Red Velvet () is a South Korean
girl group
A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...
formed and managed 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 ...
. They originally debuted on August 1, 2014, with the single "
Happiness
Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...
" with the four-member line-up of
Irene,
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 ...
,
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 ...
, and
Joy. A fifth member,
Yeri, joined in March 2015, following the release of their first extended play, the chart-topping ''
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 ...
''. Sonically, the music of Red Velvet reflects their group name: their predominantly-
pop "red" side experiments occasionally with
electronic and
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
, while their "velvet" side focuses on '90s-influenced
R&B with elements of
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
and
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
.
Red Velvet's Korean-language discography includes three studio albums, one reissue album, one compilation album, and thirteen extended plays—all of which have topped the South Korean
Circle Album Chart
The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Koreabased on their Record sales, physical sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, ...
. Their singles "
Red Flavor" and "
Power Up" were number one hits 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 ...
, whilst "
Dumb Dumb", "
Russian Roulette", "
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 ...
", "
Peek-a-Boo", "
Bad Boy", "
Psycho", and "
Feel My Rhythm" all reached the top three. The group also ventured into the Japanese music scene with the extended plays ''
#Cookie Jar'' (2018) and ''
Sappy'' (2019) as well as the album ''
Bloom''.
Red Velvet have received numerous
accolades, most notably the
Golden Disc New Artist Award, the
Mnet Asian Music Award for Best Female Group, the
Korean Music Award for Best Pop Song, and the
Asia Artist Award for Song of the Year. Their wide domestic influence has been recognized by ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
''
Korea Power Celebrity (placing 11th in 2018 and fifth in 2019); internationally, they were named one of the most popular
K-pop
K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...
groups by ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' and ''
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 ...
'', and the fifth most streamed K-pop artist worldwide on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
in February 2020.
Career
2007–2015: Formation, early years and hit breakthrough
Red Velvet began forming in 2007, when Seulgi was cast as a trainee 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 ...
via audition. Irene was cast in 2009, and Yeri in 2011.
In 2012, Wendy and Joy were cast through the SM Global Auditions in Canada and Seoul, respectively.
Preparations for Red Velvet's debut began in late 2013, with the introduction of Irene and Seulgi in December 2013 and Wendy in March 2014 through SM Entertainment's trainee group
SM Rookies.
Irene and Seulgi made cameo appearances in the music videos for "
1-4-3 (I Love You)" and "
Fantastic", respectively, by then-labelmate
Henry; Seulgi also featured in Henry's "Butterfly". In March 2014, Wendy, then credited as a member of SR14G, was introduced through the release of "Because I Love You", her first solo soundtrack for the
Mnet drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
''
Mimi.'' Rumors of a group debut gained traction in July, which were subsequently confirmed by SM Entertainment. With the addition of member Joy, the quartet went on to debut in 2014 as SM Entertainment's first girl group in five years and first idol group since 2012.

Red Velvet made their official performance debut on August 1, 2014, on the program ''
Music Bank''. Their first single, "
Happiness
Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...
", was released digitally on August 4. It is an urban
Europop
Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...
song with "strong synth sound" and "
African tribal beat",
penned by
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 ...
and composed by Will Simms,
Chad Hugo
Charles Edward Hugo (born February 24, 1974) is an American musician and record producer. Alongside childhood friend Pharrell Williams, he formed the production duo the Neptunes in 1992, with whom he has produced numerous hit records for variou ...
(
The Neptunes
The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...
),
Chris Holsten, and Anne Judith Wik (
Dsign Music). The original music video for "Happiness" gained more than two million views on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
in its first 24 hours of release before being removed due to controversy over problematic background images and replaced with an edited version. "Happiness" was the second-most viewed K-pop music video worldwide in August 2014.
Red Velvet became the first K-pop girl group to chart a debut single on the
''Billboard'' World Digital Songs chart, where it peaked at number four. The group released their second digital single "
Be Natural" on October 13, 2014. The song, which includes a rap verse from
then-SR14B member
Taeyong, was a remake of the 2000 single of the same name by
S.E.S., SM Entertainment's first girl group. The music video for the song was directed by Kwon Soon-wook and Shim Jae-won, choreographed by Kyle Hanagami, and featured original choreography seen in a pre-debut SM Rookies teaser of Irene and Seulgi. The group began promoting the release on October 9, making their first appearance 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 Leeteuk ...
''. The song peaked at number 33 on the Gaon Digital Chart and at number six on the ''Billboard'' World Digital Songs chart. Red Velvet won Rookie of The Year at the
Golden Disk Awards and
Seoul Music Awards
The Seoul Music Awards (; SMA) is a major South Korean music awards show presented by the newspaper Seoul Shinmun, ''Sports Seoul''. The award winners are selected based on a combination of criteria, including music sales, popular votes, and exp ...
.

Following news reported that the group was filming in a
desert
A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...
just outside of
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city lies in the Antelope Valley of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south.
On August 24, 1962 ...
, in February 2015, SM Entertainment announced that former SM Rookies member Yeri would officially join the group on March 11, 2015.
Yeri had been one of the remaining SM Rookies female trainees to appear in the group's music video for "Happiness" and was first introduced to the public through a Rookie Station video and a group performance on
SM Town Live World Tour IV. Preceded by the release of "
Automatic
Automatic may refer to:
Music Bands
* Automatic (Australian band), Australian rock band
* Automatic (American band), American rock band
* The Automatic, a Welsh alternative rock band
Albums
* ''Automatic'' (Jack Bruce album), a 1983 el ...
", the group's first extended play (EP), ''
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 ...
'', was released on March 17, 2015, to critical and commercial success. The EP's second single, "
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 ...
", marked their commercial breakthrough. On March 19, the group held an album showcase on ''Ice Cream TV'', a program streamed through
Naver Music and hosted by
Shinee
Shinee ( ; ; ; stylized as SHINee) is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment in 2008. The group consists of four members: Onew, Key (entertainer), Key, Choi Min-ho, Minho, and Taemin. Originally a five-piece band, Jonghyun died on ...
's
Minho Minho or Miño may refer to:
People
* Miño (surname)
* Choi Min-ho, South Korean singer and actor known mononymously as Minho
Places
* Minho (river) or Miño, in Portugal and Spain
Jamaica
* Rio Minho, a river
Portugal
* Minho Province
...
. On March 27, they won their first music show trophy on
KBS' ''
Music Bank'', and the EP became the best-selling album by a girl group in South Korea in the first half of 2015 on the Hanteo Chart. In August 2015, Red Velvet held their first US performance during the annual
KCON convention and music festival in Los Angeles, California.
The group released their first studio album, ''
The Red'', on September 9, 2015, also to critical and commercial success.
''Billboard'''s Jeff Benjamin praised ''The Red'' "an impressive, solid debut album", stating that it "indicates big things for the act that needs to follow in the footsteps of their beloved female label mates
Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piec ...
and
f(x)". The album debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' World Albums Chart and South Korea's
Gaon Album Chart
The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Koreabased on their Record sales, physical sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, ...
, and appeared on ''Billboard''
's list of the "10 Best K-Pop Albums of 2015". Lead single "
Dumb Dumb" peaked at number two 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 number three on the ''Billboard'' World Digital Songs chart, topping the list of the "Top 20 K-pop Tracks of 2015" by ''
Dazed
''Dazed'' (''Dazed & Confused'' until February 2014) is a quarterly British lifestyle magazine founded in 1991. It covers music, fashion, film, art, and literature. ''Dazed'' is published by Dazed Media, an independent media group known for produ ...
''. The music video for "Dumb Dumb" was the only non-English language entry in ''
Rolling Stone's'' "10 Best Music Videos of 2015". Red Velvet went on to take part in the SM Entertainment's special
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
project, ''
Winter Garden'', releasing a digital single titled "Wish Tree" on December 18, 2015.
2016–2017: ''The Velvet'', ''Russian Roulette'' and commercial success
Red Velvet's second EP ''
The Velvet'' was intended to be released on March 16, 2016; however, SM Entertainment announced that the music video and album's release would be delayed "to guarantee a high quality of work". The EP and its lead single "
One of These Nights" () was released on March 17. ''The Velvet'' showcased the smooth R&B-influenced "velvet" side of the group's concept as a direct follow-up to ''The Red'', which highlighted the group's bright and bold "red" persona.
On May 2, Red Velvet released the soundtrack ''Yossism'' for the children's animation series ''Telemonster''. The group released their third EP, ''
Russian Roulette'', on September 7, 2016. It consists of seven tracks, including the
lead single of the same name. On September 13, 2016, Red Velvet won their first music show trophy for "Russian Roulette" on ''
The Show''. The song peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart and ''Billboard''
's World Digital Songs chart, making it their highest rankings on both charts at the time.
On February 1, 2017, Red Velvet released ''
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 ...
'', a six-track EP, including the lead single "
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 ...
" and a solo track by Wendy titled "Last Love" (). The EP topped the weekly
Gaon Album Chart
The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Koreabased on their Record sales, physical sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, ...
as well as the
''Billboard'' World Albums Chart. The group won their first music show trophy for "Rookie" on ''The Show'' on February 7, followed by wins on ''
Show Champion
''Show Champion'' () is a South Korean music television program broadcast live by MBC M every Wednesday at Bitmaru Broadcasting Center in Ilsan.
Hosts
* Shindong (February 14, 2012 – December 25, 2012)
* Hahm Eun-jung (January 30, 2013 – ...
'', ''
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 Leeteuk ...
'', ''
Music Bank'', 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 March 31, the group released the first single for
SM Station 2, titled "Would U". From July 27 to September 10, Red Velvet starred in their first reality television program, ''Level Up Project'', which showcased footage of their trip to Thailand. The show aired for 23 episodes and was shot without member Joy, who was filming the drama ''
The Liar and His Lover'', in which she was the female lead. On July 9, 2017, Red Velvet released their first summer EP, ''
The Red Summer'', with lead single "
Red Flavor" (). The EP was a commercial success, topping the Gaon Album Chart and the ''Billboard'' World Albums Chart. It was Red Velvet's third number-one album and set the record for most number one albums on the chart by a K-pop girl group.
Additionally, "Red Flavor" debuted atop the Gaon Digital Chart, with the other four songs on the EP also charting in the top 50.
In August 2017, Red Velvet's rendition of Yoon Jong Shin's "
Rebirth
Rebirth may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Film
* ''Rebirth'' (2011 film), a 2011 Japanese drama film
* ''Rebirth'' (2016 film), a 2016 American thriller film
* ''Rebirth'', a 2011 documentary film produced by Project Rebirth
* '' ...
", made possible by the show ''Snowball Project'', was officially released as part of SM Station. On August 18, the group held their first solo concert, titled Red Room, to an audience of 11,000. Although it was initially planned to be a two-day concert, a third show was added due to demand.
On October 4, SM Entertainment announced through their Japanese website that the group would have their first showcase in Japan. The Red Velvet Premium Showcase F'U'N Room Reveluv-Baby Party took place at the Yebisu Garden Hall in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
on November 6. They performed the Japanese versions of their Korean songs "Dumb Dumb" and "Red Flavor" for the first time. After wrapping up the showcase, it was officially announced that Red Velvet's Red Room concerts would be extended to Japan in 2018.
Red Velvet revisited their "velvet" image by releasing their second studio album, ''
Perfect Velvet'', on November 17, 2017, with lead single "
Peek-a-Boo". Unlike their first "velvet" release, the album and single were both commercially successful.
The album peaked atop ''Billboard's'' World Albums chart; "Peek-a-Boo" peaked at number two 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, tying their 2016 single "Russian Roulette".
In South Korea, the album and "Peek-a-Boo" both charted at number two on the Gaon Album Chart and Gaon Digital Chart. Through the release of ''Rookie'', ''The Red Summer'' and ''Perfect Velvet'' in the same year, along with the popularity of the single "Red Flavor" and the success of their albums overseas, Red Velvet achieved "top girl group" status in South Korea. This was further cemented when ''Perfect Velvet'' sold over 100,000 copies and "Peek-A-Boo" won first place on the music program ''
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 their last day of promotions for the song, proving its longevity on the charts.
2018: Worldwide recognition and ''Summer Magic''
The group released a reissue of ''
Perfect Velvet'', ''The Perfect Red Velvet'', on January 29, 2018. It included three new tracks, in addition to all the songs from ''Perfect Velvet'', with the single "Bad Boy" promoted as the lead single. The album topped the
Gaon Album Chart
The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Koreabased on their Record sales, physical sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, ...
upon release, while "Bad Boy" debuted at number two 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 ...
. ''The Perfect Red Velvet'' also charted at number three on ''
Billboard's''
World Albums chart, while "Bad Boy" debuted at number two on the
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. Red Velvet also entered the top 10 of ''Billboard''s
Social 50 chart for the first time at number nine. The album also marked the first time the group appeared on the
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...
, entering at number 87 and becoming only the seventh K-pop artist and the third female K-pop act to appear on the chart. Red Velvet promoted the song on various South Korean music shows, earning their first
music show win for "Bad Boy" on February 8 on ''
Show Champion
''Show Champion'' () is a South Korean music television program broadcast live by MBC M every Wednesday at Bitmaru Broadcasting Center in Ilsan.
Hosts
* Shindong (February 14, 2012 – December 25, 2012)
* Hahm Eun-jung (January 30, 2013 – ...
''. In December, ''Billboard'' named "Bad Boy" the best K-pop song of the year.
Red Velvet's solo concert Red Room was held in Tokyo, Japan on March 28 and 29 at the
Musashino Forest Sports Plaza, a 10,000-seat capacity venue built for the
2020 Tokyo Olympics. On the second day, the group announced that they would be officially debuting in Japan in July. On April 1, 2018, Red Velvet performed alongside other selected South Korean artists for
an inter-Korean concert in Pyongyang, North Korea, making them the first artist from SM Entertainment in fifteen years since
Shinhwa to perform in North Korea. Joy was unable to perform with the group due to scheduling conflicts with the filming of ''
Tempted''. On April 29, 2018, Red Velvet held their first fan meeting at the Rosemont Theater in Chicago, to an audience of 4,000. The event was first solo performance by a female K-pop group in the United States since 2016. The group later toured six Japanese cities in May and June to a total of 20,000 people. Their debut Japanese EP, ''
#Cookie Jar'', was released on July 4, 2018, by label
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 ...
and included six new songs, including the Japanese versions of "Dumb Dumb", "Russian Roulette" and "Red Flavor". Other songs on the album were "#Cookie Jar" ,"Aitai-tai", and "Cause It's You". The EP debuted at number three on the
Oricon Weekly Albums chart and sold 26,124 copies in its first week of release in Japan.
On July 19, 2018, Red Velvet announced that they would be making a comeback and that they had filmed their music video outdoors in Gyeonggi-do. The songs from the new album were performed at Red Velvet's second concert, Redmare, held in Seoul from August 4 to 5. On August 6, Red Velvet released their second summer EP, ''
Summer Magic'', containing eight tracks, including one bonus track and one
iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
exclusive track. Its lead single "
Power Up" earned the group a "
perfect all-kill" for the first time in their career when it topped all of South Korea's real-time, daily and weekly music charts upon release. The music video for "Power Up" was the only K-pop music video on ''Billboard''
's list of 50 best music videos of 2018. In September and October, the group brought their Redmare concerts to Bangkok, Taipei and Singapore. Red Velvet released their third album in the year and fifth EP overall on November 30. The six-track EP, ''
RBB,'' was supported by lead single "RBB (Really Bad Boy)" and its English version.
2019–2021: ''The ReVe Festival'' trilogy and ''Queendom''
On January 6, 2019, Red Velvet released their first Japanese digital single, "Sappy". They released another Japanese single, "Sayonara", on February 20. Both were included in their second Japanese EP, ''
Sappy'', released on May 29; the EP also included Japanese versions of "Peek-a-Boo", "Rookie" and "Power Up", as well as the original song "Swimming Pool". In February, Red Velvet embarked on the North American leg of their Redmare Tour. They held shows in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
,
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
,
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and
Newark in the United States and
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
and
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
in Canada, becoming the first K-pop girl group to hold a North American tour in three years. On April 5, Red Velvet were featured on a remixed version of "
Close to Me" by
Ellie Goulding and
Diplo
Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is a co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer; a member of the supergroup LSD (group), ...
, with members Yeri and Wendy contributing Korean lyrics to the song. The song won Choice Electronic/Dance Song at the
2019 Teen Choice Awards.
On June 19, Red Velvet released the EP ''
The ReVe Festival: Day 1'', which featured the lead single "
Zimzalabim" and served as the first entry of ''The ReVe Festival'' trilogy. Commercially, the CD version of the EP debuted atop the
Gaon Weekly Album Chart, and sold 156,993 copies by the end of 2019 in South Korea, placing thirty-seventh for the year. It was followed by the second EP of the series, ''
The ReVe Festival: Day 2'', and its lead single "
Umpah Umpah" on August 20. The album was a commercial success and debuted atop of
Gaon Weekly Album Chart, becoming the group's tenth number one album on the chart and extending their record as the girl group with most number one albums on the chart. The CD version of the EP debuted on the monthly chart of Gaon Album Chart with 107,554 copies sold; became the fourth best-selling album of the month August 2019; and placed fifty-first for the year, with 111,654 copies sold. In the same month, Red Velvet also released a soundtrack, titled "See the Stars", for the tvN drama ''
Hotel Del Luna''. On November 26, "Umpah Umpah" won Song of the Year at the 2019
Asia Artist Awards. The final release of the trilogy, ''
The ReVe Festival: Finale'', was released on December 23 as a repackage of two previous EPs, led by the single "
Psycho".
In November 2020, "Psycho" received platinum certification from the
Korea Music Content Association for surpassing 100 million streams. To promote ''The ReVe Festival'' trilogy, the group embarked on their third tour, La Rouge, which began in Seoul on November 23 and 24.
In early 2020, La Rouge continued as an arena tour in Japan without Wendy, who was injured in a stage accident during rehearsals at the 2019
SBS Gayo Daejeon on December 25. After three dates in Japan, the final two La Rouge concerts at Yokohama were postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
In 2020, Red Velvet were featured in the animated musical film ''
Trolls World Tour'', in which they represented the K-pop trolls, and their song "Russian Roulette" was featured in the film. The film had the biggest digital debut of all time and broke streaming records. On August 21, Red Velvet released their SM Station single, a cover of
BoA's "
Milky Way
The Milky Way or Milky Way Galaxy is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with the name describing the #Appearance, galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars in other arms of the galax ...
", as part of a project celebrating BoA's 20th debut anniversary. The release also marked Wendy's partial return to the group, eight months after her stage accident. On October 17, Red Velvet released another soundtrack for the tvN drama ''
Start-Up
A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses that do not intend ...
'', titled "Future". Red Velvet was the fifth most-streamed K-pop artist on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
in 2020.
On January 1, 2021, the group returned as five members after a one year of hiatus due to Wendy's injuries, for
SM Town Live Culture Humanity, an online concert broadcast live. On August 16, they released their sixth Korean EP, ''
Queendom'', alongside the
lead single of the same name. In South Korea, the EP debuted at number two on the
Gaon Album Chart
The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Koreabased on their Record sales, physical sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, ...
. The EP debuted at number 17 on the
UK Digital Albums,
and at number 41 on ''
Billboard Japan
''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine '' Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link (a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway), holding an exclusive licence fr ...
'' Hot Albums chart.
In the United States, ''Queendom'' debuted at numbers 16 and 11 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
Heatseekers Albums
The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...
and World Albums chart, respectively.
2022–present: ''The ReVe Festival 2022'', ''Bloom'', the R to V Tour, ''Chill Kill'' and ''Cosmic''
On February 21, 2022, it was announced that the group would hold a special live concert titled The ReVe Festival: Prologue on March 19–20.
The event was postponed until further notice as Irene, Joy, and Yeri tested positive for
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
on March 14. On March 21, they released the EP ''
The ReVe Festival 2022 – Feel My Rhythm'', a sequel of their 2019 trilogy ''The ReVe Festival'', alongside lead single "
Feel My Rhythm". By March 20, 2022, it was reported that ''The ReVe Festival 2022 – Feel My Rhythm'' accumulated 516,866 total pre-orders, a career high for Red Velvet, making them half-million sellers. The EP debuted at number two on the
Gaon Weekly Album Chart in the chart issue dated March 20–26, 2022,
before peaking at number one in the chart issue dated April 10–16, 2022, becoming the group's twelfth number-one album and extending their record as the girl group with the most number-one albums on the chart.
As of April 2022, ''The ReVe Festival 2022 – Feel My Rhythm'' sold 653,610 copies on the Gaon Chart, making it the group's best-selling physical release of their career. It was certified Double Platinum domestically for selling over 500,000 copies.
Red Velvet's first Japanese studio album, ''
Bloom'', featuring the lead single "Wildside", was released on April 6, 2022. ''Bloom'' debuted at number five on Japan's weekly
Oricon Albums Chart
The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon A ...
in the chart issue dated April 4–10, 2022.
It also peaked at number two on the component daily albums chart, and at number two on the ''
Billboard Japan
''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine '' Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link (a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway), holding an exclusive licence fr ...
'' Hot Albums chart.
The group released the EP ''
The ReVe Festival 2022 – Birthday'', alongside the lead single "
Birthday
A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage.
Many religion ...
", on November 28, 2022. On December 14, 2022, the group released the collaborative single "Beautiful Christmas" with labelmates
Aespa
Aespa ( ; , stylized in Letter case#All lowercase, all lowercase or as æspa) is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of four members: Karina (South Korean singer), Karina, Giselle (singer), Giselle, Winter ...
for
SM Town's album ''
2022 Winter SM Town: SMCU Palace''.
In March 2023, SM announced that the group's fourth concert tour,
R to V, would start in early April at
KSPO Dome in Seoul. In August 2023, SM confirmed that
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 ...
had renewed her contract with SM, although the duration of the renewal was not specified. In September 2023, SM confirmed that the group would be releasing their third studio album in November, marking it as the group's first Korean studio album release in six years after ''Perfect Velvet'' in 2017. On October 18, Red Velvet announced their third studio album ''
Chill Kill'' would be released on November 13. The album contains ten tracks including the lead single of the
same name.
On December 31, 2023, Red Velvet members Irene, Seulgi, and Wendy performed in the Philippines for the New Year's Countdown held in
Bonifacio Global City
Bonifacio Global City, also known as BGC, Global City, or The Fort, is a 240-hectare mixed-use estate and central business district located in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, Philippines. It is the home of the Philippine Stock Exchange, the national ...
(BGC),
Taguig
Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig (), is the List of cities in the Philippines, fifth-most populous city in the Philippines situated on the eastern shores of Metro Manila, the national capital region. It is a center for culture, finance ...
.
On June 10, 2024, it was announced that Red Velvet would be making a comeback on June 24 with the EP ''
Cosmic''. The lead single of the
same name and its music video were released along with the album. It was also announced that Red Velvet would be embarking on their tenth anniversary fancon tour,
Happiness: My Dear, ReVe1uv, from August 3 in Seoul. On July 5, SM announced that there would be an additional performance on August 2 in Seoul for the fancon tour due to selling out of all tickets for the original dates. On July 15, it was announced that Red Velvet would be releasing a new version of ''
Cosmic'' on August 1, the day of their tenth anniversary, with the addition of a new fan song "Sweet Dreams".
On April 4, 2025, SM Entertainment announced that its exclusive contracts with members Wendy and Yeri had ended, but the two will remain in the group and be involved in all future group activities.
Members
*
Irene ()
*
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 ...
()
*
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 ...
()
*
Joy ()
*
Yeri ()
Timeline
Note:
Yeri officially joined Red Velvet on March 11, 2015.
Sub-unit and solo endeavors
On April 21, 2020, SM Entertainment confirmed the formation of Red Velvet's first sub-unit,
Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi
Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi () is the first subunit of South Korean girl group Red Velvet (group), Red Velvet, formed by SM Entertainment in 2020. It is composed of members Irene (singer), Irene and Seulgi. The duo debuted on July 6, 2020, wit ...
, composed of members Irene and Seulgi. The duo released their debut extended play, ''
Monster
A monster is a type of imaginary or fictional creature found in literature, folklore, mythology, fiction and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes Anxiety, terror ...
'', on July 6.
Wendy was the first member of Red Velvet to debut as a soloist; her debut EP ''
Like Water'' was released on April 5, 2021. The five-track album includes a duet titled "Best Friend" with Seulgi, as well as the lead single "
Like Water", which compares one's existence and meaning to water and how it flows like fate. It conveyed a message of gratitude for the people who stood by her and hope for a new journey. Joy was the second member to make a solo debut, releasing her debut EP ''
Hello
Hello is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826.
Early uses
''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich Cou ...
'' on May 31, 2021. It featured six remakes of songs from 1990s and 2000s, including the lead single "
Hello
Hello is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826.
Early uses
''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich Cou ...
", originally released by Park Hye-kyung in 2003. Seulgi was the third member to debut as a soloist, releasing her first EP ''
28 Reasons'' on October 4, 2022. Irene, the fourth member to debut as a soloist, released her first EP ''
Like a Flower'' on November 26, 2024.
Artistry
Musical styles and themes
Red Velvet's music and public image play on contrasting "red" and "velvet" sides. The "red" side showcases a bubbly and vibrant image, while their "velvet" side is more mature and elegant. Their recent work mixes both sides to convey sensuality, color, and sophistication. Musically, the "red" side is predominantly of the
pop genre, and their "velvet" is primarily
R&B and
ballads; however, the group also experiments with other genres. Red Velvet's dual concept also affects the members'
styling. In their "red" concept, they are usually dressed in colorful clothing, such as pastel sweaters and skirts in "
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 ...
" and red doll costumes in "
Dumb Dumb". They are dressed more maturely for their "velvet" side, such as their
suits in "
Be Natural".
Image and reception
Red Velvet have been lauded for breaking stereotypes among popular girl groups in South Korea, who tend to fall under either "cute and pure" or "sexy". In a country where girl groups'
fanbases are mostly male, Taylor Glasby of ''
Dazed Digital'' noted that the majority of Red Velvet's fans are young women.
''IZE'' named the group as one of the successful female figures who helped transform the "passive image" of South Korean women in 2017. Red Velvet's musical versatility has led to recognition by ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine as one of the genre's standout K-pop groups. Janelle Okwodu from ''
Vogue'' wrote that throughout their career, "the critically acclaimed South Korean girl group has dominated the charts with their innovative pop sound". ''Billboard'' reported that Red Velvet were the overall favorite K-pop group of 2018 among fans of every gender and
sexual identity on the genre-specific community on popular internet forum
Reddit
Reddit ( ) is an American Proprietary software, proprietary social news news aggregator, aggregation and Internet forum, forum Social media, social media platform. Registered users (commonly referred to as "redditors") submit content to the ...
.
Red Velvet have topped the Girl Group Brand Power Ranking, published by the Korean Corporate Reputation Research Institute, several times. In November 2019,
''Billboard'' crowned Red Velvet as "the best idol group alive" and named "
Red Flavor" as the second-best K-pop song of the 2010s. Red Velvet's performance in
Pyongyang
Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...
in 2018—which made them the seventh idol group to perform in North Korea and the first since 2003—was part of a wider diplomatic initiative between South Korea and North Korea and earned the group a commendation from South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for their contributions in spreading South Korean popular culture. Discussing the
Korean Wave
The Korean Wave, or ''hallyu'' (; ), is a cultural phenomenon in which the global popularity of South Korean popular culture has dramatically risen since the 1990s. Worldwide interest in Korean culture has been led primarily by the spread of K-p ...
in 2018, the director of the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange cited Red Velvet as a major contributor and one of the country's most talented idol groups who have "largely promoted K-pop" around the world. In 2024, Red Velvet was ranked at number 8 in a
Gallup Korea survey of the most popular girl groups of the 21st century, tied with
Aespa
Aespa ( ; , stylized in Letter case#All lowercase, all lowercase or as æspa) is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of four members: Karina (South Korean singer), Karina, Giselle (singer), Giselle, Winter ...
and
Kara.
Discography
Korean albums
* ''
The Red'' (2015)
* ''
Perfect Velvet'' (2017)
* ''
Chill Kill'' (2023)
Japanese albums
* ''
Bloom'' (2022)
Filmography
Film
Reality show
Video albums
* Red Velvet DVD & Blu-ray Red Velvet 1st Concert "Red Room" in Japan
* Red Velvet DVD & Blu-ray " Red Velvet 2nd Concert "Redmare" in Japan
Tours and concerts
Headlining
*
Red Room (2017–2018)
*
Redmare (2018–2019)
*
La Rouge (2019–2020)
*
R to V (2023)
Fan-concert
*
Happiness: My Dear, ReVe1uv (2024)
Concert participation
*
SM Town Live World Tour IV (2014–2015)
* SM Town Live World Tour V (2016)
* SM Town Live World Tour VI (2017–2018)
*
A-nation Online 2020 (2020)
*
SM Town Live Culture Humanity (2021)
*
SM Town Live 2022: SMCU Express at Kwangya (2022)
*
SM Town Live 2022: SMCU Express at Human City Suwon (2022)
*
SM Town Live 2022: SMCU Express at Tokyo (2022)
*
SM Town Live 2023: SMCU Palace at Kwangya (2023)
*
SM Town Live 2025: The Culture, the Future (2025)
Awards and nominations
See also
*
List of best-selling girl groups
References
External links
*
Official website (2020 archive)
{{Authority control
2014 establishments in South Korea
Avex Trax artists
K-pop music groups
Melon Music Award winners
MAMA Award winners
Musical groups established in 2014
Musical groups from Seoul
South Korean musical quintets
SM Entertainment artists
SM Town
South Korean girl groups
South Korean dance music groups
South Korean contemporary R&B musical groups
Japanese-language singers of South Korea
South Korean expatriates in Japan
Circle Chart Music Award winners