FRESH off their Kpop Night Out performances at the SXSW Conference And Festivals in Texas and Kcon Mexico in Mexico City last month, popular South Korean girl group Red Velvet is looking forward to headlining its own concert in the future.
Although nothing has been confirmed, the group — comprising Wendy, Irene, Seulgi, Joy and Yeri — is not denying that it could take place “soon”.
“We’re constantly planning and meeting with people to discuss the details of our concert. We hope to perform in Malaysia one day,” said Wendy.
The group was in Kuala Lumpur recently but only for a two-day fanmeet at the LG Concourse of Berjaya Times Square. The girls later performed in a mini showcase at Bentley Music in Mutiara Damansara.
The girls walked into the small conference room at the Pullman Bangsar Hotel before the showcase to meet the Press, arms linked like a group of high schoolgirls.
Fifth member, Joy, was not present as she is busy filming the TV show, The Liar And His Lover, for tvN.
Propelled by infectious tunes like Russian Roulette and Sunny Afternoon, the group is a regular on the music charts in South Korea, Japan (Oricon) and the US (Billboard).
Its most recent release, the EP Rookie, showcases the group’s versatility through songs like Talk To Me and Body Talk.
The track Happily Ever After peaked at No.1 on Billboard’s World Albums chart upon its release in February.
“We consider ourselves really lucky to have made it this far. The album really shows our fun side and the colours of Red Velvet. We hope that the energy from Rookie carries over to our fans,” said Yeri.
The girls were in Seoul when Rookie was released and Yeri describes it as one of the happiest moments in her life. “We were quiet for a moment as we listened to the song on the radio. It was very moving,” said Yeri, who is known as the joker of the group.
Seulgi enjoys singing along with her fans at fanmeets.
“I think that’s the most satisfying thing ever. It always give me that sense of achievement when fans know every word of our songs,” she said.
Since making its official debut in 2014, the group has slowly gained attention at home and abroad.
For Wendy, it took some time to get used to it all.
“Whenever I hear fans screaming our names, I get goosebumps. I’m still getting used to it but the fans are really good at capturing our emotions on their cameras,” said Wendy through a translator.
“To give back to their supportive fans, the group vowed to work hard to come up with good music. “We’re constantly improving ourselves. We don’t want to disappoint our fans. They’re the reason why we’re here today. We do it all for them,” added Wendy.
When Red Velvet arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, its first trip here, thousands of fans turned up to welcome the girls. “Malaysian fans are the most friendly and enthusiastic. They even welcomed us with gifts and flowers,” soft-spoken Irene related.
Rookie is available at all leading music stores. It is also available on iTunes and Spotify