Butterfly by Loona

Loona is a Korean girl group that debuted in August 2018 with the song "Hi high". After their debut, they went into a prolongued hiatus which left so many fans eagarly waiting for their comeback which finally happened in February of the following year, 2019. The group presented fans a repackaged album of their debut called "XX" alongside the title track Butterfly. When the song came out, many fans were excited, mainly because it had been a long time since Loona's last release, but when they listened to the song and watched the music video, they found a new feeling and meaning behind them.

Loona's debut was a bubblegum pop  song which was a completely different concept when we compare it to Butterfly. The music video description also adds to that contrast, talking about how this song is something completely new and never done before in the world of K-pop combining a mixture of EDM and soft tunes with a lot of reverb and different instruments to represent Loona's uniqueness and how they can dominate any type of music genre; many people say this concept is something that only Loona can do.

This song, as mentioned by the artists, talks about how butterflies represent a metaphor for change, hope, and dreams. In nature, butterflies go through a metamorphosis and change from caterpillars to butterflies so they can spread their wings to fly away and be free chasing their dreams. According to the songwriters, the song also talks about the butterfly effect and how Loona's music has encouraged and motivated a lot of people around the globe to express themselves and not be afraid to be whoever they want, making everyone who finds strength in Loona also a part of the group with the slogan "for all the Loonas around the world".

This message is strongly portraied the music video which shows many hints to diversity and acceptance. The music video was shot in many countries around the world like China, Korea, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This video mainly focuses in showing a variety of women from various religions, with varying capacities and races; this represents how everyone, regardless of nationality, race, gender, or sexuality, can be a part of Loona; the main purpose of the video is to empower women and everyone's diversity with a message of acceptance and love for people who are different from you. In the end, Loona wants everyone to know that no matter what, you can be like a butterfly: powerful and free.

Bibliography
- loonatheworld. (2019, February 19). [MV] 이달의 소녀 (LOONA) "Butterfly" [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEOCbFJjRw0&feature=youtu.be

- Koreaboo. (2019, April 5). LOONA Speaks On The Meaning Behind Their Single "Butterfly." Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://www.koreaboo.com/stories/loona-speaks-meaning-behind-single-butterfly/ 

- Billboard. (2019, February 20). LOONA Shares Inspiring 'Butterfly' Music Video. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from
https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/loona-butterfly-music-video watch8499147/#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20description%20on,oneself%2C%20and%20raise%20one's%20voice.
- UMICH. (n.d.). Butterfly. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://websites.umich.edu/%7Eumfandsf/symbolismproject/symbolism.html/B/butterfly.html 

- Squad, R. (2019, October 4). The Avengers of Kpop: A Story of LOONA [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-dHXpi5cK8&feature=youtu.be

- [뒤풀이] 너도 나도 이달의 소녀(?) / 이달의 소녀(LOONA) - BUTTERFLY 1부. (2019, May 10). [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClYdVCYTur4&feature=youtu.be

- [뒤풀이] 국내 최초의 경극(?) 아이돌 뮤직 / 이달의 소녀(LOONA) BUTTERFLY 2부. (2019, May 17). [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZZ4Mnn4o9A&feature=youtu.be