LOONA will Invite you to the Midnight Festival
With their comeback, LOONA invites girls from all over the world to gather under the moon at midnight to hold a festival together. A mysteriousness that makes me feel like I'm going to be sucked into the subtly strange LOONAverse just by playing the album. But the real LOONA members that met with VIBE were the definition of pure, only thinking about their stages and fans.
Q: LOONA has a very unique storyline with the keyword of "moon." What would you say the narrative point is in your latest album?
In the last album [#] there was a story about LOONA burning up the moon as a sort of trigger for all LOONAs in the world. In this album, you could say that LOONA expects a new moon to rise, and they hold an exciting festival at midnight with all LOONAs in the world, when the moon shines the brightest.
Q: What time does 12:00 represent?
Just as it appears, it represents midnight. The number 12 also indicates that LOONA has twelve members.
Q: This album you've added the slogan "With all LOONAs around the world," could you explain that?
In the previous albums [X X] and [#], LOONA has consistently sent a message for all LOONAs around the world. Until now, if LOONA has been sending one-way messages to LOONAs around the world, in this album we wanted to talk about LOONA being with all LOONAs around the world in a two-way interaction, with everyone being free and equal.
Q: There are 8 new songs. It has been 8 months since your last release - what was the driving force for having so many songs?
There are many reasons, but we think the biggest one is the love and support that Orbits have sent towards LOONA. We want to show ourselves doing well and always improving. With every new album we think about how we can show an improved and still-improving LOONA, and when we think of Orbits liking our latest comeback, it encourages us with newfound energy.
Q: Where there any particular points the members focused on while recording for this album?
I think we focused on the mood for each song. As the album contains many moods and song genres, we thought it was important to express the unique aspects of each song too. We tried to make sure that the many people who listen to the album feel its fullness and many colors.
Q: The powerful image we got from your last release "So What" seems to be continued here with "Why Not." What do you think about the idea of "girl crush?"
We think it's one of the various colors that LOONA can present. If with "So What" we presented charisma and girl crush that was similar to the standard, in "Why Not" we wanted to show you a girl crush that feels more like leadership, with lyrics like "just follow me." We plan to continue thinking about performances that express cool and strong images in various ways.
Q: The visual concept for this album really reminds one of a moonlit festival. In what ways did you present images of a festival in LOONA's own style?
As this is a festival enjoyed with all LOONAs around the world, we included festival looks with many different vibes. A festival style that's elegant, as if attending a ball, a party version full of uniqueness and dazzling, a casual yet bohemian style version, and a version that shows a festival that everyone enjoys as one - we tried to pull off a lot of different festival looks.
Q: In terms of performance, is there anything special about the choreography that takes advantage of having many members, or makes all members stand out evenly?
This album holds the meaning that beyond lines, boundaries, and prejudice, all LOONAs around the world are one and always together, so we tried to make everyone feel that everyone is together in the performance. As the people watching LOONA also assimilate to become one, you'll also see a trendy performance that's appealing to the senses, hopefully to enjoy the Midnight Festival with us.
Q: LOONA was formed with one member being revealed every month. The unique debut process itself was special and must've required an immense amount of effort. While your activities continue, how about we think back to when you debuted?
Every time a member was revealed, I got excited, waiting for the moment where we'd all get together. And I still remember the first performance of "Hi High" where we performed as a full group. Between being extremely nervous and excited, I had a ton of mixed emotions. The cheering of Orbits, and how the members looked by my side as they performed, it's engraved in my memory. During the solo debut process there were unit activities as well, and I remember solo releases and unit activities feeling different.
Q: We always leave open the chance of making it onto the Billboard main chart, the possibility of overseas performances including English versions of songs. What do you think are LOONA's characteristics or unique qualities that global fans like?
I think it's that all 12 members of LOONA have their own charms and visual traits. Despite being a group with many, 12, members, I think the fans like our unique balance of charm and other vibes that harmoniously add together. Also I think that when we show beautifully composed performances onstage, we appeal in a different way as compared to the cute side we typically show.
Q: A message you'd like to send to the fans?
I'm always just thankful that for you always loving and supporting LOONA. We want to return even more than the love that you send to LOONA, and we always want to show us doing well. LOONA exists because of Orbits, so I hope that Orbits will stay on our path for a long, long time to come. Orbit, I love you!