Korean girl group return to Thailand
Working at SM Entertainment, the five-member girl group Red Velvet naturally get compared with successful label mates such as Girls’ Generation and f(x). But they’ve proved that they don’t have to live in the shadow of their peers. Since 2014, Red Velvet have been putting out hit after hit and have gained a devoted following of fans.
FUN TIME
The girls are currently promoting their latest album Summer Magic. On September 8, 5,000 Thai fans descended on Thunderdome. They were there for Red Velvet 2nd Concert: Redmare in Bangkok, a night of fun and excitement with an amusement park theme.
Red Velvet - leader Irene, 27, Seulgi, 24, Wendy, 24, Joy, 22, and Yeri, 19 - hit the stage and welcomed their fan club ReVeluv with the dance numbers “Russian Roulette,” “Power Up” and “#Cookie Jar.” Afterwards, they greeted their fans and praised the audience’s ability to sing along. They used some Thai phrases, which the crowd greatly appreciated.
HIGH NOTES
During the two-hour show, Red Velvet ran through a set of 22 songs. Most tunes were uplifting bubblegum pop, but there were some sweet ballads as well. All the girls showed impressive singing ability, but Wendy really stood out. Her ability to hit high notes in “Happiness” and “Hit That Drum” was remarkable. The crowd went wild in response.
FAN SUPPORT
The fans prepared many things for their idols. During the ballad “Moonlight Melody,” they divided the arena into five colours and formed the letters “RV” and a heart shape. The girls were also impressed with the handmade fans made from funny Red Velvet photos. Joy and Seulgi took them onstage and showed them to everybody.
FOND FAREWELL
After the final song “Day 1,” the girls thanked the fans. Irene had tears in her eyes and said she was overwhelmed by their fantastic support. Seulgi was impressed that they could remember the words to all the songs, even though they weren’t in Thai. Joy and Wendy said they were impressed by the loud screams and warm welcome they received.
What’s it like to be back in Thailand?
Yeri: It’s great. Thailand is a country that I really wanted to revisit. We were here to shoot the reality show Level Up before and it was great fun.
How did you celebrate your four-year anniversary on August 1?
Seulgi: We didn’t have time to go out to celebrate because we were working that day. But our crew prepared a great surprise for us.
What was your most memorable moment of the four years?
Seulgi: Mine was when we had our first concert, Red Room. And Thailand is the first foreign country in which we’re playing the Redmare concert. So today will be another memorable moment.
Can you explain the concept for Redmare?
Irene: It’s done in the style of a theme park. Onstage and in the background videos, there’s a robot called ReVe which follows us through every part of the story.
Yeri: I came up with the name ReVe. It was inspired by the phrase “level up.” But Seulgi came up with the character design. She loves drawing.
What are your plans for the future?
Irene: We’ll be on tour for a while. After that, we’ll do solo work. I hope we get the chance to come back to Thailand again.
