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LOONA

A PRIMER

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WHAT THIS IS

A fanmade resource to get to know the amazing (upcoming) girl group known as LOONA!

Version 1.18 updated as of June 14, 2018. Version 1.2 will include a larger section on lore and will hopefully be finished soon.

Please feel free to share this resource if you’d like! :)

Thank you to the LOONA Discord, the PopJustice K-pop community, and the Amino fandom for helping me put this together.

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THE GROUP

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WHO IS LOONA?

LOONA (also stylized LOOΠΔ) is a K-pop girl group project from Blockberry Creative.

Each “girl of the month” debuts through a solo video and album, showcasing her unique musical style, aesthetic, and personality. All twelve girls have now been announced! Throughout the project, the girls will form three core subunits (with more to come in the future), meant to showcase the many different sides of the full group before they formally debut in August 2018.

Beyond the music, the project also includes behind-the-scenes videos, fan contests, advertisements, and a web drama.

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WHY SHOULD I FOLLOW THEM?

  • A huge discography that offers something new every month while developing a rich and cohesive sound.
  • A marketing team that knows how to create suspense and intrigue while providing tons of quality fan content. (And subtitles shit in English / cares about international fans! Yes!)
  • An overarching mythology + spirit of world-building that can be hilariously convoluted (peep the fanfiction they write in their album descriptions, including an ascended meme about rescuing members from the basement*) but gets more and more exciting the more you learn.
  • And a hilarious and amazing fandom that has embraced this entire project with open arms.
  • Really, this is one of the most ambitious and creative projects we’ve seen in the history of K-pop. And you’re not too late to join it as it unfolds.

*”Can JinSoul, rescued from a basement in Hong Kong by the wishes of the fans, meet with the rest of the LOOΠΔ?”

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THE MEMBERS

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Heejin (Jeon Heejin / 00.10.19 / bright pink / rabbit)

fearless leader former leader!!! you see why: she’s young but so mature and has The Aura that pulls you in. great singer and dancer too. (terrified of pigeons tho.)

probably platonic life partners with Hyunjin (so many duets…)

survived MixNine which makes her braver than the US Marines.

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Hyunjin (Kim Hyunjin / 00.11.15 / yellow / cat)

royalty and knows it. invented bread. invented coffee shop ballads. invented athleticism. invented telling Yeojin to shut up.

a mess of a person and a pretty good actress but probably her biggest life goal is becoming an earring advertisement model. (she needs it to afford more meat.)

survived MixNine and hated every moment of it.

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Haseul (Jo Haseul / 97.08.18 / green / bird)

unnie vibes! Yeojin’s mother. EVERYBODY’s mother, which is why she’s the best leader. a friend to all living beings (especially seals) except for birds.

unfortunately for someone with so much love in her heart she sure has terrible luck.* also can’t battle rap (or speak English) to save her life.

her voice could make igloos melt, though.

  • solo: Let Me In
  • B-sides/features: The Carol, My Melody, Everyday I Love You
  • subunit: LOONA 1/3

*even Blockberry Creative’s promo department agrees: “Haseul, who seems to cause rain wherever she goes”

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Yeojin (Im Yeojin / 02.11.15 / orange / frog)

the first thing you’ll learn about Yeojin is that the girl is LOUD. even their staff agrees. Hyunjin keeps her in check, though she resents her for it.

she’s Haseul’s favorite child (also her favorite target) and the youngest but tries so hard and jldsalkj i don’t even know what to say i love her. perfect maknae material.

also her LOONA TV features alone should win her an Oscar.

  • solo: Kiss Later (choreo)
  • B-sides/features: My Melody
  • subunit: TBD

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ViVi (Viian Wong / 96.12.09 / pastel pink / deer)

if you looked up “soft” in the dictionary you would get ViVi. the oldest but no one knows. invented the ‘90s with her solo and dethroned the Lord on YouTube search rankings. jury’s still out on whether she can sing,* but when she laughs the sun shines.

hasn’t been to Singapore and lies about it.

last thing, but she’s a very good drawer?

  • solo: Everyday I Love You
  • B-sides/features: Everyday I Need You, The Carol 2.0
  • subunit: LOONA 1/3

*though she’s great in LOONA 1/3!!!

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Kim Lip (Kim Jungeun / 99.02.10 / red / owl)

everybody laughed at her stage name* but then she made South Korea’s panties drop with her solo so really who won?

very focused (also SO PRETTY) but in a super charming way. started as an awkward bean but now goofs off like a total pro.

invented NASA when her educational song “Eclipse” made their Eclipse playlist!** tried to steal Haseul’s producing job once but failed.

  • solo: Eclipse (choreo)
  • B-sides/features: Twilight, Love Letter, See Saw
  • subunit: Odd Eye Circle

*seriously, Kim Lip? at least she doesn’t have to share a name with a North Korean dictator this way...

**well, NASA interns but shhhhh

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JinSoul (Jung Jinsol / 97.06.13 / blue / blue betta)

princess/fish goddess who got rescued from a basement in Hong Kong. even before she debuted she was e x p o s e d by the fandom detectives. also one time the group wished her a happy birthday it was the sweetest!!!

quiet but low-key sharp + a sweetheart (and will fite Yeojin for Choerry’s affection).

has also recently emerged as LOONA’s #1 village idiot.

  • solo: Singing In The Rain
  • B-sides/features: Everyday I Need You, Love Letter, Puzzle, Egoist
  • subunit: Odd Eye Circle

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Choerry (Choi Yerim / 01.06.04 / purple / fruit bat)

plucky optimistic heroine that all the other girls love.* so chirpy in person but when she finds a camera it’s just like damn 🔥🔥🔥 rumor has it she’s Bora’s little sister? (both have smiles for dayssss.)

not super fierce, by her own admission, which hasn’t stopped her from living Hyunjin’s dream of being an earring model.

loves roller coasters.

  • solo: Love Cherry Motion (choreo)
  • B-sides/features: Puzzle, The Carol 2.0
  • subunit: Odd Eye Circle

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Yves (Ha Sooyoung / 97.05.24 / maroon / swan)

used to be a beautiful timid bean but is now just as nuts as everybody else in LOONA. part of the Unnie Line™ with ViVi, Haseul and Jinnifer Soulington. did quite a bit of modeling!!

bad at taking selfies but great at validating her members.

  • solo: new
  • B-sides/features: D-1, The Carol 2.0, Girl’s Talk
  • subunit: yyxy

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Chuu (Kim Jiwoo / 99.10.20 / peach / penguin)

wholesome, talented, gorgeous main vocal. the president of Yves’ fanclub (and her daughter), and also #1 aegyo queen, which makes for some awkward situations.

friends with Kim Lip and JooE (from Momoland) and apparently had quite the fanbase even before debuting!

most importantly, she invented RWA.

  • solo: Heart Attack
  • B-sides/features: Girl’s Talk, See Saw
  • subunit: yyxy

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Go Won (Park Chaewon / 00.11.19 / mint / butterfly)

very quiet and shy* but a sweet pea. she has the Most Beautiful laugh and both Yves and Chuu fawn over her, clearly (although sometimes she gets trolled).

do not be fooled, though, behind her innocent demeanor lies an absolute A-class TROLL (if an F-class cook).

  • solo: One & Only
  • B-sides/features: See Saw, Rosy
  • subunit: yyxy

*okay, maybe used to be very quiet and shy is more accurate

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Olivia Hye (Son Hyejoo / 01.11.13 / black / wolf)

in a group full of hilarious stage names hers is the funniest (no, Gowon, it’s not Olive). a lil shy at first but she’s trying and we love her for it!! one time she fought a dandelion and lost. another time she fought the cold and won.

when her members aren’t trying to name her or making fun of her deadpan they clearly adore her. iconic almost-maknae.

might have murdered ViVi shhhh

  • solo: Egoist
  • B-sides/features: Rosy
  • subunit: yyxy

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THE SUBUNITS

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LOONA 1/3 (Heejin, Hyunjin, Haseul, Yeojin, ViVi)

fresh retro concept but with some electronic edge! also ViVi is an android. (Yeojin is the / never forget lmao)

queens of inverting the word Live to get the word Evil. i fucking screamed.*

really, though, they’ve got some great songs. and the videos are gorgeous.

*i mean, just read the YouTube description: “As suggested by the word ‘Evil’, which is reversely-spelled word from ‘Live’, [Love&Evil], which was planned beforehand during production, is filled with pain and worries in the process of love, in the opposite characteristics of the prior record.”

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LOONA 1/3 (Heejin, Hyunjin, Haseul, Yeojin, ViVi)

“Love&Live” (Inkigayo 04.02.17)

“Sonatine” (Inkigayo 04.30.17)

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ODD EYE CIRCLE (Kim Lip, JinSoul, Choerry)

served Triple Goddess realness in their teaser (Jinsoul seduces girls with cake) with a side of...initiative-taking*. also they all have conjunctivitis or something.

gifted us with a Made in California™ Summer BAWP and a spooky Halloween BAWPEROO. generous queens.

interviewed with Dazed Digital here.

*take this from the agency: “While the first unit LOOΠΔ 1/3 released ‘Love&Live’ and ‘Love&Evil’ to talk about the co-existence of sweetness and cruelty in first love, the three girls of ODD EYE CIRCLE talk about how you shouldn’t wait for love to happen passively, but should take the initiative to make it happen yourself.”

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ODD EYE CIRCLE (Kim Lip, JinSoul, Choerry)

“Girl Front” (M Countdown 09.28.17)

“Sweet Crazy Love” (M!Countdown 11.02.17)

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yyxy (Yves, Chuu, Go Won, Olivia Hye)

short for “youth youth by young,” pronounced y-y-by-y. (also lmao BBC literally invented a new chromosome for this subunit)

of the three subunits this one is probably the most centered on the self and the making of the self through love and loss. heavy shit, i know. but the music is great, the sweet middle between ⅓ and OEC, and somehow they got Grimes on board, so...

  • EPs: beauty&thebeat
  • Videos: love4eva (feat. Grimes)

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yyxy (Yves, Chuu, Go Won, Olivia Hye)

“love4eva” (M Countdown 06.07.18)

“love4eva” (Inkigayo 06.10.18)

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THE FAN CONTENT

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LOONA TV

So good! Basically it’s a video a day of the girls behind-the-scenes, always under a minute, always subtitled, and always funny, cute, or interesting.

You can catch an official running playlist here, or just start watching from the start for each girl (although the girls show up in each others’ videos as well!)

They also have a prequel series, which not only shows the girls before they became stars but also foreshadow the girls to come: sometimes girls who are blurred become members of the group...

Heejin: #1-#18

Hyunjin: #19-#38

Haseul: #39-#58

Yeojin: #59-#78

LOONA⅓: #79-#98; #113-#122; New Zealand series (#1/#2/#3)

Yves: #225-#244

Chuu: #245-#264

Gowon: #265-#284

Up&Line: #285-#299; #301-#315

Olivia Hye: #316-#335

yyxy: #336-#346 (so far)

#300th Episode Special

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WOOMANNA

A web drama, Woomanna captures the drama of romance at a university campus...but really what matters is that the LOONA girls star in it. And they’re great. (Some of them clearly play themselves in this though, by which I mean Yeojin is SO LOUD.)

And again, it’s all subtitled.

New episodes air Wednesdays and Sundays at 7PM KST.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

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MISC PROJECTS

Advertising sponsorships:

  • In January 2017, LOONA became models for the Korean cosmetics brand Innisfree. Their YouTube channel has some of their ads, while others are on the Innisfree channel (like the Temperatures of Red series).
  • The girls have also filmed a series of commercials for the Android game Law of Creation, which can be found here.

The poetry series: On occasion, different members read a Korean poem while looking really beautiful in nature. There are six videos so far!

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THE LOONA LORE - COMING SOON!

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TOPICS TO COVER (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

  • Animals?
  • Time loop
  • Mobius / two dimensions
  • Odd Eye Circle - meaning?
  • Connections between subunits

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THE FANDOM

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Most of LOONA’s media is cross-posted, but here are the platforms to follow them on!

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TAP INTO THE LOONAVERSE HERE

If you’d like to find fellow LOONA fans, here are a few places to start:

  • The K-pop subreddit is friendly, big, and has lots of LOONA fans. Sometimes you may need to search for items using the old name (LOOΠΔ), though.
  • There’s also a more specific subreddit for LOONA only, that has some great resources for newcomers to the fandom!
  • The official LOONA Discord is fantastic for live chat, lots of enthusiasm, and lots of memes.
  • The Amino page, from what I hear, has a lot of friendly faces as well!
  • The Popjustice K-pop forum is what I frequent, but even if you’re not a LOONA fan you’ll have a great time here.
  • Lastly, Twitter has plenty of LOONA stans.

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THANK YOU FOR READING!

find me @ mokimbird (reddit / popjustice)