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| My Red Velvet Haul!!!! |
Ever since around 2015 where it seemed every K-pop artist group I loved was either losing members, going on indefinite hiatus, or flat-out dissolving, and, with the original excitement I felt for the genre dying down, I made a conscious decision that from that point on I would only be getting K-pop digitally and no more plunking down my paycheck for the latest releases.
Indeed, since the time I made that decision, the only two CDs I picked up were TWICE's first album "The Story Begins" (because I was able to acquire an autographed copy) and Park Bom's solo recent release (because I HAD to support my favorite K-pop vocalist's first post-breakup release). Other than that, nothing.
But in that time, there were great new acts to get into and, despite my disillusion, found myself falling in love with the "next wave" of Hallyu heroines like the aforementioned TWICE, 2NE1's successor BLACKPINK, and, yes, RED VELVET!
I loved all of the music put out by these three acts (the new "K-Pop Trifecta" as some call it), but Red Velvet had something special about them. Perhaps it has something to do with their SM roots, but besides the usual catchy and poppy hits, they'd always have one or two songs on an album that really hit me in the heart and gave me goosebumps whenever I'd hear it.
I had a funny history with Red Velvet. Though I REALLY liked their debut song "Happiness", I wasn't initially a fan of them adding Yeri (who knew how much I would love her in later years) and only listened to their later releases in passing.
It wasn't until the quintet got around to releasing their third(!) Mini Album "Russian Roulette" in 2016 that I sat up and noticed them again. In fact, I loved Russian Roulette so much (fueled by their invigorating performance and hijinks on Weekly Idol) that it jumpstarted my love of them and made me go back and grab all their previous albums that I had been missing.
Falling in love with ALL those albums that I'd initially passed on by, I was further indoctrinated by watching their new reality show "Revel Up" (which I wrote about here). My GOSH, this show did it for me- for the first time, I was learning who each member was and falling in love with all their individual traits and personalities!
From the beginning I had chosen Irene as my Red Velvet bias (at the time, simply by her looks), and i was delighted to find that her personality even furthered that bias: she was kind, funny sensible and even a little silly, after watching two seasons of Revel Up, I knew for SURE she was 'The One"!
I wasn't a huge fan of their next single "Rookie" that much (though I liked a few of the other songs on the EP), but just when i feared my interest in them might be waning, they released their mighty "Red Summer" album, the EP that would become my favorite EP from them and make me think for the first time that I HAD to BUY some of their Physical Releases, I loved it so much I wasn't satisfied only having MP3s of it.
This desire would only grow as the group released more and more releases, and FINALLY I had the funds and inclination to go ahead and GRAB all those albums I've been LOVING for the past few years!
I picked up:
Ice Cream Cake
[2015]
featuring one of the first songs that really got me in the feels, "Something Kinda Crazy"
The Red
[2015]
When I got this album, I was astounded at how "Dumb Dumb" didn't grab me when it first came out, it's so darn catchy. I think I was still sore they added Yeri at the time.
Russian Roulette
[2016]
The one that DID it for me, the 2X Speed performance they did of it on Weekly Idol surely was the cherry on the top!
The one that DID it for me, the 2X Speed performance they did of it on Weekly Idol surely was the cherry on the top!
[2017]
The Red Summer
[2017]
An absolutely perfect album in every way, besides the thumpin' "Red Flavor (which I learned, of all places on T-ara Jieyon's channel) we had the beautifully sombre "You better Know" and the wonderfully playful "Zoo", the latter which was only bolstered by an enthusiastic live cam performance!
[2017]
Summer Magic
[2018]
If the cute cover wasn't enough to make me grab this one, the sexy fancam footage of luscious Irene dancing to the opening track "Power-Up!" certainly did!
Such a catchy song and WOWOWOW Irene so sexy and SMOULDERING here!!
While I am enjoying these new CDS in my collection I'm ALSO finishing up season THREE of Revel Up, which has been going steady ever since first teaching me about the girls in 2017!