generasia:Featured article for 2019 week 22
Red Velvet
Red Velvet (레드벨벳) is a Korean pop girl group formed by SM Entertainment. They debuted in 2014 as a four-member group with the digital single "Haengbok (Happiness)". In 2015, Yeri was added for the group's comeback with Ice Cream Cake.
Since their debut, eight of their albums have topped South Korea's Gaon Album Chart. Their songs "Ice Cream Cake", "Dumb Dumb", "Russian Roulette", "ROOKIE", "Peek-A-Boo", "Bad Boy" have all charted in the top five of the Gaon Digital Chart, while their songs "Bbalgan Mat (Red Flavor)" and "Power Up" topped the chart upon their release. Additionally, they made their Japanese debut in July 2018 with the mini-album #Cookie Jar. Red Velvet is regarded as one of the most popular K-pop groups worldwide by Time and Billboard and have received several awards for music, choreography, and popularity, including the Golden Disc New Artist Award in 2015 and the Mnet Asian Music Award for Best Female Group in 2017. 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" while discussing the Hallyu Wave in 2018.
Red Velvet is known for their dual concepts dubbed as their "red" and "velvet" sides, which influence their styling and the music they release. The group's "red" half produces singles predominantly of the pop genre due to its bright and more youthful nature while their more mature "velvet" concept has spawned tracks primarily in the R&B genre. This concept has earned the group international praise for their versatility and diverse music.
Their second Japanese mini-album, SAPPY, is released this week on May 29th.
