LOONA Prepares for Orbit with “favOriTe”
LOONA prepares for launch with their pre-release single, “favOriTe,” in preparation for their upcoming official debut this month. Since 2016, with the advent of Blockberry Creative’s “Girl of the Month” project, the girls have showcased their unique talents and individual colors with each monthly release, which has built much anticipation for the final lineup.
Released on August 7, “favOriTe” is the first song with the final 12-member lineup that features their long-awaited synergistic performance. Each member has captivated listeners through their new talents, experimental concepts, and cinematic-like production that formed an ongoing theory about the growing “LOONAverse.” However, they trade their usual colorful visuals for a simpler concept of school uniforms and a warehouse backdrop that sets the group as the main focus. This jazzy dance track creates a more dance-centric performance so viewers can focus on LOONA’s group dynamic through the choreography, with dancers from each sub-unit leading the the dance break to the group’s vocalists battling to be your “favorite” with their wicked charms.
Although this is the grand premiere of the highly anticipated girl group, the girls still pay homage to their roots. Heejin’s introduction, as the first girl of the month, is reminiscent of her intro in her solo song, “ViViD,” symbolizing a complete circle since her debut journey. All the members are sporting Converse sneakers, which has been a motif for Odd Eye Circle’s universe. The girls are also divided into small groups in between dances with vocalists and dancers representative of each sub-unit gathering together for their fans, Orbits, to witness a grand crossover between each member. While fans perceive this video as part of a chronological timeline, it’s also friendly for new listeners to pick out their “favorite” member and to extend their research by checking out their solo releases, which will create new fans.
LOONA appeared as a quiet storm in the K-Pop scene with its unique model that reversed the typical K-Pop equation that appeared foreign and unsuccessful at the time. Introducing a group first tends to blend all personalities and talents of the members together in order to establish a group identity rather than prioritizing each member’s singularity. However, not only did their new system create a name for themselves, but exploring music genres helped open doors to new listeners and their unique fan engagements—study sessions and cinema theory screenings—had people eyeing their next move as a group. While the “Girl of the Month” project comes to an end, this single marks a new journey for LOONA, officially going into orbit on August 19 with more of the LOONAverse to explore.