Red Velvet is without a doubt one of the most accomplished and well-loved K-pop girl groups to date. They've released a slew of bangers and bops and stun audiences with their live performances—their vocals and choreography are no joke. But if you're just new into the K-pop scene, here's a guide on what you need to know about Red Velvet.
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Red Velvet debuted under SM Entertainment in 2014 as a four-piece girl group—Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, and Joy—with the digital single "Happiness".
But in early 2015, SM Entertainment surprised the public with a new addition to the group: former SM Rookies member Yeri. The new five-piece group launched their second single "Ice Cream Cake" to critical and commercial success.
In 2017, Red Velvet revealed their official fandom name: ReVeLuv (pronounced as re-ve-love). Being in the industry for six years, Red Velvet has been known to have two distinct concepts for their music releases: "red" (playful and upbeat) and "velvet" (sultry and edgy). They've since released two full-length albums—The Red (2015) and Perfect Velvet (2017)—and 11 EPs. Their most recent single, "Psycho", was dubbed by Billboard as one of 2019's best K-pop songs of the year.
So, curious to know who the members of Red Velvet are? Read on below to get ~acquainted~ to this super-talented girl group.
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Irene: Leader, rapper, dancer, vocalist, visual, center
The leader and oldest member of Red Velvet is 29-year-old Irene. Born as Bae Joo Hyun, Irene is the mom of the group—especially to their youngest member, Yeri. She may have a cold and quiet demeanor on the outside, but because of her introversion, only shows her warmth to those closest to her. She's a multi-talented star and has also dabbled in acting in the past few years. Irene will soon star in a new coming-of-age film titled Double Patty, alongside Shin Seung Ho. Most recently, she was launched as one of Prada's newest brand ambassadors with EXO's Chanyeol.
Seulgi: Dancer, vocalist
26-year-old Seulgi has one of the most unique personalities in Red Velvet. She's offbeat, cooky, and is unafraid to show her quirks to her fans. But apart from her infectious charm, Seulgi dominates the dance floor with her distinct and precise dance skills. In July 2020, Seulgi and Irene were launched as Red Velvet's first sub-unit, Irene & Seulgi. For their title track "Monster", the two showcased chilling and memorable stage performances. As for her personal activities, Seulgi has been an ambassador for Converse for several years now.
Wendy: Vocalist
Wendy, 26, has a warm and caring personality and is fluent in English after having spent her formative years in Canada. She is Red Velvet's power vocalist with skills that come unmatched. Over the years, Wendy has sung for a number of drama OSTs and has collaborated with some of the biggest artists, like John Legend with the song "Written In The Stars". Wendy is currently recovering from the injuries she sustained during Red Velvet's rehearsals for the SBS Gayo Daejeon in December 2019. She had to go on hiatus from group activities since then but recently made an appearance for Red Velvet's cover of BoA's "Milky Way". Wendy will be making her solo debut with her first mini-album Like Water on April 5!
Joy: Rapper, vocalist
Although only 24-years-old, Joy is actually one of Red Velvet's most grounded members and sometimes acts like a mature, older sister figure to the group. Joy also has this sexy public persona, but in real life, she's actually a softie who loves receiving affection from her members. Joy has also done the most on-screen work as an actress among the group and has appeared in several variety shows and dramas over the years. She's since headlined two dramas: The Liar And His Lover (2017) and Tempted (2018).
Yeri: Vocalist, rapper, maknae
Yeri is the youngest member of Red Velvet and debuted when she was only 16-years-old. Now 21, she's loved by fans and fellow idols alike for infectious and playful personality. Yeri is also quite the social butterfly and has many industry friends not only from SM Entertainment but from other agencies as well. She also frequently does music collaborations, the most recent of which was for the single "Sorrow" with Ravi and Kim Woo Seok.
For more Red Velvet goodness, check out their other addictive MVs below:
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