Summer Magic (EP)

Last updated
Summer Magic
Summer Magic album cover.jpg
Digital and Normal cover
EP by
Red Velvet
ReleasedAugust 6, 2018
Recorded2018
StudioSM Studios, Seoul, South Korea
Genre
Length23:46
Language
  • Korean
  • English
Label
Red Velvet chronology
#Cookie Jar
(2018)		Summer Magic
(2018)		 RBB
(2018)
Singles from Summer Magic
  1. "Power Up"
    Released: August 6, 2018

Summer Magic is the second special extended play and the seventh overall by South Korean girl group Red Velvet, marketed as their special "summer" EP following The Red Summer , which was released in July 2017. The EP is also the group's third major release to focus on their "Red" concept, following The Red Summer and the group's debut studio album The Red (2015). Released on August 6, 2018, the EP contains seven tracks, [2] including the lead single "Power Up" and the English version of "Bad Boy" as a bonus track, making it their first song to be released in English.

Contents

The EP was a commercial success domestically and internationally, topping South Korea's Gaon chart's Album Chart, Single Chart and Download Chart. [3] Elsewhere, it debuted at number three on the US Billboard World Albums chart. It also charted on the website's Heatseekers Albums chart at number 3, the Digital Albums at number 21, and became the group's first release to enter the Top Album Sales chart at number 91. The lead single "Power Up" also debuted at number 6 on its World Digital Songs chart. [4] In France, the album charted at number 42 on the French Album Downloads Chart. The EP is also the group's first release to chart in the UK and Australia, debuting at number 38 on the UK Album Downloads Chart and at 31 on the Australian Top 50 Digital Albums Chart. [5]

Background

After the release of their first Japanese extended play #Cookie Jar , the group's company SM Entertainment announced in July that Red Velvet would release their new "summer mini album" in August. Osen reported that the members finished filming the music video for the single "Power Up" in Gyeonggi Province on July 19 and days later, SM Entertainment revealed that the EP would be released on August 6 and was titled Summer Magic. [6] Member Yeri stated they were also doing concerts amidst preparations for the album, which put them on a really tight schedule. [7]

Composition

The lead single "Power Up" is described by PopCrush as an upbeat song with a "melody reminiscent of 8-bit-style video games" with lyrics that express a "work hard, play harder" theme; it is the group's second summer single after "Red Flavor". [8] During the press conference for their second solo concert 'REDMARE' at the Olympic Park's handball arena in southeastern Seoul on August 5, member Yeri likened the melody to the tune of a Tetris game, stating that she "thought it's exactly the song you should listen to in summer" since it is "energizing and can play in the background for driving". Meanwhile, member Wendy compared it to their first summer single "Red Flavor" which was released in 2017 and admitted she "wasn't very impressed at first" but added "the more I listened to the song, the more energy of a different sort it gave me". [9] The EP contains six other tracks, including an English version of "Bad Boy" which the group previously performed for the first time at KCON 2018 in New York in June of the same year. The song marks the group's first English-language release. [10]

Claire Chung of Haps Magazine characterized the second track "With You" as an R&B song underlaid by trendy reggae synth pluck sounds with a moombahton rhythm. The third song "Mr.E", which is a play on the word 'mystery', "creates the illusion of being on a jungle safari" with its colorful animal and conga sounds. "Mosquito" is a new-style swing genre embedded with strong hip hop grooves. Chung also stated that the fifth track "Hit that Drum" is an "energetic song reminiscent of a South American samba festival" with its samba percussion instruments, cool brass sounds and heartbeat-like bass lines. "Blue Lemonade" is an urban pop dance song featuring a rhythmic synth base and bubbly background sounds. [11]

Release and promotion

To promote the EP, a series of image teasers were released on July 29, 2018, through the group's official social media accounts. SM Entertainment also launched an interactive game on their official site. [10] Before its official release, the group performed the new songs from the album during their second concert 'REDMARE' on August 5, 2018, revealing them to the public for the first time. [12]

The EP was released on August 6 worldwide, with the iTunes release featuring an additional podcast track, "Red Radio", which is described as a "special audio track". [13] An accompanying music video for "Power Up" was released on the same day. The choreography was done by Kyle Hanagami who has choreographed several songs by the group, most recently the single "Peek-a-Boo". [14] Red Velvet also held a special live broadcast on the day of its release to promote the EP through the Naver streaming app V Live . [15] The physical copy was released in 6 versions with one being the standard version (released on August 6) and five limited edition versions, one for each member (released on August 10). [16] [17] Red Velvet started their music show promotions on August 10 through the music program Music Bank . [18]

Commercial performance

The single "Power Up" topped all of South Korea's music charts upon its release, achieving a "perfect all-kill". [19] It topped the Gaon Album Chart while the lead single also topped both the Gaon Digital Chart and the Gaon Download Chart on its first week. [3] With the exception of the English version of "Bad Boy" all of the album's tracks charted on the Gaon Digital Chart, however all 7 tracks charted on the Gaon Download Chart.

The EP sold more than 2,000 copies in the US in its first week, topping their previous record with Perfect Velvet and making it their best US sales week to date. It debuted at number 3 on Billboard's World Albums chart and also tied with their previous record on the Top Heatseekers Albums chart at number 3. It also charted at number 21 on the Digital Albums chart and debuted at number 91 on the Top Album Sales chart, the first time they have appeared on the latter chart. [4] In France, Summer Magic peaked at number 42 on the French Album Downloads Chart. The EP also debuted at number 38 on the UK Album Downloads Chart and at number 31 on the Australian Top 50 Digital Albums Chart, making it their first album to chart in both countries. [5] In Japan, the album charted at number 35 on Oricon's Weekly Albums chart. [20] The EP sold 155,247 physical copies for the month of August on Gaon Chart.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
IZM Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [21]

The EP received good reviews from critics in the group's home country, South Korea. Hong Dam-young of The Korea Herald opined that the EP proved that Red Velvet "does not linger in the past, but instead takes itself to the next level". He then added that the group lived up to their title "summer queens" and that the EP "is rife with all the elements that will elevate your mood". However, he also stated that one might need to repeat the title track "Power Up" a few times to fully vibe with it, but eventually it will have the listener "humming the song's quirky chorus anytime, anywhere, especially the part where the vocals hum "Banana-na-na" on top of the quirky chiptune". [22] Similarly, Claire Chung of Haps Magazine initially found the song "a bit childish" but thought "the youthful, refreshing summer atmosphere of the music is infectious" and said she later found herself "subconsciously singing the song's addictive hook line". She also singled out the urban pop dance track "Blue Lemonade" as her favorite from the EP. [11]

Seung Park of Kotaku remarked that the group "stepped up to fill a sorely-needed niche in k-pop" and called Red Velvet "Orange Caramel's spiritual successors as the resident purveyors of the quirky and weird". [23]

Track listing

Summer Magic track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementsLength
1."Power Up" Kenzie
Moonshine3:22
2."With You" (한 여름의 크리스마스;Han Yeoreum-ui Keuriseumaseu;lit. A Summer's Christmas)
3:27
3."Mr. E"Kenzie
  • Kenzie
  • Sebastian Lundberg (Trinity Music)
  • Fredrik Häggstam (Trinity Music)
  • Johan Gustafsson (Trinity Music)
  • Courtney Woolsey
Trinity Music3:38
4."Mosquito" Seo Ji-eum
  • Red Rocket
3:11
5."Hit That Drum" Misfit
3:12
6."Blue Lemonade"Seo Ji-eum
  • Lee Joo-hyoung (MonoTree)
  • Nopari (MonoTree)
  • Cazzi Opeia (Sunshine)
MonoTree3:16
7."Bad Boy" (English version) (bonus track)Whitney Phillips
The Stereotypes3:28
Total length:23:46
Summer Magic – iTunes release [13]
No.TitleLength
8."Red Radio" (special audio track)11:18
Total length:35:02

Charts

Accolades

Year-end awards

YearAward showCategoryResult
2018Korea Popular Music AwardsAlbum AwardNominated
2019 Golden Disc Awards Album BonsangNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Velvet (group)</span> South Korean girl group

Red Velvet is a South Korean girl group formed and managed by SM Entertainment. They originally debuted on August 1, 2014, with the single "Happiness" with the four-member line-up of Irene, Seulgi, Wendy and Joy. A fifth member, Yeri, joined in March 2015, following the release of their first extended play, Ice Cream Cake. Sonically, the music of Red Velvet reflects their group name: their predominantly-pop "red" side experiments occasionally with electronic and funk, while their "velvet" side focuses on '90s-influenced R&B with elements of ballad and hip hop. Their genre versatility and catchy hooks have garnered critical praise.

<i>The Red</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Red Velvet

The Red is the debut studio album by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. It was released on September 9, 2015, by SM Entertainment and distributed by Dreamus. LDN Noise, Ryan S. Jhun, Denzil "DR" Remedios, Dsign Music, Kenzie, Deekay, Charli Taft, Jinbo, Dem Jointz, as well as others, handled production of the album, with SM founder Lee Soo-man serving as the executive producer. The record primarily showcases the group's "red" image with "fun, peppy" pop-oriented musical styles.

<i>Russian Roulette</i> (Red Velvet EP) 2016 EP by Red Velvet

Russian Roulette is the third Korean extended play by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. It was released on September 7, 2016, by SM Entertainment.

<i>The Red Summer</i> (EP) 2017 EP by Red Velvet

The Red Summer is the first special extended play and the fifth overall by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. Marketed as the group's first "special summer" release, the five-track EP was released digitally on July 9, 2017, and physically the following day by SM Entertainment. Primarily a dance-pop and EDM record, it is the second major release from Red Velvet to focus solely on their "red" concept, following their debut studio album The Red (2015). It was later proceeded by Summer Magic as both the second "special summer" extended play and the third major "red" release.

<i>Perfect Velvet</i> Album by Red Velvet

Perfect Velvet is the second studio album by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. Released by SM Entertainment on November 17, 2017, the record incorporates R&B, soul and hip-hop with influences from future bass, trap and synth-pop, and saw contributions from various songwriters and production teams. The album is a portrayal of the group's "velvet" concept, making it their second major release to follow this sonic direction since their second extended play, The Velvet (2016). The album reissued as The Perfect Red Velvet on January 29, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Flavor</span> Song by Red Velvet

"Red Flavor" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their first Korean special extended play, The Red Summer (2017). It was released as the lead single from the EP on July 9, 2017, through SM Entertainment and was distributed by Genie Music, along with the accompanying fruit-infused music video. Written by SM collaborator Kenzie and composed by Daniel Caesar and Ludwig Lindell, it is primarily a dance-pop song with synths and percussion. The song reflects the summer funky vibe, while the lyrics hint towards a young relationship with summer references. A Japanese version of the song, adapted by songwriter Kami Kaoru, was later included on the group's first Japanese EP, #Cookie Jar, on July 4, 2018.

"Ice Cream Cake" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their debut extended play Ice Cream Cake (2015). Primarily a dance-rock track with influences from drum and bass, the song was written by lyricist Jo Yoon-kyung, Kim Dong-hyun, Fredrik Häggstam, Hayley Aitken, Johan Gustafsson and Sebastian Lundberg, while production and arrangement were handled by Hayley Aitken and Trinity Music. Following the release of "Automatic", it was released as the group's second single from the extended play on March 16, 2015, by SM Entertainment, along with an accompanying music video. With its parental release, the group showcased their dual sonic concept in one album for the first time as "Ice Cream Cake" was promoted as the "Red" single, in contrast to "Automatic" which was promoted as its "Velvet" single.

"Peek-a-Boo" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their second studio album, Perfect Velvet (2017). An up-tempo dance-pop track with tropical house elements, it was written by Kenzie, Ellen Berg Tollbom, Cazzi Opeia, and duo Moonshine, while production was handled by the latter contributor. The song was released in conjunction with its parental album on November 17, 2017, through SM Entertainment. It was later re-recorded in Japanese for the group's second Japanese extended play Sappy, which was released on May 29, 2019.

"Dumb Dumb" is a song by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their first studio album The Red (2015). It was written by Seo Ji-eum of Jam Factory and Kim Dong-hyun, while production and arrangement was handled by LDN Noise, Deanna Dellacioppa, Tayla Parx, and Ryan S. Jhun. An uptempo dance-pop track, its lyrics conveys a girl expressing her awkwardness regarding her feelings towards the object of her affections. It was released as the lead single of The Red on September 8, 2015 by SM Entertainment, along with an accompanying music video.

"Russian Roulette" is a song by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their third extended play of the same name. Written by Jo Yoon-kyung and produced by Albi Albertsson, Belle Humble and Markus Lindell, it is primarily an 8-bit influenced synth-pop and dance-pop song which lyrically compares the process of winning someone's heart to a game of Russian roulette. The song was released as the lead single on September 7, 2016, by SM Entertainment along with an accompanying cartoon-themed music video which saw the group mimicking cartoon tricks to pull a prank and harm each other as the video progressed.

"One of These Nights" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. Composed by Hwang Chan-hee, Andreas Öberg, Maria Marcus and penned by Seo Ji-eum of Jam Factory, it was released as the lead single from their second extended play, The Velvet, which is also the group's first major release to focus on the 'Velvet' half of their unique dual concept, as a follow-up to their last album, The Red. "One of These Nights" is an R&B mid-tempo song with lyrics inspired by the story of Jingnyeo and Gyeonu, a folk tale conceived from the Korean festival Chilseok which originates from the Chinese Qixi Festival which falls on the seventh day of the seventh month on the lunisolar calendar. Originally intended to be released a day earlier, SM Entertainment delayed the song and album's release to March 17, 2016, to ensure its quality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Boy (Red Velvet song)</span> 2018 single by Red Velvet

"Bad Boy" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet from their second studio album reissue The Perfect Red Velvet, released by SM Entertainment on January 29, 2018. A hip hop-influenced R&B number, its lyrics were written by JQueenston and Moon Hee-yeon whilst music was handled by The Stereotypes, Maxx Song, Whitney Phillips and Yoo Young-jin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power Up (song)</span> 2018 single by Red Velvet

"Power Up" is a Korean song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their second special Korean extended play, titled Summer Magic (2018). Characterized as an electro-pop song with elements of chip-music, the song was penned by Kenzie and was produced by production duo Moonshine, Ellen Berg Tollbom and Swedish singer-songwriter Cazzi Opeia, whom worked on the group's previous single "Peek-a-Boo". It was released on August 6, 2018, as the lead single of Summer Magic by SM Entertainment and iriver as the South Korea distributor, whilst the Japanese version was later released as the third and final single from the group's second Japanese extended play Sappy on April 24, 2019, by Avex Trax.

<i>RBB</i> (EP) 2018 EP by Red Velvet

RBB is the fifth Korean extended play and the eighth overall by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. The six-track EP was released on November 30, 2018, by SM Entertainment with iriver and Dreamus as the domestic distributor. Musically, the EP consists of five new original tracks which varied in different genres, mostly R&B and dance-pop, which became the group's third major release to focus on their "Velvet" sonic concept, following their second EP The Velvet (2016), their second studio album Perfect Velvet (2017) and its repackage The Perfect Red Velvet (2018).

<i>The ReVe Festival: Day 1</i> 2019 EP by Red Velvet

The ReVe Festival: Day 1 is the third special extended play and the tenth overall by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. Released on June 19, 2019, through SM Entertainment, the extended play served as the first installation of the group's The ReVe Festival trilogy, which was later followed by Day 2 and Finale. An electro-pop and dance-pop record, the EP contains six tracks that sees the group exploring new genres. Its production was handled by various songwriters and production teams, including Caesar & Loui, Ollipop, Moonshine, Trinity Music, Ylva Dimberg, Cazzi Opeia, Ryan S. Jhun, amongst others.

"RBB (Really Bad Boy)" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their fifth Korean (eighth overall) extended play RBB (2018). Written by SM Entertainment songwriter Kenzie and Sara Forsberg with production by Timothy 'Bos' Bullock and MZMC, "RBB (Really Bad Boy)" is primarily an "addictive" R&B and dance-pop song with influence from jazz and hip hop, with the lyrics expressing the charm of a "bad boy".[6][7] It was released as the lead single from its eponymous extended play on November 30, 2018, by SM Entertainment and Iriver Inc as the distributor, along with an accompanying horror-themed music video.

<i>The ReVe Festival: Finale</i> 2019 compilation album by Red Velvet

The ReVe Festival: Finale is the first Korean-language compilation album by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. The album was announced and became available to pre-order on December 12, 2019, before being released by SM Entertainment on December 23, 2019, with Dreamus serving as the South Korea distributor. As the third and final release of the group's trilogy The ReVe Festival, the set contains all twelve tracks taken from two previous extended plays The ReVe Festival: Day 1 and The ReVe Festival: Day 2. With SM founder Lee Soo-man serving as the executive producer, Finale includes four new songs—"Psycho", "In & Out", "Remember Forever", and a previously unreleased "La Rouge", with the first being the lead single for the album. The album was released in two versions with different packaging artwork, while a digital EP including only the four new tracks was also released on the same date.

"Umpah Umpah" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their seventh Korean extended play (EP) The ReVe Festival: Day 2, which serves as the second installment of the group's The ReVe Festival album trilogy. The song, alongside its vacation-themed music video, was released on August 20, 2019, as the lead single from Day 2. Written by Jeon Gan-di and composed by Christoffer Lauridsen, Andreas Öberg and Allison Kaplan, "Umpah Umpah" is described as "an uptempo dance song with disco house rhythms", with the group's "lovely and cool vocals doubling the freshness". The songwriting, which includes swimming motifs, portrays somebody falling in love with the eyes and charms of the girls, using the phrase "umpah umpah" as if their love interest was learning how to control their breathing while swimming.

<i>Queendom</i> (EP) 2021 EP by Red Velvet

Queendom is the sixth Korean extended play and twelfth overall by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. Marketed as the group's sixth "mini album" release, it consists of six tracks, including the lead single of the same name. The EP was released digitally by SM Entertainment on August 16, 2021, and physically on August 17, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queendom (song)</span> 2021 single by Red Velvet

"Queendom" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their sixth Korean extended play (EP) of the same name. Composed by minGtion, Anne Judith Stokke Wik, Moa "Cazzi Opeia" Carlebecker, and Ellen Berg with Korean lyrics adapted by Jo Yoon-kyung, the dance-pop song was released as the titular EP's lead single on August 16, 2021, by SM Entertainment, along with its accompanying music video.

References

  1. ↑ "Summer Magic".
  2. ↑ "레드벨벳 (Red Velvet) – 여름 미니앨범 : Summer Magic [초회한정반][커버 5종 랜덤 발송]". YES24 (in Korean). July 23, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Lee, Ha-na (August 16, 2018). "레드벨벳, 가온 차트 3관왕…음원+음반 모두 1위". Seoul Daily (in Korean). Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Benjamin, Jeff (August 14, 2018). "Red Velvet Earn Best U.S. Sales Week to Date With 'Summer Magic'". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3
  6. ↑ Seon, Mi-kyeong (July 23, 2018). "[단독] 레드벨벳, 8월6일 컴백 확정..'썸머퀸 끝판왕' 온다". Osen (in Korean). Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  7. ↑ Chen, Lily (August 18, 2018). "K-pop Group Red Velvet Opens up About Having a Large Female Fanbase". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Red Velvet to Release New EP 'Summer Magic'". PopCrush. July 30, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  9. ↑ Park, Boram (August 5, 2018). "Red Velvet to 'Power Up' summer record market with new album". Yonhap News. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Herman, Tamar (July 29, 2018). "Red Velvet's 'Summer Magic' Features Lead Single 'Power Up' & English-Language Version of 'Bad Boy': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  11. 1 2 Chung, Claire (August 16, 2018). "Review: Red Velvet – Summer Magic". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  12. ↑ Jeong, Yu-na (July 31, 2018). "'여름 최강자' 레드벨벳, 신곡 'Power Up' 단독 콘서트서 공개". Sports Chosun (in Korean). Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  13. 1 2 "Red Velvet – Summer Magic – Summer Mini Album". iTunes. 6 August 2018.
  14. ↑ Kyle Hanagami [@KyleHanagami] (August 6, 2018). "Choreographed the new music video "Power Up" for my girls RED VELVET (@RVsmtown)! I love them!" (Tweet). Retrieved August 9, 2018– via Twitter.
  15. ↑ Kim, Hye-soo (August 7, 2018). "Red Velvet tops 6 major music charts in Korea". The Korea Herald. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Red Velvet Summer Mini Album – Summer Magic (Normal Edition)". kpopmart. Archived from the original on 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  17. ↑ "PRE-ORDER [RED VELVET] SUMMER MINI ALBUM 'SUMMER MAGIC' (RANDOM VER.) – FIRST LIMITED". kmall24.
  18. ↑ Park, Gui-im (August 10, 2018). "'뮤직뱅크' 숀, 논란 속 지코 누르고 1위…레드벨벳X다이아 컴백". YTN (in Korean). Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  19. ↑ Tak, Woo-young (August 7, 2018). "레드벨벳 신곡 파워 업, 전세계 28개 지역 아이튠즈 차트 1위". Seoul Daily (in Korean). Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  20. 1 2 "アルバムランキング". August 12, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  21. ↑ Kim Do-heon. "Summer Magic". izm.co.kr (in Korean). IZM. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  22. ↑ Hong, Dam-young (August 8, 2018). "[Album review] New era opens with 'Summer Magic'". The Korea Herald. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  23. ↑ Park, Seung (August 7, 2018). "K-Pop Pick Of The Day: Power Up". Kotaku. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart – Week 32, 2018". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Red Velvet Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Red Velvet Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Red Velvet Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Red Velvet Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart – August 2018". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  31. ↑ "2018년 Album Chart". Gaon. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.