K-pop quintet Red Velvet came to the East Coast for the first time this weekend (June 23-24) when they appeared at KCON 2018 NY, and the five members — Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy, and Yeri– had a lot to say about how much Stateside love the group and their music have received.
“We were very surprised that we were able to have a fan meeting in Chicago,” Irene tells Billboard, referring to their first-ever solo U.S. show that was held in April. “We didn’t know we had so many fans in the U.S. that love us very much. I’m especially grateful that our fans love our song ‘Bad Boy.'”
The group saw much success earlier this year with the release of their single “Bad Boy,” to the degree that when they added an English verse into their rendition at KCON 2018 NY on June 23, they had the whole crowd roaring with excitement. “Honestly, when we first heard the demo we didn’t think our fans would like it this much,” Joy recalls. “But to our surprise, they like it a lot. I think the reason was the powerful image we portrayed as the concept of the album as opposed to the cute concepts we’ve shown in the past.”
According to Wendy, the production team The Stereotypes drew on “the music from their childhood” in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and she believes that was why it appeals to listeners.
“We thought a lot about how Red Velvet could explore hip-hop in our own way,” adds Seulgi. “We watched many videos and practiced a lot to express our style in the right way. I personally like hop-hop a lot and other members do too so I think it created a nice synergy.”
“Summer Red Velvet, maybe,” suggests Wendy. “We hope. Or not. We wish. We’re working on it, kind of.”
“Everything is a secret,” adds Seulgi. “It’s a secret,” Wendy confirms.
Hopefully for not too long.
First look at #REDVELVET #BADBOY English version!! #KCON18NY pic.twitter.com/jV59foRJt5
— KCON USA (@kconusa) June 24, 2018