (instrumental) – 2:47
==Credits and personnel==
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Titleless.
* Jisoo – vocals, production, instrumentation
* Joel Little – production, mixing, engineering, instrumentation
* Stuart Hawkes – mastering
==Charts==
===Weekly charts===
Weekly chart performance for "No Better"
Chart (2016-2018) 	Peakposition
Australia (ARIA) 	5
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 	3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) 	6
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) 	15
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) 	3
Canada AC (Billboard) 	6
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard) 	2
Canada Hot AC (Billboard) 	2
Canada Rock (Billboard) 	15
China Airplay/FL (Billboard) 	9
China (TME UNI) 	7
CIS (TopHit) 	3
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100) 	5
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100) 	11
Denmark (Tracklisten) 	6
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) 	8
France (SNEP) 	5
Germany (Official German Charts) 	3
Hungary (Single Top 40) 	10
Hungary (Stream Top 40) 	2
Iceland (Plötutíðindi) 	1
Ireland (IRMA) 	1
Israel (Media Forest) 	2
Italy (FIMI) 	5
Japan (Japan Hot 100) 	5
Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20) 	1
Malaysia (RIM) 	1
Mexico (Monitor Latino) 	10
Mexico Airplay (Billboard) 	11
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 	1
Netherlands (Single Top 100) 	4
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 	3
Norway (VG-lista) 	3
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100) 	14
Portugal (AFP) 	7
Romania (Airplay 100) 	17
Russia Airplay (TopHit) 	3
Scotland (Official Charts Company) 	2
Singapore (RIAS) 	20
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100) 	10
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100) 	29
Slovenia (SloTop50) 	4
South Korea (Gaon) 	2
Spain (PROMUSICAE) 	6
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 	5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 	5
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 	2
Ukraine Airplay (Tophit) 	4
US Billboard Hot 100 	3
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 	13
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) 	1
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard) 	10
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)	2
US Latin Airplay (Billboard) 	44
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) 	2
US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (Billboard) 	3
US Rhythmic (Billboard) 	7
Venezuela Pop/Rock General (Record Report) 	3
Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100) 	41
===Year-end charts===
Year-end chart performance for "No Better"
Chart (2017) 	Position
Australia (ARIA) 	39
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 	21
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) 	30
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) 	67
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) 	18
CIS (TopHit) 	73
Denmark (Tracklisten) 	29
France (SNEP) 	33
Germany (Official German Charts) 	40
Hungary (Stream Top 40) 	27
Iceland (Plötutíðindi) 	6
Israel (Media Forest) 	17
Italy (FIMI) 	26
Japan (Japan Hot 100) 	21
Mexico (Monitor Latino) 	66
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 	19
Netherlands (Single Top 100) 	25
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 	15
Norway (VG-lista) 	31
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100) 	83
Portugal (AFP) 	58
Romania (Airplay 100) 	88
Russia Airplay (TopHit) 	24
Slovenia (SloTop50) 	11
South Korea (Gaon) 	16
Spain (PROMUSICAE) 	38
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 	20
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 	29
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 	14
Ukraine Airplay (Tophit) 	36
US Billboard Hot 100 	11
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 	38
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) 	13
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard) 	37
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)	3
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) 	7
US Rhythmic (Billboard) 	26
==Certifications==
Certifications and sales for "No Better"
Region 	Certification 	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) 	7× Platinum 	490,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria) 	3× Platinum 	90,000‡
Belgium (BEA) 	2× Platinum 	80,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) 	Diamond 	450,000‡
Canada (Music Canada) 	7× Platinum 	560,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) 	2× Platinum 	180,000‡
France (SNEP) 	Diamond 	233,333‡
Germany (BVMI) 	2× Platinum 	800,000‡
Italy (FIMI) 	4× Platinum 	200,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) 	2× Platinum 	60,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway) 	3× Platinum 	180,000‡
Poland (ZPAV) 	Diamond 	250,000‡
Portugal (AFP) 	4× Platinum 	40,000‡
Singapore (RIAS) 	Platinum 	10,000*
South Korea (Gaon) 	— 	2,500,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE) 	2× Platinum 	80,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) 	Platinum 	20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) 	3× Platinum 	1,800,000‡
United States (RIAA) 	Diamond 	10,000,000‡
Streaming 	Streaming 	Streaming
Japan (RIAJ) 	Gold 	50,000,000†
Sweden (GLF) 	4× Platinum 	32,000,000†
* Sales figures based on certification alone.‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.	* Sales figures based on certification alone.‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.	* Sales figures based on certification alone.‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
==Release history==
Release dates and formats for "No Better"
Region 	Date 	Format(s) 	Label
Various 	November 18, 2016	Digital download · streaming	Interscope
United States	November 22, 2016	Alternative radio 	Interscope
United States	December 6, 2016 	Contemporary hit radio 	Interscope
Italy 	December 6, 2016 	Contemporary hit radio 	Universal
United States	January 3, 2017 	Rhythmic contemporary 	Interscope
DACH 	February 17, 2017	CD single 	Universal