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Red Velvet

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Red Velvet (Music)
Sometimes you gotta be boldL-R

"Happiness~ Hello, we're Red Velvet!"

Red Velvet is a South Korean Girl Group formed by SM Entertainment. They debuted with the single "Happiness" on August 1, 2014. Their image is split into two concepts: strong and feminine, represented by "Red"; and soft and sensual, represented by "Velvet." Originally consisting of four members, member Yeri was added to the group's line-up in 2015.

In July of 2020, the group's first sub-unit, consisting of members Irene & Seulgi, debuted with a mini album titled Monster to overwhelming success and critical acclaim. In 2021, Wendy and Joy made their solo debuts with the respective mini albums Like Water and Hello (안녕).

Seulgi and Wendy were selected as part of the lineup for GOT The Beat, SM's "Girls On Top" project, which aims to put together different units made up of different members from their female girl groups/solo artists. Other members include BoA, Taeyeon and Hyoyeon of Girls' Generation, Karina and Winter of aespa.

They're known for their great live performances and outstanding versatility. While Wendy is the powerhouse vocalist, and Seulgi and Irene are the most celebrated dancers, every member has a key role in the group and they're all known to be above average in dancing, singing and visuals.

Wendy and Yeri left SM Entertainment in April 2025, though both members are still in the group.

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     Members and subunits 

Members:

  • Irene (Bae Joohyun, born March 29, 1991): Leader , Sub Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Main Rapper, Visual
  • Seulgi (Kang Seulgi, born February 10, 1994): Lead Vocalist, Main Dancer
  • Wendy (Son Seungwannote , born February 21, 1994): Main Vocalist
  • Joy (Park Sooyoung, born September 3, 1996): Lead Vocalist, Lead Rapper
  • Yeri (Kim Yerim, born March 5, 1999): Sub Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Lead Rapper, Maknae

Subunits:

     Discography 
Korean Discography
Studio Albums:
  • The Red - 2015
  • Perfect Velvet - 2017
    • The Perfect Red Velvet (Perfect Velvet Repackage) - 2018
  • Chill Kill - 2023
Extended Plays:
  • Ice Cream Cake - 2015
  • The Velvet - 2016
  • Russian Roulette - 2016
  • Rookie - 2017
  • The Red Summer - 2017
  • Summer Magic - 2018
  • RBBnote  - 2018
  • The Reve Festival: Day 1 - 2019
  • The Reve Festival: Day 2 - 2019
  • The Reve Festival: Finale - 2019
  • Queendom - 2021
  • The Reve Festival 2022 - Feel My Rhythm
  • The Reve Festival 2022 - Birthday
  • Cosmic - 2024

Japanese Discography
Studio Album:
  • Bloom - 2022
Extended Plays:
  • #Cookie Jar - 2018
  • Sappy - 2019

Non-album Releases
  • "Happiness" (debut single) - 2014
  • "Be Natural" (feat. SR14B TAEYONG) - 2014
  • "Wish Tree" (Christmas special single) - 2015
  • "Would U" (SM STATION 2) - 2017
  • "Rebirth" (SM STATION 2) - 2017
  • "Close To Me" (with Ellie Goulding) - 2019
  • "Beautiful Christmas" (with aespa - 2022

OST Songs
  • Because I Love You (Wendy) - 2014 (pre-debut)note 
  • Return (Wendy with Yuk Ji-dam) - 2015note 
  • Let Me Know (Wendy) - 2015note 
  • Yossim - 2016note 
  • Don't Push Me (Seulgi & Wendy) - 2016note 
  • I Can Only See You (Seulgi & Wendy) - 2016note 
  • You, Just Like That (Seulgi) - 2016note 
  • Yeowooya (Joy) - 2017note 
  • I'm Okay (Joy with Lee Hyun-woo) - 2017note 
  • Hair in the Air (Yeri with Jeno, Jaemin, and Renjun of NCT) (SM STATION 3) - 2018note 

Other

     Links 

You got me troping like a psycho, psycho:

    Music Tropes 
  • Badass Boast: "Psycho" has Irene claiming that she is "the original visual". Considering her reputation in the industry, the lyrics don't stray too far from the truth.
  • Birds of a Feather: Lyrically, "Bad Boy" is described as being about The Casanova who's met his match. In the English version, they plainly sing that they know how to make the devil cry, breaking down and looking in their eyes.
    If you play, I fight back, I fight back
    I'll show you who's in control
  • Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: "The Red", "Perfect Velvet " and "The Perfect Red Velvet".
  • Breather Episode: Chill Kill is probably their darkest album, but the last two songs (the uplifting "Wings" and the sweet acoustic ballad "Scenery") are lighter than the rest of the album.
  • Christmas Songs: "Wish Tree" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas".
  • Cover Version:
    • "Be Natural" was originally by S.E.S.. Red Velvet not only covered the song, but used the same arrangement. The only difference aside from the vocals is that Red Velvet's version cuts out part of the introduction and the second verse.
    • "Rebirth", originally sung by Yoon Jong Shin, was covered by the group when they took part in the "Snowball Project", a collaboration between SM and Mystic Entertainment. Mystic's artists covered "Dumb Dumb".
    • Wendy's solo "Last Love" from the Rookie EP is a rearranged cover of 90s group Eco's song of the same name.
  • Creepy Children Singing: The "la la la" in "Ice Cream Cake" definitely count as this.
  • Genre Roulette: One of their greatest strengths. Their ability to shift between bright, energetic Pop songs and a more calm, R&B or Jazz influenced style is what makes them emerge in the industry. The group's name conveys this, too; the "red" is in reference to their brighter and poppier songs, while the "velvet" refers to their more mature and R&B focused side.
  • Genre Throwback: "Love Is The Way" is highly reminiscent of doo-wop from the past century.
  • Harmony: One of their trademarks. It helps that all the members have different, yet complementary vocal tones and colours. They are widely regarded as one of the strongest vocal groups in the business.
  • Hotter and Sexier:
    • Compared to "Happiness" and "Ice Cream Cake", "Be Natural" and "Automatic" definitely qualify. It comes with the "Velvet" theme.
    • The tracks on "The Velvet" compared to those on "The Red". Light Me Up and Cool Hot Sweet Love are possibly the worst offenders.
  • Incredibly Long Note: Wendy is usually the one these are destined to, so much so that songwriters write long, difficult notes in the songs specifically for her. Seulgi and Joy can hold their own as well, though it happens less frequently.
  • Love Makes You Dumb: "Dumb Dumb" details a narrator who wants to be normal, but when they're around the person they love everything just freezes up. In the words of the song itself, "I should just act like I do normally / But whenever I see you, I act so stupid".
  • Lyrical Dissonance: The instrumentation of "Body Talk" has a warm and sensual vibe similar to songs like "Automatic." The lyrics, on the other hand, are from the point-of-view from someone who is heartbroken over the end of a relationship with someone whom they are still in love with.
  • The Masochism Tango: The lyrics to "Psycho" paint the picture of a cycle where two lovers hurt each other but then get along just fine. They might fight like it's their last, and they may even hurt each other, but in the end they'll still love each other like nothing else.
  • Meaningful Name: As stated in the page's description, Red Velvet is a double-concept group: Red which gives off a strong and energetic feel and Velvet which denotes being soft, sensual and feminine.
  • Melismatic Vocals: The vocal line pulls these off frequently, especially Wendy.Oh Boy and "Hit That Drum" are prime examples.
  • "Miss X" Pun: One of the songs on the Power Up EP is called "Mr. E". The song is about an eponymous man who is, as the name suggests, shrouded in much mystery, which draws in the narrator.
  • Mood Whiplash: The Rookie EP follows up "Talk to Me," a cheerful song in which the narrator asks the object of their affection to talk to her, with "Body Talk," a breakup song in which the partner's body language signifies the end of their relationship. Taken together, it also serves as an example of Be Careful What You Wish For.
  • Mythology Gag:
  • One-Word Title: "Happiness", "Zoo", "Campfire", "Look", "Rookie", and "Attaboy" all qualify as this.
  • Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Vocally speaking, Wendy is this. The girl is tiny, but she is the only female singer in the industry to possess a 4 octave vocal range. And she knows how to use it.
  • Rock Me, Amadeus!: "Feel My Rhythm" interpolates Johann Sebastian Bach's "Air on the G String".
  • Self-Empowerment Anthem: "You Better Know" from The Red Summer is an uplifting track that encourages the listener to not get caught up in sadness and reminds them there is a world that has been "waiting for them".
  • Sexiness Score: "Perfect 10" is unsurprisingly about being the "perfect 10/10 girl".
    I?ll be your perfect 10, 10, 10
    Be your perfect 10, 10, 10
    Each cut is 10, 10, 10
    When you place me in your arms
    No more, no less, perfect
  • Shout-Out: Irene and Joy's tandem rap in "Dumb Dumb" name-drops Michael Jackson and several of his songs.
  • Silly Love Songs: Well, of course, it's a Girl Group we're talking about here. "Ice Cream Cake", "Dumb Dumb", "Russian Roulette" and "Rookie", just to name a few of their title tracks.
  • Step Up to the Microphone: Irene and Yeri were already a key part of the harmonizations thanks to their low registers, but over time they've improved so much that they went from receiving barely a full line to leading the line distribution for two songs in "Perfect Velvet". They're the official rap line along with Joy, and finally get to sing in the range they're most comfortable with.
  • Title Track: The mini albums "Ice Cream Cake", "Russian Roulette" and "Rookie" all take their names from their respective principal tracks.
  • Translated Cover Version:
    • "Dumb Dumb" and "Red Flavor" in Japanese, though to be fair some of the lyrics were altered. The former loses all the Michael Jackson references while the latter adds more English to the rap portion.
    • Averted with the English version of "Bad Boy". The only thing that stays the same is the title. Same thing with "RBB" and its English version.
  • Vocal Tag Team: Wendy and Seulgi were this especially at the beginning of the group's career when it came to "velvet" songs, those being the most vocally complex. Now, the line distribution has considerably evened out.
  • A Wild Rapper Appears!: Taeyong from NCT, back then still part of SM Rookies, does the rap portion in "Be Natural."
     Music Video Tropes 
"Russian Roulette" has its own page.
  • Alpha Bitch: Joy's character in "Rebirth" seems to be this: the snooty, popular pretty girl. She's the last member to look at the Hot Teacher by a good number of seconds; she's too busy staring at the reflection on the mirror in her hand, and even has a dismissive expression on her face... that is, until she sees how handsome he really is.
  • Animated Music Video: In "Rebirth" to liven up a little 3:40 minutes of a one take in Slow Motion.
  • The Chanteuse: Wendy is an optimistic version of this in her "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" cover.
  • Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Red Velvet dyed their hair with different colors for "Happiness", and the color arrangement has stuck with them since. For reference:
    • Pink: Irene
    • Yellow: Seulgi
    • Blue: Wendy
    • Green: Joy
    • Purple: Yeri
  • Darker and Edgier: You thought seeing Red Velvet trying to murder each other for the love of a guy in "Russian Roulette" was creepy? Watch them being actual serial killers in "Peek-A-Boo" then.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: Yeri appeared in the music video for "Happiness" briefly in the opening before she was officially added as a member.
  • Fairytale Motifs: The music video for "One of These Nights" sets Red Velvet in fairytale-inspired settings. Wendy's look is based off of The Little Mermaid, Yeri is based off of Sleeping Beauty, and Irene is based off of Snow White. The Korean title for "One of These Nights" is "July 7", which is Chilseok in South Korea, and is based on the Spinning Maid and Cowherd story.
  • Fanservice:
    • The only plausible reason why Joy would crawl towards a house made of pizza in "Peek-A-Boo".
    • Irene and Joy's Almost Kiss in "Bad Boy". Joy was the one who suggested it, actually with Seulgi at first, because of course she would.
    • "Monster" takes the fanservice up to eleven. From the very beginning with Seulgi crawling toward Irene, to the numerous shots of the two of them nearly kissing throughout, and to them being scantily clad for much of the video, it's easily the most risqué video from them yet.
    • Some of their outfits reveal their midriffs. For example, Joy's outfit in "Bad Boy" reveals a lot of skin.
  • G-Rated Drug:
    • Oddly, in "Peek-A-Boo." The video in itself is hardly kid-friendly. Perhaps in the vein of no actual violence or other R-rated activity being shown onscreen, however, the cult's victim gets fed some green jelly. In the context of the clip, it's easy to see what it's meant to represent, especially when things indeed go trippy after he scarfs it down.
    • The cookies the girls find in the woods in "Cookie Jar" are one hell of a hallucinogen it seems.
  • Hot Teacher: Well, we don't see him, but in "Rebirth", when said teacher enters the classroom the girls instantly fall for him.
  • In Da Club: "Automatic" has a brief club scene during the bridge. "Red Flavor" has various shots like this, though it looks like they're in a house rather than in a club.
  • Light Is Not Good:
    • Everything about "Russian Roulette" is bright and colourful. The concept itself is killing your rivals in love with traps a la Tom And Jerry.
    • The sun shines bright throughout the entirety of the Cosmic music video, with the girls celebrating the coming of the summer season by abducting people into their psycho-murder cult.
  • Psychopathic Womanchild: The girls show shades of this in the "Peek-A-Boo" music video. The song itself seems to describe a harmless case of the narrator being immature and falling in love too easily, but the music video puts a horrifying spin to the "love is a game" motif. It's implied that the girls, who are in what appears to be a cult in the MV, see both love and murder as a fun game. To what degree this is Obfuscating Stupidity is YMMV.
  • Shout-Out:
  • Stepford Smiler: Of the "secretly Ax-Crazy" variety in "Peek-a-Boo." The girls in put on warm smiles for their victim, who seems to fall for it completely.
  • Trophy Room: In "Peek-A-Boo" they keep every single shirt of the numerous pizza boys they've killed in glass cases.
  • Vanity License Plate: The plate of the car in "Automatic" reads "140801", the group's debut date.
  • Whole-Plot Reference: As emphasized by a disclaimer in the final frames of the music video, the Cosmic MV references almost beat by beat the plot of Midsommar, with the girls being the ringleaders of a psycho-cult from a different planet and trying to keep people from leaving by performing a ritual to create an endless summer day and celebrate the coming of the summer season.

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