“We hear you and we understand your disappointment.”
Indie band Lola Amour acknowledged online criticisms of its teaser for the music video of their radio-friendly hit “Raining In Manila.”
The eight-piece band on Tuesday shared a clip of their much-awaited music video to their viral hit on the X (formerly Twitter) platform, where it earned flak as viewers described it a “romanticization of Filipino resiliency” and for resorting to “poverty porn.”
“Super long overdue Raining in Manila Official MV [music video], finally out tomorrow, Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. on our YouTube Channel! Directed by Marius Talampas,” Lola Amour announced on October 24.
The 33-second clip featured the band singing amid a heavy downpour of rain beside a body of water while Filipinos use boats to move from one place to another.
There is also a scene where someone dives into a body of water.
The post on the X platform has earned 1.7 million views, 2,600 likes, 2,800 quotes and over 70 comments so far.
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
It was not widely received on the X platform where some Filipinos shared their comments.
“Poverty porn and romanticizing climate issues? How insensitive????” a Pinoy commented.
“Out of touch sa reality that a lot of people suffer ‘pag umuulan and it’s pretty insensitive. You guys could’ve done better,” another user wrote.
“It’s the year 2023, but [people] are still romanticizing resiliency…” commented a different Pinoy.
Another user shared a still from the South Korean thriller “Parasite” which featured the Park family chauffeur Kim Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) scowling after a heavy downpour of rain ruined their semi-basement apartment.
Meanwhile, Choi Yeon-gyo (Cho Yeo-jeong), the Park family matriarch, is in the background and shares how grateful she is for the rain.
“Uhh,” the user wrote in response to Lola Amour’s MV teaser.
uhh https://t.co/2u48b3v88D pic.twitter.com/79SqbtyStM
— ed.psd 🌻 (@helveticock) October 25, 2023
The band responded by commenting on their post on Thursday, October 26.
“Hey guys! We just want to say that we hear you and we understand your disappointment. We were not sensitive enough about how the teaser was presented, and with that, we are sorry,” they said.
“We do hope you give the MV a chance as it was greatly misrepresented by the teaser,” Lola Amour added.
The band also shared more stills from the music video “for context” and added a summary of what the accompanying visual of their song was about.
“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 1,427 days,” Lola Amour said.
They also shared the link to their full MV for reference:
“Raining In Manila” talks about the emotions and experiences that come when a loved one leaves home to start a new life in another country.
Lola Amour frontman Pio Dumayas previously said that the topic of the song “is something deeply personal” to him since a lot of his friends have left the country.
“I know it’s easy to talk to our friends about our love lives and milestones and stuff but losing your friends to another country (and feeling down about it), I imagine, is something that people tend to keep to themselves,” he added.
“Hopefully, the song has given people the push they need to bring up these conversations with their friends. The thought of that alone is fulfilling,” Pio continued.
Lola Amour is currently on their “Raining In Manila” tour which continues in La Union this Saturday, October 28.
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