Image: screengrab from YouTube/Lola Amour
Lola Amour apologized after the teaser of their “Raining in Manila” music video—which shows them singing on a boat in a flooded area—was criticized by some for supposedly romanticizing poverty and resiliency.
The indie-rock band released a teaser of their hit song’s music video on Tuesday, Oct. 24, which shows the band members singing their hearts out while the rain continuously pours in what appears to be a flooded residential area.
Super long overdue Raining in Manila Official MV, finally out tomorrow, Oct 25 at 9pm on our YouTube Channel! ☔️
Directed by Marius Talampas pic.twitter.com/19mfmktUc0
— ☔️ LOLA AMOUR ☔️ (@lolaamourmusic) October 24, 2023
Some netizens then called out the group for apparently being “insensitive” to the plight of those suffering from such circumstances.
Image: X/@lolaamourmusic
Image: X/@lolaamourmusic
Image: X/@lolaamourmusic
Image: X/@lolaamourmusic
Image: X/@lolaamourmusic
The band immediately addressed the negative reactions to the clip and said that they understand the disappointment of some.
“We were not sensitive enough about how the teaser was presented, and with that, we are sorry. We do hope you give the MV a chance as it was greatly misrepresented by the teaser,” it said on its X (formerly Twitter) page, referring to the song’s music video which was released on Wednesday, Oct. 25.
“For context, here are some snaps of the MV and a short summary: It’s about a man who reconnects with his long lost wife through a magic gecko, all set in an alternate timeline where it has been raining for already 1427 days,” the band added.
For context, here are some snaps of the MV and a short summary:
It's about a man who reconnects with his long lost wife through a magic gecko, all set in an alternate timeline where it has been raining for already 1427 days.
Full vid here: https://t.co/CxLFOOyo4B
(2/2) pic.twitter.com/XB9gCdb6NG— ☔️ LOLA AMOUR ☔️ (@lolaamourmusic) October 25, 2023
Meanwhile, other netizens came to the band’s defense and argued that the latter’s MV reflects the reality in the country.
Image: X/@lolamourmusic
Image: X/@lolamourmusic
Image: X/@lolamourmusic
Image: X/@lolamourmusic
The “Raining in Manila” music video has garnered 200,000 views and about 10,000 likes on YouTube, as of this writing.