Star (Loona song)

"Star"[lower-alpha 1] is a song released by the South Korean girl group Loona. It was sent to US radios on December 21, 2020, as the second single from their third mini-album [12:00]. The song was released as a response to the support the group received globally. It is the first English single released by the whole group (sub-unit Loona Odd Eye Circle previously released an English version of their song, "Loonatic") and is the English version of the song "Voice", from the same album.

"Star"
Single by Loona
from the EP [12:00]
Language
  • English
ReleasedDecember 21, 2020
Recorded2020
Genre
Length3:18
LabelBlockberry Creative
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jesse Saint John
  • Georgia Ku
  • Trackside
Loona singles chronology
"Why Not?"
(2020)		 "Star"
(2020)		 "PTT (Paint the Town)"
(2021)
Music video
"Star" on YouTube

Release

Loona unveiled the official music video on November 18 to mark the start of promotions for the song which according to Forbes seemed to indicate larger intentions in the US market. According to Forbes the synth-pop production on the song was similar to those utilized by chart-toppers like The Weeknd and Dua Lipa, and the song also sonically aligns itself well alongside some of groups's most beloved tracks like their 2019 single "Butterfly".[1] On December 21 of the same year the song was also sent to contemporary hit radios across the US.[2]

Composition and lyrics

"Star" is a synth-pop song composed in F♯ minor and has a tempo of 158 bpm.[3] The song is charged with "cosmic energy" until the very last chorus explodes with perfectly blended vocal colors and dazzling choreographic synchronization. The lyrics captures the precarious and once-in-a-lifetime nature of the group's global fame and their understanding of how much they owe their unprecedented nugu stardom to the rapidly growing community of their fans that gravitates toward them.[4] The song has also been described as retro, having a low addictive repeated beat that captures the uncontainable excitement of being in love.

Commercial performance

In January 2021 the song entered media base top 50 US radio chart becoming the group's first song to do so.[5] In February the song officially entered the Mainstream Top 40 chart becoming their first song to enter the chart. With 671 spins, "Star" landed at number 39 on the list, which is tracked by Mediabase. This made Loona the first solo Korean girl group and only the second overall Korean girl group in history to reach the milestone alongside Blackpink who entered the chart in 2020 with their Selena Gomez collaboration "Ice Cream".[6] The song peaked at number 31 becoming one of the highest peaking K-pop songs on the chart and spent nine weeks on the chart becoming the longest running song on the chart by a Korean female artist.[7]

The song was one of the only two songs by any Korean female artists to enter the Billboard Pop Airplay chart in 2021, the other being Lisa's "Money" which peaked at number 35.[8]

Music video

The video for the song was directed by MOSWANTD and directed by Bravo Peak.[9][10] Inspired by the midnight festival, Sleeping Beauty and the cosmos, the ethereal music video follows the members of the group as they wake up within a dream and chase their goals and aspirations after discovering themselves in a mysterious space. The group members put on a dreamlike performance in a private midnight festival, paying homage to the light of stars which give them strength and confidence. The stars that appear throughout the music video represent the group's fans called "Orbits". It implies that as the members of the group chase their dreams, they are illuminated by their fans all over the world.[11]

Accolades

Year end lists
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
Paper The 40 Best K-pop Songs of 2020 33 [12]
BuzzFeed 35 Best K-pop Songs of 2020 33 [13]
CNN Philippines Best K-pop Songs of 2020 N/A[lower-alpha 2] [14]
Nación Rex 20 K-pop Songs That Dominated 2020 11 [15]
South China Morning Post The best 15 singles from K-pop groups in 2020 N/A[lower-alpha 3] [16]
K-pop Starz Best B-Sides of 2020 1 [17]

Charts
Chart performance for "Star"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[18] 31

Release history
Region Date Format Label
Various October 19, 2020
Blockberry Creative
United States December 21, 2020 Contemporary hit radio

Notes
  1. Also titled "Star (Voice English Version)".
  2. All songs listed are unranked.
  3. All the songs are alphabetically listed with no ranking.

References
  1. Benjamin, Jeff (November 19, 2020). "LOONA Drop Music Video For English Single 'Star' In Latest Move For U.S. Expansion". forbes.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  2. Brian, Canton (January 12, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" Ranks As Pop Radio's Most Added Song". headlineplanet.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  3. "Key & BPM for Stat by Loona| Tunebat". Tunebat. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  4. "Best K-pop Songs of 2020". CNN Philippines. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  5. "이달의 소녀, 'Star' 美 '라디오 차트 TOP 50' 2주 연속 진입 [공식]". chosun.com (in Korean). January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  6. "LOONA Just Hit a Major Milestone on U.S. Radio". Teen Vogue. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  7. "今月の少女（LOONA）、明日重大発表も！？スペシャルクリップを急遽YouTubeプレミア公開決定". KStyle (in Japanese). Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  8. "Blackpink's Lisa And Loona Ensured 2021 Was The Year Of The Female K-Pop Star On Billboard's Pop Chart". Forbes. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  9. MOSWANTD (November 18, 2020). "LOONA - STAR". Vimeo.[self-published]
  10. "Girl group Loona releases music video for English song 'Star'". koreajoongangdaily.join.com. November 18, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  11. "LOONA releases music video of 'Star' from '[12:00]'". conandaily.join.com. November 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  12. Bell, Crystal (December 18, 2020). "The 40 Best K-pop Songs of 2020". Paper. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  13. Travis, Emlyn (December 31, 2020). "35 Songs That Helped Define K-Pop In 2020". BuzzFeed. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  14. "Best K-pop Songs of 2020". CNN Philippines. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  15. "20 Canciones de K-pop que dominaron el 2020 con su estilo". Nación Rex (in European Spanish). Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  16. "The best 15 singles from K-pop groups in 2020". South China Morning Post. December 26, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  17. "LOONA, Oh My Girl, and More: Reddit K-Pop Selects Their Best B-Sides of 2020". Kpop Starz. January 26, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  18. "Pop Airplay Songs : March 13, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
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