Pale Fire

**"Pale Fire**" is a song recorded by boy group 6topia and was released as a surprise pre-release single from their third studio album *Children of Chaos*. Composed by Woodvale and member Jack, the song is an alt-rock, pop-punk style, the signature sound of 6topia.

## Background and release

"Tonight or Never" was first revealed alongside the *Moonblessed* tracklist reveal posted by Heaven's Entertainment on NAIAD SNS on March 31, 2021. Throughout the pre-EP release, "Tonight or Never" was teased as a full-blown gothic-theme piece that has yet to be seen and heard from NAIAD.

**Release history:**

* Album tracklist: March 31, 2021.
* "Tonight or Never" 1st MV teaser: April 9, 2021.
* "Tonight or Never" 2nd MV teaser: April 11, 2021.
* "Tonight or Never" MV release: April 12, 2021.
* "Tonight or Never" MV performance ver.: April 25, 2021.

## Composition and lyrics

"Tonight or Never" was initially composed and produced by Heaven's producer, Iron Maiden, back in 2008 for her former girl group "Maim." However, the song did not make it to the final cut. After showcasing it to NAIAD, Dylan, the group's main producer, wanted the song to be given to her group, to which Iron Maiden happily agreed. The two re-arranged the production to suit the group's sound and rewritten 90% of its lyrics. The rap parts are written by Anemone and Navy, the group's rappers.

Musically, "Tonight or Never" is an R&B-pop track with future bass, classical instrumentals, and trap beats. The "Tonight or Never" rendition of NAIAD tells the story of someone who is facing a breaking in a relationship with their loved one, which is written in a way it's not restrictive to a romantic relationship. The song reassures the listeners that, eventually, everything will be alright, and they are doing their best no matter what steps they take to handle the breaking situation.

The song's title is inspired by the 1931 American movie of the same name, where NAIAD takes the "one night changes the trajectory of one's life" concept into the song.

## Music video

### Background

The music video for "Tonight or Never" premiered on Heaven's Entertainment's YouTube channel on April 12, 2021. Two teasers preceded it. The music video was mainly shot in a mansion in one of Korea's most expensive estate, belonging to a close friend of the MV's director. The owner lend the mansion for free not only because of their close connection with the director, but also because they enjoy NAIAD's music.

*Reception TBA*

### Synopsis

File:NAIAD (나이아드) 'Monster' Official Audio
The video started with a young woman dressed as if she was ready to leave home, sitting on an old couch while staring lifelessly at the fireplace. On her lap is a mermaid doll she has treasured since childhood, a present given by her parents. The music kicked as the camera slowly zooms into her black irises.

NAIAD members dance in various parts of the mansion, relieving the little girl's memories.

**Individual part:**

* Akemi is playing house with the little girl's gigantic collection of stuffed toys, including the mermaid doll. In the second pre-chorus, the "father" and "mother" dolls start fighting, causing the mermaid doll to disappear in fear. Suddenly, the dolls' cute appearance shifted into Annabelle's level of creepy, and in sync, their heads turned into the camera, with Akemi's eyeballs turning entirely black.
* On the balcony, Dylan is seen playing chess against the mermaid doll peacefully. The game continues until the second pre-chorus, where the mermaid doll instantly puts her into checkmate when Dylan makes one wrong move. Enraged by the outcome, she threw away the board into the garden tearfully while the mermaid doll lifelessly watched her breakdown.
* At the mansion's gate, Navy, dressed like a princess, is hugging the mermaid doll, seemingly waiting for someone's arrival. However, until the gate is closed, someone never returns. In the second chorus, Navy's whole body turns into mosses, implying she has been standing there for ages, while the mermaid doll has already walked away from her embrace long before the transformation.
* Iris is playing the piano alone in the living room in complete tranquility, with the mermaid doll sitting next to her. In the second chorus, the mood turns dark as her surroundings grow mosses and ivy, implying some time has passed since she began her session. Iris's scene ended with all of life drained from her body and the mermaid doll again nowhere to be found.
* Anemone is lying down on a flowerbed in the mansion's garden. The sun is setting, and she's enjoying the view without realizing that by twilight, the flowers are slowly but surely circling her limbs and body, trapping her. A mere few seconds before her entire body is wrapped with deadly flower vines, the mermaid doll appears by her side, holding a lantern whose light kills the vines.

Under the warm moonlight and with the lantern and mermaid doll by her side, Anemone walked through the darkness that shrouded the mansion to rescue the other four girls. Once they escape the mansion, the PoV returns to the beginning scene.

Life returns to the young woman who once was a little girl living in the mansion. She smiles as she slowly wakes up from the couch, throwing away her beloved mermaid doll to the fireplace, which is what had been symbolized as her childhood memories.

## Promotion

On April 12, NAIAD held a live event titled "Song of the Nymphs: Moonblessed Showcase" on YouTube to perform all tracks in the album for the first time. They also use the platform to explain about the meaning of each songs and communicate with Dianas. Hours after the release of *Moonblessed*, Mnet hosted a comeback show where the group performed "Tonight or Never" in front of live audience for the first time.

**Promotions:**

* Music show promotion for "Tonight or Never": April 13, 2021 - May 9, 2021
* Appearance on KBS Cool FM: April 15, 2021
* Appearance on *Weekly Idol*: April 17, 2021
* TikTok dance challenge for "Tonight or Never"
* Appearance on Genius's "Open Mic": May 14, 2021

## Commercial performance

Commercially, "Tonight or Never" made its debut at number three on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart, for period April 12-18, 2021, NAIAD's second song to reach the top 5 chart in the platform. The song entered the Monthly Digital Chart and peaked at number five on the April 2021 issue. The song entered the Billboard K-pop Hot 100 at number eleven on the chart issue dated April 18, 2021. "Tonight or Never" debuted at number two on the Billboard World Digital Songs Chart, the highest the group achieved in the platform at that time.

## Charts

 New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)
 Japan (Japan Hot 100)
 Singapore
 South Korea (Gaon)
 South Korea (Kpop Hot 100)
 US World Digital Songs (*Billboard*)

Monthly chart performance for "ToN"

Year-end chart

2021 year-end chart performance for "ToN"

## Accolades

Music program awards for "ToN"
 *Inkigayo* | April 25, 2021

## Trivia

* Iris practiced Debussy's "Clair de Lune" piano piece in preparation for her scene in the song's music video to avoid looking dumb for playing gibberish in the final product. She also had fun practicing the song and often plays it in her free time.