The Velvet
| The Velvet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| EP by Red Velvet | ||||
| Released | March 17, 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 2015–2016 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:03 | |||
| Language | Korean | |||
| Label | S.M. Entertainment | |||
| Producer | Lee Soo-man | |||
| Red Velvet chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Velvet | ||||
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The Velvet is the second mini album by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. It was released on March 17, 2016, by S.M. Entertainment.
The album is the spiritual successor of their first full-length album The Red, which was released in September 2015. Following the group's concept, while The Red focused on their vivid and bright "red" image, The Velvet focuses on their smooth and soft "velvet" image.[1] The EP consists of five songs plus three remixes of the title track, "One of These Nights".
Background and release
While promoting their last album at a press conference on September 8, 2015, the members and the company hinted at a follow-up album to The Red, although an S.M. Entertainment representative clarified that nothing had been scheduled yet.[2][3] In October 2015, Wendy confirmed on an interview that an album was "coming after The Red".[4]
On March 2, 2016, an S.M. Entertainment representative revealed that the group had completed filming a music video for the album's title track.[5] S.M. Entertainment began dropping teasers of the members on the group's official Instagram account on March 10 and later confirmed a March 16 release date and the title track "7월7일 (One of These Nights)". The single is described as an R&B ballad with a polished rhythm.[6]
Delay
Ten minutes before its intended release on March 16, S.M. Entertainment announced that the music video and album's release would be delayed to March 17 "to guarantee a high quality of work". The band apologized to their disappointed fans on the March 16 broadcast of 'Good Morning FM', where they talked about their new album and its title track.[7]
Promotions
Red Velvet held a special broadcast through the Naver app V on March 15, showing their new hairstyles for the first time as they talked about their preparations for their 'comeback'.[8] After the announcement of their album's delay, the group appeared on the March 16 broadcast of 'Good Morning FM' to talk about the album and the title track, "7월7일 (One of These Nights)". The group also held another special broadcast on the V app hours before the album's release. Red Velvet started their promotions on music shows through M! Countdown where they performed both the title track and "Cool Hot Sweet Love".[9]
Composition
The title track "7월7일 (One of These Nights)" is described as an R&B ballad with a polished rhythm. The song was composed by Hwang Chan-hee, Andreas Öberg & Maria Marcus and penned by Seo Ji-eum of Jam Factory, who also wrote the lyrics for "Dumb Dumb". The album includes four versions of the song; the normal version, the De-Capo version, the Joe Millionaire version and the Piano version. The song also drew inspiration from the Korean festival Chilseok, which is celebrated on the seventh the day of the seventh month ("7월7일"). The original tale tells the story of lovers Jiknyeo and Gyeonwu, who were separated by the heavenly king and only allowed to meet on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar.[10]
The album also includes R&B tracks "Cool Hot Sweet Love" and "Light Me Up". "Rose Scent Breeze" is a ballad sung only by Wendy, Seulgi and Joy and is a remake of a 1989 song by S.M. Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man.[11]
Music video
The music video for "7월7일 (One of These Nights)" gives off a vibe similar to the music video of their song "Automatic" with its transitions and dream-like scenes. Some members' styling appears to have been inspired by classic Disney princesses, where Irene is Snow White, Yeri is Sleeping Beauty, and Wendy with her bright red hair is Ariel.[1] Yeri also mentioned this resemblance on the group's special V episode on Naver.[8]
Reception and commercial performance
Billboard called the title track "the group's most expressive vocal performances to date" and The Velvet debuted at number 8 on its World Albums Chart.[10][12] The Star's Chester Chin praised the album's "languorous build-up", adding that One of These Nights' "indie sensibilities" is an "assured step in the right direction" for the girl group.[13] The album topped Gaon's Weekly Albums Chart and "7월7일 (One of These Nights)" debuted at number 10 on the Gaon Singles Chart. The other songs except the other versions of the title track also charted.
Red Velvet won their first music show trophy for the song on March 22 on The Show.[14]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One of These Nights" (7월 7일) | Seo Ji-eum (Jam Factory) | Hwang Chan-hee, Andreas Öberg, Maria Marcus | Hwang Chan-hee, Lee Sung-joo, Hong So-jin | 04:21 |
| 2. | "Cool Hot Sweet Love" | Kenzie | Daniel Obi Klein, Charlotte Taft, Michael Nordmark, Thomas Sardorf | Daniel Obi Klein, Charlotte Taft, Michael Nordmark, Thomas Sardorf | 03:53 |
| 3. | "Light Me Up" | Kenzie | Kenzie, Deez, Rodnae "Chikk" Bell | Deez | 03:32 |
| 4. | "First Time" (처음인가요) | Kenzie | Kenzie | 04:02 | |
| 5. | "Rose Scent Breeze" (장미꽃 향기는 바람에 날리고) (Seulgi, Wendy, Joy) | Jung Hye-kyung | Hong Jong-ha | Park Gun-chul, Jung Soo-min | 04:52 |
| 6. | "One of These Nights" (7월 7일; De-Capo Version) | Seo Ji-eum | Hwang Chan-hee, Andreas Öberg, Maria Marcus | De-Capo Music Group & Rod Bonner | 04:11 |
| 7. | "One of These Nights" (7월 7일; Joe Millionaire Version) | Seo Ji-eum | Hwang Chan-hee, Andreas Öberg, Maria Marcus | Joe "Joe Millionaire" Foster | 04:07 |
| 8. | "One of These Nights" (7월 7일; Piano Version) | Seo Ji-eum | Hwang Chan-hee, Andreas Öberg, Maria Marcus | Hwang Chan-hee, Andreas Öberg, Maria Marcus | 04:05 |
| Total length: | 33:03 | ||||
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[15] | 75 |
| South Korean Albums (Gaon) | 1 |
| US Billboard World Albums[12] | 8 |
Awards and nominations
Music program awards
| Song | Program | Date |
|---|---|---|
| "One of These Nights" | The Show (SBS MTV) | March 22, 2016 |
| Show Champion (MBC Music) | March 23, 2016 | |
| M! Countdown (Mnet) | March 24, 2016 | |
| Music Bank (KBS) | March 25, 2016 | |
| Inkigayo (SBS) | March 27, 2016 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | March 17, 2016 | Digital download | S.M. Entertainment |
| South Korea | CD, digital download | S.M. Entertainment, KT Music |
References
- 1 2 Benjamin, Jeff (March 16, 2016). "Red Velvet Returns With Dreamy R&B Ballad 'One of These Nights': Watch". The Korea Herald. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- ↑ Lee Seung-rok (September 8, 2015). "레드벨벳 "첫 정규앨범 '더 레드' 발표, 떨리고 설렌다" 소감". My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved March 10, 2016.
- ↑ Park Sojung (September 8, 2015). "Red Velvet wants to define color red for you". Yonhap News. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
- ↑ "[스타캐스트] "덤도 말고 한가위"…웬디, 풍성한 추석인사". Naver (in Korean). September 27, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
- ↑ Seon, Mi-kyung (March 2, 2016). "SM "레드벨벳, 최근 신곡 MV 촬영..3월 컴백 목표"[공식입장]". Osen (in Korean). Retrieved March 10, 2016.
- ↑ "레드벨벳, 컴백 타이틀곡은 발라드..견우직녀 모티브 '7월7일'". 10asia (in Korean). March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
- ↑ Kim, Ji-young (March 16, 2016). "Red Velvet postpones album release". The Korea Herald. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- ↑ Kim, Ye-seul (March 17, 2016). "'엠카운트다운' 레드벨벳-효민 최초 컴백, 청순 섹시 몰려온다". Osen (in Korean). Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- 1 2 Herman, Tamar (March 21, 2016). "Red Velvet Explores Their Velvety Side With 'One of These Nights'". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ↑ Choi, Na-young (March 14, 2016). "레드벨벳, 이수만 1989곡 '장미꽃 향기..' 리메이크". Osen (in Korean). Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- 1 2 "World Albums - THE WEEK OF - APRIL 2, 2016". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ↑ Chin, Chester (March 24, 2016). "Review: The Velvet by Red Velvet". Retrieved May 29, 2016.
- ↑ Jeong, Ji-won (March 22, 2016). "'더쇼' 레드벨벳, 컴백 후 첫 1위…'폭풍 눈물'". XSports News (in Korean). Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ↑ "오리콘 위클리 싱글/앨범/DVD/블루레이 차트 1~100위 Oricon Chart March - Week 3 - 2016". Retrieved 2016-04-25.