IZ*ONE has come back with an elegant dance song, "Violeta"! Let's take a look at why this song may be a Bop or a Flop.

WHY IT'S A BOP:

1. The instrumentals are superb

Well, whoever produced 'Violeta' knew what s/he was doing. The song had an extremely well-made instrumental all around, utilizing a combination of some really neat chords as well as some synth and electro sounds to help the song come to life. Personally, my favorite instrumental element was definitely how the bass was incorporated.

The first taste of the song's absolutely popping bass is at 0:27, with lovely fairy Chaewon introducing it with her verse. The bass is set up perfectly and was the type of clean, grooving beat that propelled the song forward really nicely. And then 0:44 hits.

0:44 to 1:00 gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it; it's that good. Everything about the instrumentals, from the pang of the bass to the eventual buildup accompanied by Yuri was just perfect. That's what a buildup should sound like.

2. This MV + choreography takes the song to another level

Wow. Honestly, 'Violeta' might have been one of the best MVs I've seen thus far in 2019. It's easy to take good K-Pop MV's for granted nowadays, but if you really paid attention, this MV just took aesthetics to another level.

From Sakura's mirror scenes to Wonyoung in the flower meadow, Chaeyeon's curtain scenes to Yujin dancing in the water, this MV has a little bit of everything, but it all works in conjunction with one another to bolster the central theme of a 'violeta'. The color scheme used in the MV was something else that really made this MV stand out. The blues, whites, golds, and appropriately purples were used together perfectly to make an aesthetically pleasing viewing experience. 

As for the choreography, I don't think I need to say much. Their dance practice video below shows how technically demanding this song is. They must've practiced this choreo a TON, and it showed:

WHY IT'S A FLOP:

1. The awkward middle section

1:16 to 1:33 was one of my least favorite sections of this song. It was probably added to serve as a musical contrast after the first chorus, and maybe give Minju and Hyewon some lines/screen time. Minju attempts to rap towards the end of the section, but it didn't really leave a lasting impact on me.

Look, Minju and Hyewon are both gorgeous human beings, and they have most definitely improved as artists since their 'Produce 48' days. But to be quite honest, these 15 seconds of the song felt like a "buffer" just so that fans would not complain that the pair had not received enough lines. Even if it was a "soft transition" to contrast from the hype sections of the song, it lost the energy and musical momentum. It just didn't feel like it belonged in  'Violeta'.

On the other hand, I think this would have been an amazing section for Yena. She didn't receive a whole lot of attention in this song either, but her rapping/vocals have already been established as one of the best in the group. Look for her rap verses in IZ*ONE CHU's performance of 'Rumor' and you'll understand what I'm saying.

So what do you think? Do you think "Violeta" is a bop or a flop? Let us know below.