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"Red Flavor"
Single by Red Velvet
from the EP The Red Summer
Language
Released
  • July 9, 2017 (2017-07-09) (Korean version)
  • July 4, 2018 (2018-07-04) (Japanese version)
Recorded2017
StudioSM Studio, Seoul, South Korea
Genre
Length3:11
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Kenzie
  • Kami Kaoru (Japanese lyrics)
  • Daniel Caesar
  • Ludwig Lindell
Producer(s)Caesar & Loui
Red Velvet singles chronology
"Would U"
(2017) 		"Red Flavor"
(2017) 		"Rebirth"
(2017)
Music video
"Red Flavor" on YouTube

"Red Flavor" (Korean: 빨간 맛; RR: Ppalgan mat) is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their first Korean special extended play The Red Summer (2017). Written by SM Entertainment songwriter Kenzie and produced by Daniel Caesar and Ludwig Lindell (known collectively as production duo Caesar & Loui), "Red Flavor" is primarily a dance-pop song with "dramatic synths and a percussive melody" that reflects the summer sonic vibe, while the lyrics hint towards a young relationship with summer references. It was released as the lead single from The Red Summer on July 9, 2017 by SM Entertainment with Genie Music as the distributor, along with an accompanying fruit-infused music video which sees the members interviewing different types of fruit while having fun at an in-house party. A Japanese version of the song, adapted by songwriter Kami Kaoru, was later included in their first Japanese extended play in 2018, titled #Cookie Jar.

Upon its release, "Red Flavor" received positive reviews from music critics who praised its hook and catchiness, describing it as a "summer anthem" and "earworm". It has since appeared on several year-end lists from critics and eventually earned the group their first Korean Music Awards at the 2018 ceremony, in the category of Best Pop Song. The song was a commercial success in South Korea, becoming the group's first number one and to date, their longest charting single on the Gaon Digital Chart and their fifth song to sell over a million downloads. Regarded as one of the group's signature songs, "Red Flavor" became the group's first single to sell over 2,500,000 downloads in South Korea in September 2018. It is Red Velvet's longest-charting single, and subsequently one of the longest-charting girl group songs on the Gaon Digital Chart. It also attained international success for the group, peaking at number four on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart while becoming their first single to enter the Billboard charts in Philippines and Japan. As of August 2019, the song has sold over 100,000 units in the United States. In 2019, Billboard ranked the single as the second greatest K-pop song of the 2010s, citing its "evocations of a bright summer romance" which are "felt in every flourish and quirk".

Since its release, Red Velvet has since performed "Red Flavor" in all of their headlining concert tours. The song is also notable for being part of their performance during the "Spring is Coming" concert in Pyongyang at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre (the other being "Bad Boy") to an audience that included Korean Workers' Party chairman Kim Jong-un. The concert was seen as an act of cultural diplomacy and intended as part of a wider diplomatic initiative between South Korea and North Korea. Their appearance at the concert made them only the fifth idol group to ever perform in North Korea and the first artist from SM Entertainment in fifteen years since boy group Shinhwa.

Background and release

After concluding music show promotion for their fourth extended play Rookie in February, Red Velvet released the digital single "Would U" as the first release for the second season of the label project SM Station.[1] It was the group's first single as a quarter in years due to member Joy's filming schedule for her first drama The Liar and His Lover, in which she was starring as the female lead.[2] Through news outlet and the label's official press announcement on June 23, 2017, the group was reported to release their first "summer special" extended play and had recently finished filming a music video.[3] It eventually became the group's second comeback within a calendar year, which was later extended to a total of three times with the release of their second studio album in later November. On June 30, the first batch of teaser photos were posted on the group's official social media accounts. The album title and the full tracklist which included "Red Flavor" was revealed on the same day.[4] On July 7, a 19-second video teaser for "Red Flavor" was uploaded on the official SMTOWN channel, with the official video being released two days later.[5] The song had its official digital release on July 9, 2017, along with the extended play.

Composition

"Red Flavor"
"Red Flavor" is an electropop song with dramatic synths and a percussive melody.[6] It also contains a distorted voice of Lindell saying "red flavor" after the first chorus, and was used throughout the song as well.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Red Flavor" was produced by Daniel Caesar and Ludwig Lindell who had previously worked with several South Korean artists under the name 'Caesar & Loui'. In an interview with Tone Glow, the duo revealed that it had originally been written for the British girl group Little Mix with the title "Dance With Nobody". After deciding that the song could also work for the K-pop market, they recorded the demo with vocals by Ylva Dimberg whose voice is still heard in the background vocals in the pre-chorus. A distorted voice singing the lyrics "Red Flavor" featured in the song was done by Lindell himself.[7] Its lyrics, which was written by long-time S.M. songwriter Kenzie, focuses on the theme of a young girl being in a summer love while using fruits as references.

Musically, Tamar Herman of Billboard characterized it as an electropop song with "dramatic synths and a percussive melody", which labeled the song as their fifth single to follow the "Red" concept. It was composed in the key of A major with a tempo of 125 beat-per-minute.[6][8][9] In addition, Chase McMullen of The 405 noted that the song includes a "clap-along groove" and horn-like instrument throughout, thus giving it a funky summer vibe.[10] Two remixes of the song were performed since then with the first remix by producer Hitchhiker, containing more tribal drums instead of the original percussive drum line in the chorus production. It was performed live for the first time by the girl group during their 2017 live performance at the Mnet Music Asian Awards.[11] The second remix contained an anthemic EDM-breakdown after the final chorus, and was performed regularly by the group during their concerts and live performances since 2018.[12] Initially released in Korean, a Japanese version of the song was performed at the group's first Japan showcase on November 6, 2017. The Japanese version of "Red Flavor" was then included in the group's first Japanese release #Cookie Jar.[13][unreliable source?]

Music video and promotion

Music video

Choreographed by Kyle Hanagami who had previously worked with the group for their singles "Be Natural" (2014), "Ice Cream Cake" (2015) and "Russian Roulette" (2016), the song's fruit-infused music video, which was directed by director Seong Chang-won, has a colorful summer theme that features all five members singing about love in the summer while dancing in an outdoor setting and at an in-house party. It also shows various scenes in where the girls can be seen interviewing humongous pieces of fruit, while all five members was also seen using sign language during this section.[14][15] Red Velvet member Joy recalled running into S.M. Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man at an SMTown dinner, who disclosed to her that he had been heavily involved in overseeing the song's title, lyrics, melody, rhythm, and even the choreography.[16] It was released on S.M. Entertainment's official YouTube channel on July 9, 2017 to coincide with the digital release of The Red Summer.

Promotion and live performances

A day before its digital release, "Red Flavor" was performed live by the group for the first time at an SMTOWN concert in Seoul which was considered "unconventional" due to the tradition of performing the title track after its digital release.[17] Hours after its release on July 9, the group had their first music show performance on Inkigayo where they also performed "You Better Know".[18] They continued appearing on several music shows such as The Show, M Countdown, Music Bank and Show Champion where they earned their first music show trophy for "Red Flavor" on July 20, 2017.[19] The song was also part of Red Velvet's first solo concert Red Room in August 2017. It is the first Red Velvet song to be recorded and performed in Japanese, serving as their debut performance during a showcase in Japan on November 6, 2017 and later during the Japanese leg of the annual SMTOWN Live World Tour.[20] During the group's attendance at 2017 Mnet Asian Music Awards, the group performed the Hitchhiker remix version of the song along with their November single "Peek-a-Boo".[11] They continued to perform the song in its second remix version throughout 2018 and 2019.[12]

As part of the group's attendance and performance at the "Spring is Coming" concert, which was intended as part of a wider diplomatic initiative between South Korea and North Korea, Red Velvet performed the song along with "Bad Boy" in Pyongyang at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre to an audience that saw the appearance of Korean Workers' Party chairman Kim Jong-un. This made them only the fifth idol group to ever perform in North Korea and the first artist from SM Entertainment in fifteen years since the performance of former labelmate Shinhwa.[21][22][23]

Critical reception and recognition

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
IZM[24]

Following its initial release, "Red Flavor" has received positive reviews from music critics. Tamar Herman of Billboard magazine called the track "dynamic in its jam-packed, but not overpowering production" and concluded that it is "sure to be one of the summer's K-pop earworms".[6] Jeff Benjamin of Fuse magazine described the song as a "super-simple-to-swallow piece of pop", giving credit to the "cheery-chanty melody" which he describes as one of Red Velvet's more accessible tunes.[15] Chase McMullen of The 405 website complimented the song as an "effortless pop glide" while Lee Gi-seon of IZM magazine reacted positively to the unity of the group, which was presented throughout the whole song in a review for its parental extended play.[10][25] Moreover, an individual single review from writer Hwang Sun-eob of IZM praised the "unusual" synthesizer and bassline of the track, citing the overall production for its "good" compromisation between the two to create their "favorite summer taste".[26] Chester Chin of The Star labelled it as an "in-your-face summer jam" and added that it's "relentlessly catchy".[27] Taylor Glasby of Dazed Digital commented that it "shouldn't be seen as merely a quirky fix", stating that "It's complex and intimidating and that it feels so immediate and identifiable on the surface is just emblematic of its greatness". With the mighty punch of its chorus, she claimed the song "completely won the summer".[28]

"Red Flavor" was included in IZM's Top 10 Singles of the Year and was named "Song of the Year" by GQ Korea in their November 2017 issue.[29][30] In December, Sun Mi-kyung of Osen selected it as one of their Memorable Songs of 2017 list, emphasizing the song's addictiveness and longevity on the charts, calling its hook "one of the best bars that hit the music industry".[31] Dazed Digital also included the song in their 20 Best K-pop Songs of 2017 list at number 2 and its music video was one of YouTube Korea's Top 10 Most Popular MVs of 2017.[28][32] The song also landed on Billboard's "20 Best K-Pop Songs 2017" list at number 4, with Jeff Benjamin praising the song's uplifting, addictive, deliciously bubblegum melody.[33] The magazine later ranked "Red Flavor" as the second best K-Pop song of the 2010s in November 2019, citing its "evocations of a bright summer romance" which are "felt in every flourish and quirk".[34]

Decade-end lists
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Billboard 20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2017
4
[33]
The 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s
2
[35]
Dazed Digital 20 Best K-Pop Songs in 2017
2
[28]
IZM Top 10 Singles of 2017
N/A
[29]

Accolades

Following the group's initial South Korea music shows promotion, Red Velvet earned their first Show Champion trophy for "Red Flavor" on July 20, 2017 and continued to achieved a total of five trophies by the end of July 2017.[19] Due to the song's massive commercial success, it was nominated for the Song of the Year - July category at the 7th Gaon Chart Music Awards in 2018, but lost to fellow labelmate EXO's "Ko Ko Bop".[36] The song, however, won the Best Digital Song category at the 32nd Golden Disc Awards, becoming the group's second time to win this category following "Ice Cream Cake" in 2016. "Red Flavor" also earned the group their first Korean Music Awards in their career in the Best Pop Song category, thus gaining the group's credibility amongst music critics.[37] The song also received a nomination in the Song of the Year category at the 2017 Mnet Asian Music Awards, but lost to Twice's "Signal".[38]

Music program awards
Song Program Date
"Red Flavor" Show Champion (MBC Music) July 19, 2017
M Countdown (Mnet) July 20, 2017
Music Bank (KBS) July 21, 2017
Show! Music Core (MBC TV) July 22, 2017
Inkigayo (SBS) July 23, 2017
Annual music awards
Year Award show Category Result
2017 Melon Music Awards Dance Award (Female) Nominated
Mnet Asian Music Awards Best Dance Performance Female Group Nominated
Song of the Year Nominated
2018 Golden Disc Awards Digital Single Division Main Award Won
Digital Single Division Grand Award Nominated
Korean Music Awards Best Pop Song Won
Song of the Year Nominated
Gaon Chart Music Awards Song of the Month (July 2017) Nominated

Commercial performance

Within the first 24 hours after its release, "Red Flavor" quickly topped 7 Korean digital charts and 8 other countries' iTunes digital chart.[39] On the third week of July 2017, the song debuted atop the Gaon Digital Chart for one week, giving the group their first Gaon Digital Chart number one title since their debut in August 2014. It was also the group's second chart-topper on the component Gaon Download Chart with 291,643 downloads, scoring the group's best selling record in the first week while reaching number two on the Gaon Streaming Chart for four consecutive weeks.[40][41] Following its appearance at number twenty on the 2017's Gaon Year-End Digital Chart, "Red Flavor" became Red Velvet's longest-charting entry to date, having spent a total of 64 consecutive weeks within the top 100 of the Digital Chart while re-appearing for 16 weeks on the lower half of the new top 200 as of September 2019.[42][43] The song also debuted at number two on the Billboard Kpop Hot 100, making it their first top-five entry.[44] As of September 2018, the song has sold over 2,500,000 downloads in South Korea, making it the group's fifth million-seller and currently their best selling single. Gaon also reported that the song has had over 100 million streams, making it the group's second song to reach the milestone, following "Russian Roulette".[45] It appeared again as the 58th biggest hit single on the 2018's Gaon Year-End Digital Chart, which saw the most year-end entries from the group with a total of four releases, including "Bad Boy" at number twenty-six, "Power Up" at number sixty-one and "Peek-a-Boo" at number eighty-three.[46]

Elsewhere, the song debuted at number four on the US Billboard World Digital Songs chart, making it their third song to debut and peak at the same position following "Happiness" (2014) and "Rookie" (2017).[47] The Korean version also debuted at number 24 and 25 on the Billboard Philippine Hot 100 and Billboard Japan Hot 100 respectively, marking their first entry (and currently their highest peak) on both charts.[48][49]

Charts

Weekly chart

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Japan (Billboard Japan Hot 100)[49] 25
Philippines (Philippine Hot 100)[50] 24
South Korea (Gaon Digital Chart)[51] 1
South Korea (Billboard K-Pop Hot 100)[44] 2
US Billboard World Digital Song[52] 4

Monthly chart

Chart (2017) Peak
position
South Korea (Gaon Digital Chart)[53] 2

Year-end chart

Chart (2017) Peak
position
South Korea (Gaon Digital Chart)[54] 20
Chart (2018) Peak
position
South Korea (Gaon Digital Chart)[46] 58

Sales

Region Sales
South Korea (Gaon)[45] 2,500,000+

Release history

Region Date Format Label
South Korea July 9, 2017 Digital download, streaming S.M. Entertainment, Genie Music
Worldwide S.M. Entertainment

See also

References

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