How Red Velvet’s Concept Helped Make Them One of Korea’s Most Unique Girl Groups
In a world where many K-Pop groups use complex concepts to create the universe their music and music videos take place in, Red Velvet’s seemingly simple concept shows that sometimes less is more!
Red Velvet’s concept wholly revolves around their name. The title tracks they release fall into either the “Red” category, or the “Velvet” category. It’s as simple as that!
Red Velvet’s “Red” side is sweet, bubbly, and innocent pop music as shown in title tracks “Dumb Dumb,” “Rookie,” and “Peek-A-Boo.”
Their “Velvet” side is characterized by softer, more sultry R&B. Some “Velvet” tracks include 2016’s “Cool Hot Sweet Love” and the 2018 global phenomenon “Bad Boy.”
Some people may not see this as much of a concept, especially when compared to the in-depth concepts of groups like BTS and LOONA, but the simplicity of the concept is where the genius lies.
Switching music styles can be risky especially when you’re a group trying to build a fanbase, but that inconsistency is the entire base Red Velvet has built their fandom on.
Fans are always eagerly anticipating which “side” Red Velvet’s next comeback be. There are numerous polls online with fans categorizing each song, voting on their favorite side, and even identifying themselves as either “Red” or “Velvet”.
Their Red vs. Velvet concept surprisingly does not limit the kind of music they make. Red Velvet are known for filling their albums with a wide array of genres and music styles. These songs can’t easily be categorized as Red or Velvet, but that just makes it more fun for the fans!
Whether you prefer “Red” songs like “Red Flavor,” something more “Velvet” like “Little Little” or something in-between like “Blue Lemonade” one thing is for sure: whatever Red Velvet does, they do it exceptionally well.
As their next comeback has yet to be confirmed, all we can do is speculate about which side Red Velvet will show us next. Until then, fans can enjoy Yeri’s self-composed solo song called “Dear Diary” which was released for SM Station 3 on March 14.
