BY AMANDA MOSES
On September 15th, the fans of embattled K-Pop girl group Loona were reinvigorated with a sense of hope at the debut of Loosemble in front of a live New York City audience at Madison Square Garden (MSG).
Hundreds of orbits, the namesake the Loona’s fanbase, donned outfits from past music videos and their crescent moon scepter light sticks as they entered the MSG concert hall. Excitement filled the air after what felt like an eternity of uncertainty from fans wondering whether orbits would ever see members of Loona perform again.
The intergalactic South Korean girl group, Loona, has a storied past since they first made their debut under Blockberry Creative in 2016 with 12 members: Heejin, Hyunjin, Haseul, Vivi, Yeojin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Choerry, Yves, Go Won, HyeJu, and Chuu. However, in 2022, Chuu was unceremoniously removed from the group over alleged contract debates and lack of payment.
As the rift between Chuu and the company became a public scene, her removal sparked unrest among the members, and then in 2023, the young women left their agency and took their ire to court over alleged withheld payments, mistreatment, and mismanagement. Thanks to a court injunction, the remaining members were able to suspend their contracts.
While some of the performers have continued on pursuing solo careers, five members Hyunjin, Yeojin, Vivi, Go Won, and Hyeju formed Loosemble.
“This is the beginning of Loosemble’s debut tour. You can say it is the first step in a special worldwide journey,” Hyeju said in Korean. “We are so excited to perform today…This is our first stage, so we are super nervous as well.”
Like bright beacons of rainbow light, the newly formed group impressed with their single, “Sensitive” during their US debut ceremony. In addition to performing a handful of unreleased songs, “Real World,” “Strawberry Soda,” “Newtopia,” “Colouring,” and showcased their music video for “Sensitive” and even a new dance routine called “Hiccup,” the singers also held a panel discussion entitled “Color Talk” with the aid of a translator.
Vivi shared that Loosemble’s debut mini album expressed the concept of friendship, each other’s importance, the truth behind their world view and their personal stories.
As the concert culminated, each membered shared their gratitude for their fans and hopes to continue to work hard with their performances.
“I feel like we had a lot of hardship with our members,” Yeojin shared, “When we first heard the news that we were going on this tour I was so grateful. It almost felt like a light at the end of the tunnel.”
The next performances will take place in Washington DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Oakland, and ending in Los Angelas.
Photo by Amanda Moses
