#TuesdayTunes — Lee Hi’s “HOLO” Review

It’s been over a year of patiently waiting for Lee Hi to delight us with new content. At 6 p.m. KST on the 20th of July, AOMG Entertainment unveiled Lee Hi’s highly-anticipated comeback single, “HOLO” or “홀로.”

Yes, that’s right. AOMG officially announced, a day before the release, that Lee Hi had signed an exclusive contract with them, making her their newest solo artist to join their home.

The lyrics to “HOLO” can be interpreted in so many different ways. For example, when I first just heard it without watching the MV, I thought it was about getting over an ex lover. “Being alone or together, the loneliness feels the same.” She tells herself she won’t cry anymore and will practice self-care, instead. “And I’m gonna stop.” I relate.

Then, I watched the video, and it gave me this “child abuse” vibe. A little girl at night, crying, finding comfort with Lee Hi’s fairy and then flying away together. “Is it important to compare who’s better between others and me? After countless nights of suffering, I finally get it now.” A type of psychological abuse. Don’t some parents do that, sometimes? Why can’t you be like so-and-so? I relate.

But then I read the official note of the song release — it’s about overcoming the feeling of loneliness, which many are experiencing during this pandemic. “Holo | 홀로,” in Korean, means “alone, by oneself.”

Yeah, I can definitely hear that in the song and get the feeling of it. During these “lonely” times, we realize it can be a lot more challenging to deal with our inner-self than we first imagined. Maybe the traits we hate about ourselves the most show up more often, or we are more aware of them, and it is associated with a traumatizing event that occurred in the past. Or perhaps we spend more time thinking and becoming negative about the whole situation. Many people have reported to experience depression while self-quarantining.

It is not easy to be isolated for long periods. In the end, we do it for a cause bigger than us, which is to control the spread of COVID19.

Lee Hi debuted back in 2012 under YG Entertainment after being the runner-up of SBS’ survival audition program, “KPop Star Season 1.” Their contract ended last December.

I am excited to see which direction this will take her in. Big things for Lee Hi, no doubt!

Check out the full music video below and let me know what you think!