Power Up (song)
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"Power Up" is a Korean song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their second special (sixth overall) Korean extended play, titled '' Summer Magic'' (2018). Characterized as an electro-pop song with elements of chip-music, the song was penned by Kenzie and was produced by production duo Moonshine, Ellen Berg Tollbom and Swedish singer-songwriter
Cazzi Opeia Moa Anna Maria Carlebecker (born 10 November 1988), better known by her stage name Cazzi Opeia, is a Swedish DJ, singer and songwriter. Life and career 1988–2010: Early life and beginnings Moa Anna Carlebecker was born Jönköping County, ...
, who worked on the group's previous single " Peek-a-Boo". It was released on August 6, 2018, as the lead single of ''Summer Magic'' by
SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...
and iriver as the South Korea distributor, whilst the Japanese version was later released as the third and final single from the group's second Japanese extended play '' Sappy'' on April 24, 2019, by
Avex Trax is a record label owned by Japanese entertainment conglomerate Avex Inc. The label was launched in September 1990, and was the first label by the Group. History Two years after Max Matsuura began a career distributing studio albums from othe ...
. Upon its release, "Power Up" received positive reviews from critics for its catchy and addictive nature, further commenting the song as a "perfect" delivery for the summer. It was a commercial success in the group's native country, earning the group their first " Perfect All-Kill" title. The song eventually became the group's second and fifth chart-topper on the
Gaon Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...
and Gaon Download Chart, further staying atop both charts for two weeks. It also peaked at number six on ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
s
World Digital Songs The World Digital Song Sales chart (formerly World Digital Songs) is a weekly record chart compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. Established in 2010—its first issue was dated January 23—as ...
chart, giving the group their third No. 6 entry and their twelfth top-ten entry on the chart. The song's music video was included in ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
's'' 50 Best Music Videos of 2018: Critics' Picks list, with Red Velvet being the only South Korean artist to make the list.


Background and release

After making their official debut in
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
with the release of their first Japanese EP '' #Cookie Jar'', the group's company
SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...
announced in July 2018 that Red Velvet will release their sixth Korean extended play in the next month which they revealed would be a special summer mini album titled ''Summer Magic''. Amidst a tight schedule, the song and its parent album was recorded while the group was on tour. The song was marketed as their second special summer single after " Red Flavor" which was released in 2017. The group shared during a press conference for their second solo concert "REDMARE" in
Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
that they felt burdened by the success of their first summer single but were confident that the new track would be "another summery
earworm An earworm or brainworm, also described as sticky music or stuck song syndrome, is a Catchiness, catchy or memorable piece of music or saying that continuously occupies a person's mind even after it is no longer being played or spoken about. In ...
". Member
Wendy Wendy is a given name generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain during the English Civil War in the mid-1600s, a male Captain Wendy Oxford was identified by the Leveller John Lilburne as a spy reporting on his activit ...
compared "Power Up" to "Red Flavor" and said that if the latter "reminded people of fresh fruits" then the former would "give energy, like its title". Similarly, the group's leader
Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United States ...
thought that in comparison to "Red Flavor", the song "takes a little more time to stick", initially not liking it immediately herself.


Composition

"Power Up" was composed by Moonshine (Ludvig Evers & Jonatan Gusmark), Ellen Berg Tollbom and Swedish artist
Cazzi Opeia Moa Anna Maria Carlebecker (born 10 November 1988), better known by her stage name Cazzi Opeia, is a Swedish DJ, singer and songwriter. Life and career 1988–2010: Early life and beginnings Moa Anna Carlebecker was born Jönköping County, ...
with lyrics by Kenzie that had a "work hard and play hard" theme.
Seulgi Kang Seul-gi (; born February 10, 1994), known mononymously as Seulgi, is a South Korean singer and dancer. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Red Velvet (group), Red Velvet, its sub-unit Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi, and the super ...
mentioned that the "encouraging message" came from
SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...
's executive producer and founder
Lee Soo-man Lee Soo-man (, born 18 June 1952) is a South Korean business executive and record producer who is best known for being the founder of SM Entertainment, a multinational entertainment company based in Seoul. He has also been referred to as the "p ...
, who often told the group at a company workshop "You have to enjoy yourself whether you are playing or working" which they included in the song's lyrics. All of its producers and its writer also penned and composed their 2017 single " Peek-a-Boo" which was the title track of their second studio album ''
Perfect Velvet ''Perfect Velvet'' is the second studio album by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. Released by SM Entertainment on November 17, 2017, the record incorporates R&B, soul and hip-hop with influences from future bass, trap and synth-pop, and sa ...
''. Cazzi Opeia had previously revealed in June 2017 that she had written two songs for the group. The group disclosed during an interview with ''
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'' that they had a company-wide voting to select their next title track which "Power Up" won. Member
Joy Joy is the state of being that allows one to experience feelings of intense, long-lasting happiness and contentment of life. It is closely related to, and often evoked by, well-being, success, or good fortune. Happiness, pleasure, and gratitu ...
stated that the song was recorded in various versions as they "studied the song's nuances". Musically, "Power Up" was described as an
electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...
song with elements of chip-music. Tamar Herman of ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' called the repetition of "banana-na-na" throughout the chorus " Minion-esque" and said they created a tune "built to reflect the lazy days of the season". She also noted the English-language line "level up" which she recognizes as a reference to the group's
fanclub A fan club is an organized group of fans, generally of a celebrity. Most fan clubs are run by Fan (person), fans who devote considerable time and resources to support them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated ...
'ReVeluv' which is pronounced similarly in Korean.


Promotion

To promote the album, a series of image teasers were released on July 29, 2018, through the group's official
social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...
accounts while their company SM Entertainment also launched an interactive game on their official website. Red Velvet performed the single along with other tracks from ''Summer Magic'' before its official release during their second concert 'REDMARE' on August 5, 2018, revealing them to the public for the first time. An accompanying music video directed by Kim Ja-kyoung of Flexible Pictures and choreographed by Kyle Hanagami was released in conjunction with the single. Tamar Herman of ''Billboard'' said it had an "easy-to-follow" dance where they "soar like an airplane along to one line, punch the air as they proclaim the song's title and look like they're about to go swimming with one move from the 'banana' part of the song". The video also featured the members in various colorful outfits such as
Girl Scout A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organization ...
uniforms,
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-inspired clothing, and
cheerleader Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ent ...
uniforms. Hong Dam-young of ''
The Korea Herald ''The Korea Herald'' () is a South Korean English-language daily newspaper founded in August 1953 and published in Seoul. The editorial staff is composed of Korean and international writers and editors, with additional news coverage drawn from i ...
'' felt that it had a
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story and pointed out the call-backs to their past title tracks such as " Dumb Dumb", "
Ice Cream Cake ''Ice Cream Cake'' is the debut Korean extended play by the South Korean girl group Red Velvet. It was released digitally on March 17, 2015, and physically on March 18 by SM Entertainment and distributed by Dreamus, marking the group's first p ...
", "
Russian Roulette Russian roulette () is a potentially lethal game of chance in which a player places a single round in a revolver, spins the cylinder, places the muzzle against the head or body (their opponent's or their own), and pulls the trigger. If the ...
" and their last summer single " Red Flavor". The music video was filmed on July 19, 2018, in
Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...
. Red Velvet made their comeback stage on August 10, 2018, through the music program ''
Music Bank ''Music Bank'' () is a South Korean music program which airs every Friday at 17:15 KST on KBS2. the show is also broadcast in more than a hundred countries through KBS World. Episodes are filmed at the KBS New Wing Open Hall in Yeouido-dong, Ye ...
'' and continued promoting the single on ''
Show! Music Core ''Show! Music Core'' (), or simply ''Music Core'' is a South Korean music television program broadcast by MBC. It airs live every Saturday at 15:30 (KST). The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform live on stage. I ...
'' on August 11 and ''
Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' (; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform on stage. ...
'' on August 12. The group accumulated over 10 music show wins for "Power Up", winning the last one on ''
M! Countdown ''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet from the CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul. It features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. First hosted by Leete ...
''. It beat "
Rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...
"'s previous record of 9 wins.


Critical reception

In the group's native country South Korea, critics opined that the song must be listened to more than once before it becomes addictive. Hong Dam-young of ''
The Korea Herald ''The Korea Herald'' () is a South Korean English-language daily newspaper founded in August 1953 and published in Seoul. The editorial staff is composed of Korean and international writers and editors, with additional news coverage drawn from i ...
'' compared it to " Red Flavor", saying it wasn't as catchy and commented that "One might need to push the replay button twice or three times in order to fully vibe with 'Power Up'. But soon you'll find yourself humming the song's quirky chorus anytime, anywhere, especially the part where the vocals hum "Banana-na-na" on top of the quirky chiptune. Claire Chung of '' Haps Magazine'' also originally found the song "a bit childish" but thought "the youthful, refreshing summer atmosphere of the music is infectious" and admitted she later found herself "subconsciously singing the song's addictive hook line". On the other hand, Seung Park of ''
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'' stated that the song "might just be their best song yet" and asserted that the group "stepped up to fill a sorely-needed niche in k-pop", calling Red Velvet " Orange Caramel's spiritual successors as the resident purveyors of the quirky and weird". ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
's'' included the song's music video in their 50 Best Music Videos of 2018: Critics' Picks list at number 21 in December 2018, describing the song as "the logical K-pop extreme of
Diane Martel Diane Martel (also known as Bucky Chrome and Diamond Martel) is an American music video director and choreographer. As a music video director, she has worked with Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Sting and Jennifer Lopez. One of her ...
's vision of a world where typical household objects are rarely what they seem". Red Velvet was the only South Korean artist to be included in the list.


Commercial performance

"Power Up" topped all of South Korea's music charts upon its release, allowing the group to achieve a " Perfect All-Kill" for the first time in their career. The single then debuted atop both the
Gaon Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...
and the Gaon Download Chart on its first week, becoming the group's second Gaon chart-topper following " Red Flavor" in 2017. It was also the group's longest number one run on Gaon, having spent two weeks at No. 1 on both charts. The song eventually became the most downloaded song for the month of August on Gaon. In addition, it also debuted atop the
Kpop Hot 100 The K-pop Hot 100 was a music singles chart in South Korea, launched by ''Billboard'' in conjunction with ''Billboard'' Korea () on August 25, 2011. It is the second Asian ''Billboard'' chart after the Japan Hot 100. The chart used the same multim ...
for two weeks, surpassing their highest peak and consequently giving Red Velvet their first chart-topper there. Elsewhere, "Power Up" charted at number 6 on ''Billboard's''
World Digital Songs The World Digital Song Sales chart (formerly World Digital Songs) is a weekly record chart compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. Established in 2010—its first issue was dated January 23—as ...
chart, selling 1,000 downloads in the
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in its first week. It also appeared on
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
's "Top 30 Regional Streaming Chart" component, peaking at number 16 on the chart.


Credits

Credits adapted from '' Summer Magic'' liner notes *
S.M. Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering ...
Co., Ltd.executive producer *
Lee Soo-man Lee Soo-man (, born 18 June 1952) is a South Korean business executive and record producer who is best known for being the founder of SM Entertainment, a multinational entertainment company based in Seoul. He has also been referred to as the "p ...
producer * Kenzievocal director *
Yoo Young-jin Yoo Young-jin is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer and vocal trainer formerly under SM Entertainment. He has produced and written songs for H.O.T., S.E.S, BoA, Shinhwa, TVXQ, CSJH The Grace, Super Junior, Girls' Generatio ...
(S.M. Booming System)
recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproducti ...
* Lee Ji-hong (S.M. Lvyin Studio)digital editing * Jung Eui-seok (S.M. Blue Cup Studio)
mixing engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...
, recording * Kenzielyricist * Moonshine (Ludvig Evers & Jonatan Gusmark)composer, arrangement * Ellen Berg Tollbomcomposer * Amanda Salsabilacomposer, arrangement *
Cazzi Opeia Moa Anna Maria Carlebecker (born 10 November 1988), better known by her stage name Cazzi Opeia, is a Swedish DJ, singer and songwriter. Life and career 1988–2010: Early life and beginnings Moa Anna Carlebecker was born Jönköping County, ...
composer * Red Velvetvocals **
Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United States ...
vocals, background vocals **
Seulgi Kang Seul-gi (; born February 10, 1994), known mononymously as Seulgi, is a South Korean singer and dancer. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Red Velvet (group), Red Velvet, its sub-unit Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi, and the super ...
vocals, background vocals **
Wendy Wendy is a given name generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain during the English Civil War in the mid-1600s, a male Captain Wendy Oxford was identified by the Leveller John Lilburne as a spy reporting on his activit ...
vocals, background vocals **
Joy Joy is the state of being that allows one to experience feelings of intense, long-lasting happiness and contentment of life. It is closely related to, and often evoked by, well-being, success, or good fortune. Happiness, pleasure, and gratitu ...
vocals, background vocals ** Yerivocals, background vocals * Cazzi Opeiabackground vocals * Ellen Berg Tollbombackground vocals


Charts


Certifications


Accolades


Music program awards


Release history


See also

* List of Gaon Digital Chart number ones of 2018 * List of ''M Countdown'' Chart winners (2018) * List of ''Inkigayo'' Chart winners (2018)


References

{{Red Velvet songs 2018 singles 2018 songs Red Velvet (group) songs SM Entertainment singles Songs in Korean Songs written by Kenzie (songwriter) Gaon Digital Chart number-one singles Billboard Korea K-Pop number-one singles Songs written by Cazzi Opeia