Red Velvet Finishes The Year 2023 With A Bang

Red Velvet Official

It’s the new year and the K-Pop business is livelier than ever. There are numerous performance stages, festivals, and award shows. Although fans wished Red Velvet would appear in more programs and shows, like their fellow peers, the girls did not disappoint with their achievements as the year closes. Red Velvet made their long-awaited comeback last November with their 3rd studio album “Chill Kill.” Not only were Luvies (Red Velvet’s fandom) ecstatic with more Red Velvet songs, including extra content from the girls, music critics and the industry warmly welcomed the girls back. Despite facing a tough battle against strong 4th generation groups like aespa and IVE, Red Velvet managed to get their 84th music show win on “Show! Music Core” for their title track ‘Chill Kill’ on their 10th year in the evolving industry. A feat to behold indeed!

‘Chill Kill’ reached No.1 on Circle Album Chart, marking their 13th album to enter the category since their debut, an undeniable feat for a girl group approaching their 10th anniversary! Critics praised the artistry and creativity behind Red Velvet’s ‘Chill Kill’ music video and was ranked No. 12 on Genius Korea charts. Billboard named “Chill Kill” among the top 25 best K-Pop albums of 2023 at no. 22 (despite the album being released only in November 2023). Apple Music listed ‘Chill Kill’ as part of their “A-List: K-Pop 2023” at no. 13. Red Velvet solidifies their status as “B-side Queens” when NME ranks ‘Knock Knock (Who’s There?)’ at No. 9 for “25 Best K-Pop Songs of 2023,” among popular 3rd and 4th generation male and female groups’ title tracks! In the words of NME, “With their Chill Kill album, they not only remind listeners of their profound presence amid shifting tides, but school new groups on how to achieve an enduring legacy.” This further confirms Red Velvet’s everlasting presence globally among fans, casual listeners, and even music critics. 

Bonifacio Global City (BGC) Taguig New Year’s Eve Countdown celebration was trending on the internet with the final reveal of their performing line-up. This marks the return of Red Velvet’s unnie line consisting of: Irene, SeulGi, and Wendy! Affectionately known by fans as Red Velvet’s “Expired ice-cream line,” after they consumed expired ice-cream literally while doing a live during their early days, they traveled to the Philippines and performed their subunit and solo songs to ring in the new year! Four songs were performed by them in total (2 as a subunit and 2 solo songs) on New Year’s Eve. The trio counted down with Luvies into 2024 with a wonderful display of fireworks, while singing along to their all-time favorite hit summer track ‘Red Flavor’.

Red Velvet Finishes The Year 2023 With A Bang

Bonifacio Global City Official

Will you believe me if I told you that it has been 3 years since Red Velvet’s subunit Irene and SeulGi performed their dual title tracks ‘Monster’ and ‘Naughty’ from their debut extended play (EP) named “Monster”? Now you know the reason why Luvies are emotional after news broke that the duo would perform those 2 songs. Arguably, SM entertainment’s best subunit, the duo released their debut EP in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. They concluded their performances and promotions without a single live audience, due to the restrictions in place. This celebration in the Philippines was the subunit’s 1st live performance of their songs! The subunit’s title track ‘Monster’ topped iTunes charts in 45 countries and made a debut at No. 1 for Bugs, No. 3 on Melon, and No. 4 in Genie! Additionally, Irene and SeulGi brought home a music show win with their title track ‘Monster’ on Music Bank. The duo did a performance for “TIME 100 Talks” during their promotions at the time. What an reputable honor! The numerous fancams during the New Year’s Eve countdown showed that despite the passing of time, ASeul (fans’ nickname for the duo) is still the only one capable of performing their difficult song with strenuous choreography. It is a powerful performance to behold, and Luvies celebrated not just because we finally got to see ASeul perform live, but with the hint of the formidable duo’s potential return in 2024.

Till today, well-known dancers and choreographers continuously praised (and cried over) ASeul’s insane ‘Naughty’ choreography. ‘Naughty’ is a song that is based completely on tutting, a dance style that is complex and notoriously difficult, because it consists of angular movements being made by the body, all the way to even the fingertips! The poses are like Egyptian arts, which was where the inspiration for that dance came from. It requires a high level of precision, flexibility, and coordination to pull off the stunt according to the song’s rhythm. Most dancers avoid this type of dancing style because it is extremely hard to do it satisfyingly. If a person is a single beat off or an angle isn’t right, the whole choreography would not be aesthetically pleasing. This did not stop Irene and SeulGi from performing this choreography flawlessly 3 years ago and even at the New Year’s Eve countdown. Everyone knows that Irene has the greatest chemistry with SeulGi, and if there’s anyone that can keep up with our dance machine (SeulGi), it’s without a doubt, Irene. Three years later, ASeul delivered the same intensity and precision with this song, making it a sight for the audience to behold. Only Red Velvet’s Irene and SeulGi can do this. It was pure daylight robbery that we only got to see ASeul perform live 3 years from their debut! Luvies hope that ASeul would be able to do more live performances of their songs both domestically and internationally with the new year. Also, is it too much to ask for a comeback in 2024 for our beloved duo? It’s been too long already! It would be a wise move for SM entertainment to seriously consider Irene and SeulGi’s subunit comeback, given how well-received their performances were internationally, even after such a long hiatus. 

SeulGi did not just give us a thrilling New Year’s Eve performance alongside Irene, accompanied by Wendy. She gave Luvies a wonderful surprise with her participation in “Unexpected Business 3” Original Soundtrack (OST)! SeulGi sang ‘Polaroid’ on the OST and the song made a debut at No. 26 on Worldwide iTunes Song Chart (even though the song was announced only 3 hours before its release)! The song allows us to appreciate SeulGi’s vocals more as it’s a “Sophisticated, trap hip-hop style song with impressive guitar sounds with rock-like elements.” Kang SeulGi is our ace all-rounder indeed! 

SeulGi gave Luvies a good amount of content this year, aside from her group activities with Red Velvet. However, if you are an all-rounder ace, fans will always be hungry for more. Besides her multiple solo endorsement deals like AMUSE and Adobe Photoshop to name a few, SeulGi had several solo performances domestically and internationally! Fans were thrilled with the news of SeulGi guesting on “Dancing Queens on the Road,” a nationwide concert tour featuring established artists in the industry including: Kim WanSun, BoA, Uhm JungHwa, Lee HyoRi, and HwaSa! SeulGi first encountered “Korea’s Madonna,” Kim WanSun, while filming “Level Up Season 4” (Red Velvet’s own reality variety show) to promote ASeul’s “Monster” EP. We were able to see SeulGi’s interactions with Kim WanSun, as the veteran dancer gave our ace an opportunity to explore more about freestyle dancing. ‘Korea’s Madonna’ had nothing but praises for SeulGi as not just her junior, but for her kind personality. It seemed like the experience paid off, after her guesting, SeulGi attended KAMPFEST CDX 2023, an established K-Pop festival in Mexico City as a soloist! SeulGi performed 9 songs! She performed 5 songs from her solo debut EP “28 Reasons” which were: ’28 Reasons’ (title track), ‘Dead Man Runnin” (Seulgi wrote the lyrics for this), ‘Bad Boy, Sad Girl (featuring BeO)’, ‘Los Angeles’, and ‘Anywhere but Home’. She even covered Sza’s ‘Kill Bill’ armed with her white customized microphone, a heartfelt gift from her fans. SeulGi went further to give us her special rendition of Red Velvet’s songs like: ‘Psycho’, ‘Bad Boy’, ‘Look’, and ‘Automatic’! SeulGi displayed a wonderful performance and made full use of her freestyle techniques influenced by Kim WanSun, while incorporating her specialized skills in tutting. Lastly, SeulGi brought home a Bonsang at the “2023 K Global Heart Dream Awards” for ’28 Reasons’, showing us the success of her soloist debut and making fans eager for her next comeback.  

Although Irene did not have the same number of solo activities outside of Red Velvet as her other fellow members (much to the dismay of her fans), I personally expect of more things to come from our “Leader of the generation”. The year 2023 marks the grand ceremonious return of Irene into the commercial film (CF) business, when 2aN announced Irene would be their official brand ambassador. Make-up products flew off the shelves and online pre-orders were sold out within minutes when Irene’s endorsed products were released. “MAMA Award 2023” attendees were even treated to a huge commercial of Irene in the Tokyo Dome during the ceremony. This only proves of Irene’s commercial power and the ever-lasting presence of her brand deals. Before the year ended, it was also announced that Irene would be gracing the covers of WAVES Chinese magazine as their model. Luvies could not be more excited as Irene returns to the commercial spotlight after a 3-year hiatus from endorsement deals. 

 
 
 
 
 
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Irene is fully aware of her fans being thirsty for more exclusive solo content from her. Her fan sign conversations would always bring up enquires about her potential solo debut in the future and Luvies are curious about what genres Irene would like to try. Therefore, she tries her utmost best to meet Luvies in other ways. Irene’s birthday party was held at the YES24 Live Hall venue (her location that is different from her other band members) with 1000 lucky fans in attendance. Irene and fans spent a wholesome time together, interacting and engaging in games. Irene even did a powerful and alluring cover of Ariana Grande’s ‘Focus’, incorporating “hair flipping” choreography that Irene personally likes. Our “best women of the generation” went on to melodiously sing a cover of Kwon JinAh’s song ‘Flower Heart’. As if it wasn’t enough for Luvies, Irene then performed an unreleased new song ‘KaChing’, much to the cheers of everyone in the audience. It is worth noting that SM entertainment has not yet released an official version of Irene’s ‘KaChing’ to date, thus we only can console ourselves with a well taken fancam by Irene’s fansite, “ThinkB.”

If there’s 1 thing that wasn’t in my 2023 “Bingo” card, it was Irene doing an entire vlog series for her fans. Even her members were impressed with Irene’s efforts and strict dedication to filming her vlogs during the entirety of Red Velvet’s “RtoV” Concert Europe Tour! Affectionately titled by Irene as “Sweet Simple Series”, we are offered glimpses of Irene’s journey behind the scenes of Red Velvet’s schedules, as she goes exploring different cities and monumental landmarks. Irene spent time with her staff and fellow members at different parts of the vlogs, which led to some hilarious moments (such as when she was trying to spend a peaceful time at a canal, only to have her break her slippers midway). We got to see rare moments of Irene being a talkative daughter, where the famous idol got to spend vacation time with her mother overseas, while conversing in her Daegu dialect. It’s a different side of Irene we don’t get to see so often, and fans are seated for it! Here’s to hoping we get more “Sweet Simple Series” and other solo endeavors from our awesome leader in the year 2024!

Wendy performed 2 songs from her 1st solo EP singing title track ‘Like Water’ and ‘Why Can’t You Love Me?’ at the New Year’s Eve countdown. Wendy appeared in a long beautiful white high slit gown and sang her heart out, showcasing her talented and famed live vocals to the crowd. Numerous fancams showed Luvies singing along to Wendy’s award-winning ballad title track and her B-side. The 2 songs belong to her debut solo EP titled “Like Water,” which was released in 2021. The other songs in the album include: co-title track ‘When This Rain Stops’, ‘The Road’, and a duet with fellow member, SeulGi, ‘Best Friend’. With confirmations of Wendy’s solo comeback in the year 2024, Luvies are excited to see what new songs Wendy will add to our playlists.

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Wendy is Red Velvet’s busiest member at the current moment. It’s a wonder if she’s still human (throwback to Red Velvet’s joke of Wendy having multiple appearances as AI during their 7th anniversary live). Wendy proudly reassured Luvies that she is asking SM entertainment for more personal schedules and singing gigs. True to her word, Wendy delivered. First off, she thrilled the fandom with news of her participation in the “Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Christmas Festival”! It’s a record for the books to have 1 of South Korea’s famous orchestra performing alongside with you! Wendy deserves this honor, after all she is arguably 1 of the best 3rd generation vocalist of this era! Wendy arrived with enchanting looks, donned in a black and white dress, and sang Christmas classics: ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ and ‘My Grown Up Christmas List’. The general audience was given a heavenly present this Christmas with Wendy’s charming vocals accompanied by the acclaimed Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Wendy sang her title track ‘When This Rain Stops’ as well, giving Luvies an opportunity to hear the song with a live orchestra.  

As if it wasn’t enough, Wendy said “Let’s sing more!” Wendy guested on Park MyungSoo’s Radio Show Special Public Broadcast “DEEP IN THE LIGHT.” This time she sang ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’, her other title track from her 1st solo EP “Like Water,” and her heartwarming duet with SeulGi ‘Best Friend’. Who would have thought we could potentially relive a K-Drama moment in real life? Snow lightly falling on the streets, Wendy clothed in a white fluffy coat, singing a Christmas carol and her soothing songs. It doesn’t get any more romantic than this, does it? Park MyungSoo and Luvies alike were concerned with Wendy’s light clothing in the chilly weather. But Wendy reassured everyone she’s alright, especially since she grew up in Canada (1 of the coldest places on earth)!

Everyone is fully aware of Wendy’s bold endeavor into the musical world when she was cast as 1 of the lead characters “I” in the 10th anniversary of the musical “Rebecca.” This was a genius move by Wendy, as confirmed by her fellow Red Velvet members because it would bring her vocal abilities to another level and give her a chance to showcase her acting skills. The results were clear when Joy and SeulGi said her voice has become “louder and more open” during their 9th anniversary live. Wendy, along with her cast members, earned 5 stars from the Press Review for “Rebecca”, with critics praising the cast for their vocals and acting, leaving a lasting impression on the audience. In the words of Irene, “I cried the moment I saw Wendy…thinking back to how far she has come” when she watched Wendy’s performance.

One would think Wendy is already packed but guess what, she has more to offer! Wendy continued to showcase her amazing voice acting talents by dubbing the Korean version of the movie “Trolls: Band Together” alongside RIIZE’s EunSeok as characters Poppy and Branch respectively! It is the animated sequel to “Trolls World Tour,” the sequel is about how a famous idol group broke up, causing 2 troll siblings to embark on a mission to reunite them. The story heavily emphasizes on sibling relationships, which would be a delight for family viewers. They promoted the movie by going on popular YouTube channel ODG, offering good advice to children on how to resolve some sibling woes in the most adorable way. Check it out below for some laughs and appreciate Wendy’s and EunSeok’s gentleness with their interaction with kids!

Finally, the last thing on Wendy’s to-do-list… as of now. Wendy was announced as 1 of the judges for Mnet’s “Build Up: Vocal Boy Group Survival” program in 2024. Wendy will be joined by powerful vocalists in the industry which includes: LEESEOKHOON, BaekHo, BTOB’s EunKwang, and MAMAMOO’s Solar. A star-studded line-up of judges indeed! We can’t wait to see Wendy acting as a mentor for younger generations of K-Pop singers. The boys will be in good hands if you have Wendy as 1 of the judges, who will give them supportive and much needed constructive feedback to improve their singing abilities. 

What happens if you have a multi-talented group with members that you can always brag about? That’s what happened in “2023 APAN’s Star Awards” with Red Velvet’s maknae line. It’s not every day you have “Red Velvet versus Red Velvet” in an award category. Joy and YeRi were both nominated for the Excellence Award for Actress in a Webseries! Joy was nominated for her role as an optimistic policewoman in a small village in “Once Upon a Small Town” (as shown on Netflix) and YeRi as the complex heiress to a business empire for “Bitch x Rich” (that was recently made available worldwide on Netflix). Not only do they make Luvies proud as Red Velvet, but they also impress us with their stellar acting! They were both nominated alongside well-known actresses like YeRi’s fellow co-star, Lee EunSaem, Oh YooJin (“New Love Playlist”), and Ryu HyeYoung (“Adult Kids”). Ultimately, YeRi took home the prize in her ethereal white gown, marking another significant milestone to her career. 

This is YeRi’s 2nd recognition for her role as Baek JenNa in “Bitch x Rich”, after she won a Daesang (Grand Prize) for Female Acting-Idol at the “2023 Brand of the Year Awards.” Fans and drama critics are anxiously waiting for news of a possible “Bitch x Rich” season 2 and the next comeback for actress YeRi in 2024. As testimony to YeRi’s growth and praiseworthy acting skills, this is only YeRi’s 4th project outside of her Red Velvet activities and she is gathering the attention of viewers in acting. YeRi debuted in a one-act “Drama Stage: Mint Condition” in 2021 before landing her 1st lead role in “Blue Birthday.” Before the release of “Bitch x Rich,” YeRi was cast in the lead role of “Applause,” a short drama that raises awareness of youth disability and guide dogs. Luvies could not be more proud of how far Red Velvet’s endearing maknae has come as not just Red Velvet’s YeRi, but as actress Kim YeRim herself.   

Red Velvet Finishes The Year 2023 With A Bang

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The only reason the lack of support and promotions Red Velvet had during ‘Chill Kill’ era was bearable (debatable), it’s because of Joy. Earlier this year Joy took a health hiatus to recuperate, which left Luvies incomplete and deprived. However, it seemed like the hiatus served Joy well. Joy came back with full force and gave her absolute all to Red Velvet and their album. As confirmed by the members on numerous occasions, Joy carried the concept of ‘Chill Kill’, giving the most input and suggestions on the direction of their album. Joy did not stop there; she even took it upon herself to increase Red Velvet’s social media presence (as she currently has the highest number of followers in Red Velvet on Instagram). She took to Weverse to hear of Luvies’ opinions when materials slowly dropped, leading up to release day. Joy also counseled Luvies to wait patiently when Wendy’s teaser was not released. She used her strong online presence to promote ‘Chill Kill’ and even took the time to give Luvies hints along the way about the album. 

Joy deliberately went out of her way to promote Red Velvet during their ‘Chill Kill’ era and listened to Luvies’ opinions. Joy made use of her connections as host of “Animal Farm” (a well-known local live reality variety) to give herself and SeulGi a 2-day and 1-night promotional gig, looking after 11 dogs! Although she personally admitted that she was shy to do TikTok with others, Joy did a good number of challenges with her members and other fellow artists! Joy showed her cleverness by improvising several challenges to not just focus on trending choreography (which several artists have admitted, it can be burdensome), but to showcase their concept of ‘Chill Kill’ in literal sense. This led to 1 endearing moment when Joy and SeulGi ambushed Irene in her dressing room for a sudden challenge video, creating some meme worthy moments.   

 
 
 
 
 
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No one could blame Luvies for being frustrated with SM entertainment for not giving Red Velvet what the girls rightfully deserved. Till today, Red Velvet has none of the following content: performance video, dance practice, and the behind videos for those. These videos have become a staple to any group’s comeback in recent times. It is understandably upsetting to fans, especially since this is a full studio album. The girls are fully aware of their fans’ disappointment and have on several occasions apologized on their company’s behalf. Joy even uploaded short behind clips of her own, showcasing their “Killing Voice” recording behind and potentially a ‘Chill Kill’ dance practice. Joy could proudly claim the title of “Red Velvet’s content and promotions manager” at this point. 

However, all is not lost. Although Joy was not in attendance at the “2023 APAN’s Star Awards,” she was nominated for the Excellence Award for Actress in a Webseries, alongside band member, YeRi, as previously mentioned. Joy’s drama “Once Upon a Small Town” was in Netflix’s Global Top 10 list of most watched TV (non-English) and entered Netflix Top 10 in 33 countries for 2022. It even gained the recognition of Time Magazine and was in their 10 Best Korean Dramas of 2022 list! Joy’s lead role as a charming, altruistic police officer in this healing drama certainly puts her in the acting spotlight domestically and globally. Fans could not get enough of Joy’s acting and can’t wait for her next drama project. Additionally, Joy closed the year with a promise to Luvies to show more sides of her in 2024, including her appearance on “Animal Farm”‘s last episode of the year (making everyone awestruck with her fashion and beauty) and having a mini acapella concert on Bubble.

Wow, what an eventful year with Red Velvet! Luvies have much to look forward to in the new year with confirmation plans for a special 10th anniversary album from Red Velvet. We wish Red Velvet good health and the best in the new year as a group and for their individual activities!

This article was created by a Fan Writer and posted without edits, according to our guidelines. Views expressed are solely those of the Fan Writer and not representative of Kpopmap.
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