By Mike Romero
WTF is a webtoon? Mostly unknown outside of South Korea since they went mainstream there in the 00s, this subgenre of graphic novel has risen to international prominence in the last decade. Why? Instead of clunkily adapting print comics to digital screens the way most American comic publishers have tried to do, webtoons have reimagined the format entirely.
Instead of being laid out as spreads or pages to be “flipped” through horizontally, stories are imagined as one long vertical strip meant to be scrolled through like a feed. This innovation has led to massive success. For example, WEBTOON, one South Korean digital publisher, has 85.6 million active users and receives an average of 10 million visits a day. To date, the site has generated $1.69 billion in revenue for its artists.
WEBTOON has since invested in original IPs. One of their most successful original properties is The Kiss Bet, a feel-good romance in the same vein as the vintage Archie comics. Written and illustrated by Utah artist Ingrid Ochoa, The Kiss Bet has 1.6 million subscribers on WEBTOON and 135.7 million views. The comic follows the deeply relatable female lead Sara Lin. Her will they/won’t they relationship with the moody fan favorite Oliver (#Olivara) has made readers the world over swoon.
As a special treat for fans, Ochoa contacted Provo folk/rock band Michael Barrow & The Tourists and asked them to write an original song for Season 4 of the series. This isn’t the first time The Kiss Bet has incorporated music into the narrative. In May of 2021, James TW’s song “Butterflies” was the soundtrack to the Season 2 finale. But this time was different. This was a completely original work that would directly reference the source material.
“One of the characters, Oliver, has been working on a song for a girl he has feelings for,” says Michael Barrow & The Tourists. “Sara Lin, another lead, also spends a lot of time writing lyrics. We were tasked with creating an original song that incorporated as many of these lines as possible.”
The title of their original song, “I See Stars,” is a direct nod to the gorgeous artwork surrounding Sara Lin and Oliver. Every time the two characters interact, Ingrid Ochoa subtly incorporates a star motif. It’s really clever and helps build subliminal tension.
To help tell the story of Sara Lin and Oliver, Michael Barrow & The Tourists enlisted the help of indie pop YouTuber (and now Utahn) ysabelle. In separate verses, Michael Barrow and ysabelle sing the feelings of Oliver and Sara Lin respectively before coming together in a climactic chorus. The song features a beautiful orchestral arrangement by Provo guitarist, songwriter, and composer Mac Wright. It was tracked by Scott Wiley and mixed by Marcus Bently of June Audio.
“It’s been an awesome experience,” says Michael Barrow & The Tourists. “We’re really grateful that Ingrid trusted us enough to adapt these characters. They mean so much to so many people, and we did our best to honor that and portray her work accurately.”
Fans seem to be responding positively. In 48 hours, the song racked up an impressive 7,500 streams, and fan uploads to YouTube have already begun translating the lyrics into various languages.
“The fact that this masterpiece came from a webcomic… Hell, the fact that said webcomic filled me with more emotion than most modern media could…” says one YouTube commenter @BoyBoy513. “I don’t exaggerate when I say this is a masterpiece. Even outside the context of The Kiss Bet, this is breathtaking. And IN that story’s context, it’s somehow even more impactful. This song is for everyone who’s been in love – everyone who’s been afraid of love. You are not alone. Nobody should be alone. This song is a testament to that. Absolutely magical.”
Make sure to follow Ingrid Ochoa, Michael Barrow & The Tourists, ysabelle, and The Kiss Bet on Instagram. Michael Barrow & The Tourists play Kilby Court on August 31 with RALLY and Miicah. Tickets are available online here. New episodes of The Kiss Bet drop every Saturday on WEBTOON. You can stream “I See Stars” below.