The Velvet

Last updated
The Velvet
Red Velvet - The Velvet cover.jpg
EP by
ReleasedMarch 17, 2016
Recorded2015–2016
StudioS.M.
Genre
Length33:03
LanguageKorean
Label
Producer
Red Velvet chronology
The Red
(2015)
The Velvet
(2016)
Russian Roulette
(2016)
Singles from The Velvet
  1. "One of These Nights"
    Released: March 17, 2016

The Velvet is the second Korean extended play by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. Released on March 17, 2016, by SM Entertainment and distributed by Dreamus, [2] the extended play is the spiritual successor of their first full-length album The Red , which was released in September 2015. In contrast to their vivid and bright "red" image on The Red, The Velvet finds the group embracing their smooth and softer "velvet" image, incorporating mainly the R&B genre. [3] S.M. founder Lee Soo-man continued to act as the executive producer of the extended play, with Andreas Öberg, Daniel "Obi" Klein, Charli Taft, Deez, Maria Marcus, Kenzie, as well as others contributed both lyrics and production.

Contents

Upon its release, The Velvet received positive reviews from critics for clarifying the girl group's dual musical concept and their sophisticated R&B sound. The extended play also achieved commercial success, becoming their third consecutive number one on Gaon Album Chart. It also peaked at number eight on the Billboard World Albums Chart, earning the group's third top-ten entry on the chart.

Promotion for the album was preceded by the release of the lead single "One of These Nights" on the same release day, along with live performances on weekly music shows for both the single and the album track "Cool Hot Sweet Love". The lead single was a moderate commercial success, peaking at number ten on the Gaon Digital Chart and number six on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart.

Background and release

While promoting The Red at a press conference on September 8, 2015, the members and the company hinted at a similar follow-up concept release to their previous release, although an S.M. Entertainment representative clarified that nothing had been scheduled yet. [4] [5] In October 2015, Wendy confirmed on an interview that an album was "coming after The Red", seemingly clarified that a similar concept album was in the process. [6]

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. [7] 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. [8]

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. [9]

Composition

Concept

As their first extended play introduced both the "Red" and "Velvet" musical concept, follow-up full-length release The Red in September 2015 saw the group embrace their quirky, "fun, peppy" pop side. [10] With The Velvet, the group focuses solely on their "velvet" sound and image, incorporating mainly the R&B genre with a more sultry, smooth and elegant approach. [3] It was later proceeded by the group's second studio album Perfect Velvet in 2017, and their fifth extended play RBB in 2018, which focus on the group's more mature "velvet" sound.

Songs

The extended play consists of five new songs and three remixes for "7월7일 (One of These Nights)". Described as an R&B ballad with a polished rhythm, the lead single 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 their hit "Dumb Dumb". Jeff Benjamin of Fuse described it as a standard ballad which opens "with strings and piano before evolving into a sweeping, orchestral arrangement" until a trap beat kicks in at the 1:40 mark "to give the strings a modern flavor". [12] Three other versions of the song: the normal version, the De-Capo version, the Joe Millionaire version and the Piano version were all included. The song also drew inspiration from the Korean festival Chilseok, which is celebrated on the seventh the day of the seventh month (hence the Korean title "7월7일"). The original tale tells the story of lovers Jingnyeo and Gyeonu, who were separated by the heavenly king and only allowed to meet on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. [13]

Other compositions of the extended play include the Daniel "Obi" Klein and Charli Taft-assisted "Cool Hot Sweet Love", the 90's R&B flavored "Light Me Up" and "First Time". "Light Me Up" marked the first production from songwriter and producer Deez to the group, who would later participate more frequently in many of the quintet's releases, while "First Time" was written and produced solely by S.M.'s longtime songwriter and producer Kenzie. Initially a 1989 song by S.M. Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man, "Rose Scent Breeze" was covered by member Wendy, Seulgi and Joy and included as the last song for the extended play. [14]

Promotion

Red Velvet held a special broadcast through Naver's V app on March 15, showing their new hairstyles for the first time as they talked about their preparations for their 'comeback'. [15] 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 a shortened version of "Cool Hot Sweet Love". [16]

Red Velvet won their first music show trophy for the song on March 22 on The Show . [17]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
IZM Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [18]
The Star 7/10 [19]

Billboard writer Tamar Herman praised the title track as "the group's most expressive vocal performances to date" and "no less captivating" than their previous single "Dumb Dumb". [13] 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. [20] A mixed review from writer Jeong Min-jae found the extended play to be "lukewarm" and "particularly shabby" compared to their previous release, citing "Cool Hot Sweet Love" and "Rose Scent Breeze" as the stand-out tracks nonetheless. [21] In a separated top 25 Red Velvet songs by Billboard, "Light Me Up" was included at number 17 as the song "displays how effortlessly the group can slip into, and conquer, velvety R&B".

Commercial performance

On the week of March 19, 2016, The Velvet debuted and topped the weekly Gaon Album Chart for one week, becoming the group's third consecutive chart-topper. [22] Except for the three remixes of "One of These Nights", all five original tracks also charted on the Gaon Digital Chart in the same week. With 48,866 copies sold, The Velvet was the 60th best-selling album in 2016 on the year-end Gaon Album Chart, and has since sold more than 80,000 copies as of September 2022. [23] The extended play also performed moderately on Billboard's World Albums Chart, peaking at number eight on the week of April 2, 2016. [24] Elsewhere, the album also debuted and peaked at No. 75 on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart, earning a total sales of over 2,100 copies.

Track listing

The Velvet track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."One of These Nights" (Korean : 7월 7일; RR : 7-wol 7-il;lit. July 7th) Seo Ji-eum
4:21
2."Cool Hot Sweet Love" Kenzie
  • Daniel "Obi" Klein
  • Charli Taft
  • Michael Nordmark
  • Thomas Sardorf
3:53
3."Light Me Up"Kenzie
  • Kenzie
  • Deez  [ ko ]
  • Rodnae "Chikk" Bell
Deez3:32
4."First Time" (Korean : 처음인가요; RR : Cheo-eumingayo;lit. Is this Your First Time?)KenzieKenzieKenzie4:02
5."Rose Scent Breeze" (Korean : 장미꽃 향기는 바람에 날리고; RR : Jangmikkot Hyanggineun Barame Nalligo) (sung by Seulgi, Wendy, Joy)Jung Hye-kyungHong Jong-hwa
  • Park Geun-cheol
  • Jung Soo-min
4:52
6."One of These Nights" (De-Capo version)Seo Ji-eum
  • Hwang Chan-hee
  • Andreas Öberg
  • Maria Marcus
  • Noah "I-Create" Nwachukwu (De-Capo Music Group)
  • Droyd (De-Capo Music Group)
  • Rod Bonner
4:11
7."One of These Nights" (Joe Millionaire version)Seo Ji-eum
  • Hwang Chan-hee
  • Andreas Öberg
  • Maria Marcus
4:07
8."One of These Nights" (Piano version)Seo Ji-eum
  • Hwang Chan-hee
  • Andreas Öberg
  • Maria Marcus
  • Hwang Chan-hee
  • Andreas Öberg
  • Maria Marcus
4:05
Total length:33:28

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2016)Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [25] 75
South Korea (Gaon Album Chart)1
US Billboard World Albums [24] 8

Monthly charts

Chart (2016)Peak
position
South Korean (Gaon Album Chart) [26] 2

Year-end charts

Chart (2016)Peak
position
South Korea (Gaon Album Chart) [27] 60

Sales

ChartAmount
Gaon physical sales [28] 56,944+
Oricon physical sales2,104+

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
VariousMarch 17, 2016 Digital download SM Entertainment
South Korea CD, digital downloadSM Entertainment, KT Music

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, the chart-topping 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joy (singer)</span> South Korean singer and actress (born 1996)

Park Soo-young, better known by her stage name Joy, is a South Korean singer, actress, and host. She debuted as a member of South Korean girl group Red Velvet in August 2014. In 2017, Joy debuted as an actress and has had starring roles in the television dramas The Liar and His Lover (2017), Tempted (2018), The One and Only (2021), and Once Upon a Small Town (2022). In 2021, Joy officially debuted as a soloist with the release of her special album Hello.

<i>Ice Cream Cake</i> (EP) 2015 EP by Red Velvet

Ice Cream Cake is the debut Korean extended play by the South Korean girl group Red Velvet. It was released digitally on March 17, 2015, and physically on March 18 by SM Entertainment and distributed by Dreamus, marking the group's first proper release since their initial debut in August 2014 and their first release as a quintet since the addition of the group's fifth member Yeri. The extended play was released in two physical versions, named after the two singles and contained six tracks which introduced both the group's "Red" and "Velvet" sonic concept. The duality was further demonstrated by its two singles, "Automatic" and "Ice Cream Cake", with the latter becoming the group's breakthrough commercial success. S.M. founder Lee Soo-man served as the EP's executive producer, with Hayley Aitken, Trinity Music, Daniel "Obi" Klein, Charli Taft, Jam Factory, Kenzie, Teddy Riley, Cha Cha Malone, MonoTree and others contributed lyrics and production.

<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>Rookie</i> (EP) Album by Red Velvet

Rookie is the fourth Korean extended play by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. It was released on February 1, 2017, by SM Entertainment. The album contains six tracks, including its lead single of the same name.

<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.

"Automatic" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their debut extended play (EP), Ice Cream Cake (2015). Composed and produced by Daniel "Obi" Klein and Charlotte Taft with Korean lyrics adapted by Choi So-young, the R&B and urban song was released as the group's first single from the EP on March 14, 2015, by SM Entertainment. It marked their first release as a quintet since the addition of member Yeri. The song's lyrics tells about unraveling the feeling of attraction to the other person.

"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.

"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.

"Rookie" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their fourth extended play of the same name. The song was released on February 1, 2017, as the lead single from the EP by SM Entertainment, and contains contributions from multiple songwriters. A pop-funk dance track, its lyrical content compares a girl's lover to a rookie.

<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 JQ and Moon Hee-yeon whilst music was handled by The Stereotypes, Maxx Song, Whitney Phillips and Yoo Young-jin.

<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: 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.

<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.

"Feel My Rhythm" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their extended play The ReVe Festival 2022 – Feel My Rhythm (2022). Written by Seo Ji-eum and composed by various contributors, including Andreas Öberg, the song was released as the lead single of the extended play (EP) on March 21, 2022 through SM Entertainment, along with an accompanying music video.

<i>The ReVe Festival 2022 – Feel My Rhythm</i> 2022 EP by Red Velvet

The ReVe Festival 2022 – Feel My Rhythm is the fifth special extended play and thirteenth overall by South Korean girl group Red Velvet, released by SM Entertainment on March 21, 2022, to commemorate the birthday of German Baroque music composer J.S. Bach. It consists of six tracks, including the lead single "Feel My Rhythm", in three physical versions, two "ReVe" versions with different covers and the "Orgel" version.

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