IT’S going to be a busy year for the South Korean girl group Red Velvet as its label recently revealed its blueprint for the group’s upcoming activities this 2023.
In a YouTube video, SM Entertainment, which handles KPop groups like Red Velvet, aespa, Girls Generation, EXO, and NCT, responded to fans’ concerns regarding its artists’ safety and future activities.
Co-CEOs Lee Sung Soo and Tak Young Jun discussed plans they want to implement for the new SM 3.0 era and other opportunities the company will venture into.
Aside from this, the SM Entertainment leaders also revealed the activities the company has planned for its artists, including three projects for the all-female group Red Velvet.
Red Velvet (from left to right: Wendy, Yeri, Irene, Seulgi, and Joy) | Photo courtesy: SM Entertainment
According to Lee and Tak, the girl band will be pursuing another full group comeback sometime this year. However, other details regarding this new release, including the album title, concept, and tracklist, remains unknown.
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Red Velvet is also reported to be holding its world tour in 2023. This is apart from the group’s scheduled performance on the Primavera Sound 2023 music festival on June 8 in Barcelona, Spain.
Meanwhile, Red Velvet member Son Seung-wan, most commonly known by her stage name Wendy, is set to release her second mini album this year.
Wendy of Red Velvet | Photo courtesy: SM Entertainment
Wendy was the first Red Velvet member to embark on a solo project with the release of the album Like Water in April 2021.
Another member, Joy, followed suit. Also known as Park Soo-young, Joy released her debut extended play HELLO a month later.
Kang Seulgi, also known by her single name Seulgi, held her solo project in October 2022 by releasing her debut album 28 Reasons.
Meanwhile, other members Irene (Bae Joo-hyun) and Yeri (Kim Ye-rim) were the only members without a solo album. Nonetheless, Yeri released some single tracks such as Dear Diary (2019) and It’s You (2021) and has collaborated with other Korean artists like NCT, Sam Kim, Ravi, and Kim Woo Seok.
Fans demand Irene’s solo debut
Although the new schedules for Red Velvet came as good news for fans, also called ReVeluvs, they can’t help but express their dismay for the alleged mistreatment of Red Velvet’s leader and main rapper Irene.
Irene of Red Velvet | Photo courtesy: SM Entertainment
Since SM Entertainment announced its artists’ 2023 activities, ReVeluvs demanded that the company also include Irene’s solo debut project in its blueprint.
The hashtag #IreneDeserveBetterTreatment went viral on Twitter as fans called for the company to give the group leader her well-deserved solo breakout career.
Irene’s fans also sent a collective email to SM Entertainment, requesting the company to “treat IRENE better, support her as an artist, and take care to protect her from anti-fans.”
Irene was the only Red Velvet member who had not released solo music during the group’s eight years in the industry.
Who is Red Velvet?
Red Velvet is originally a four-member all-girl group that debuted in 2014 under SM Entertainment. The group, composed of Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, and Joy, released its digital debut single, Happiness.
Yeri was later added to the group in 2015.
Known for its top-charting songs Psycho, Red Flavor, Russian Roulette, and Bad Boy, Red Velvet has garnered several music awards, including the 2015 Golden Disc Award for Rookie Artist of the Year in Disc Album, the 2017 MAMA Award for Best Female Group, 2017 Golden Disc Award CeCi Asia Icon Award, and a consistent Seoul Music Awards Bonsang Awards winner.
