Red Velvet

Red Velvet

Red Velvet is a South Korean girl group from Seoul, formed by SM Entertainment in 2014 and active since then. The group consists of IRENE, JOY, SEULGI, WENDY and YERI. It is a five-member act whose name refers to its dual concept: a brighter, more playful “red” side and a softer, more mature “velvet” side.

Formation and early releases

Red Velvet debuts in 2014 as SM Entertainment’s first girl group in five years after f(x). Before debut, three of the original members are part of SM Rookies, the company’s pre-debut team. Seulgi joins SM Entertainment first, through an audition in 2007, followed by Irene in 2009. Joy is not part of SM Rookies and auditions through the SM Global Audition in Seoul in 2012. Yeri is added in 2015, after the group has first debuted as a four-member act.

The group’s debut single is “Happiness,” released digitally in August 2014, with the music video appearing a few days earlier and the official debut stage taking place on Music Bank. Later in 2014, the group releases “Be Natural,” a remake of a song by S.E.S., featuring Taeyong, then of SM Rookies’ male unit SR14B and later NCT.

Albums, EPs and concept

In 2015, Red Velvet releases its first mini-album, Ice Cream Cake, with “Automatic” and “Ice Cream Cake” promoted as double lead singles. The first full-length album, The Red, follows later that year and focuses on the group’s brighter “red” image, with “Dumb Dumb” as the title track. The group also takes part in SM Entertainment’s winter project Winter Garden alongside f(x) and BoA, releasing “Wish Tree.”

The Velvet arrives in 2016 as a direct contrast to The Red, centring the group’s smoother “velvet” sound. Its title track, “One Of These Nights,” is an R&B ballad. Later that year, Red Velvet releases Russian Roulette, a seven-track mini-album that includes the title song of the same name. The track reaches number two on both the Gaon Digital Chart and Billboard’s World Digital Songs chart, and the music video becomes the group’s first to pass 100 million views.

Rookie follows in 2017 and includes Wendy’s solo track “Last Love.” In the same year, the group issues The Red Summer, led by “Red Flavor,” and Perfect Velvet, led by “Peek-a-Boo.” The group’s releases in 2017 contribute to its profile as a major girl group in South Korea. A repackage, The Perfect Red Velvet, appears in early 2018 with “Bad Boy” as the title track.

Japanese releases, touring and later work

Red Velvet’s Japanese debut EP, #Cookie Jar, is released by Avex Trax in 2018 and includes Japanese versions of “Dumb Dumb,” “Russian Roulette” and “Red Flavor,” along with new songs such as “#Cookie Jar,” “Aitai-tai” and “Cause It’s You.” The EP reaches number three on the Oricon Weekly Albums chart. The group later releases Summer Magic, with “Power Up” as the lead track and an English version of “Bad Boy” as a bonus track, followed by RBB (Really Bad Boy) later in 2018.

In 2019, Red Velvet releases its second Japanese EP, Sappy, which includes the singles “Sappy” and “Sayonara” plus Japanese versions of “Peek-a-Boo,” “Rookie” and “Power Up.” The group also tours North America on the Redmare Tour, with dates in the United States and Canada, becoming the first K-pop girl group to hold a North American tour in three years. That year, the group appears on a remixed version of Ellie Goulding and Diplo’s “Close to Me,” with Yeri and Wendy contributing Korean lyrics.

Later in 2019, the group launches The ReVe Festival trilogy, beginning with Day 1 and continuing with Day 2 and Finale. “Zimzalabim” leads Day 1, “Umpah Umpah” leads Day 2, and Finale includes “Psycho.” The “Umpah Umpah” single wins Song of the Year at the 2019 Asia Artist Awards.

Sub-units and solo activity

Red Velvet’s first sub-unit, Red Velvet - Irene & Seulgi, forms in 2020 and releases the mini-album Monster, followed by “Naughty.” In 2021, Wendy begins solo activity with Like Water, which includes the title track and “When This Rain Stops.” Joy also debuts as a solo artist with Hello, a remake album led by its title track. Red Velvet then releases Queendom, followed in 2022 by Feel My Rhythm, whose title track samples “Air on the G String.” Seulgi also debuts as a solo artist in 2022 with the EP 28 Reasons.

Style and recognition

Red Velvet works across k-pop, j-pop and R&B, and is known for switching between contrasting concepts and sounds. The group’s members are Irene, Joy, Seulgi, Wendy and Yeri. In 2019, Billboard names Red Velvet “the best idol group alive.”