After shaking things up with its song “Red Flavor” in July last year, Red Velvet is set to offer another taste of summer with its new single “Power Up.”

“Our new single ‘Power Up’ delivers a message of ‘work hard and play hard.’ If ‘Red Flavor’ is energetic and upbeat from its beginning to end, ‘Power Up’ is very infectious,” said Irene during a press conference for the band’s second solo concert “Red Mare” in Seoul on Sunday. 

Red Velvet’s new summer album “Summer Magic,” slated for release on Monday evening, is fronted by the lead track “Power Up” and consists of the tracks “Power Up,” “Mosquito,” “Mr. E,” “Hit That Drum,” “Blue Lemonade” and English version of “Bad Boy.”

“Power Up” marks the group’s second summer track since its smash hit “Red Flavor,” while “Summer Magic” is the act’s sixth Korean EP and its second Korean album of the year following “The Perfect Red Velvet” in January. 

“It’s our second summer comeback, and we’ve filled the album with a cool vibe so people can overcome this hot weather. If ‘Red Flavor’ reminded people of fresh fruits, ‘Power Up’ gives you energy, just like its title,” Wendy said. 

Seulgi also shared that the song’s message originally came from the S.M. Entertainment’s workshop, where the agency’s head Lee Soo-man told staff to “work hard and play hard.”

While the members admitted they felt burdened over the new album, as they had seen massive success with “Red Flavor,” they said with confidence that “Power Up” would be another summery earworm.

“Personally, I really liked ‘Red Flavor,’ so it’s true that I felt burdened. But we’ve put a lot of effort into the song by recording it in various versions and studying the song’s nuances. I can confidently say that ‘Power Up’ will be very charming,” Joy said. 

Red Velvet kicked off its two-day solo concert “Red Mare” at Seoul Olympic Stadium in Seoul on Saturday, when the five-piece act performed its new songs for the first time. The adventure- and horror-themed event also marks the band’s first solo concert since its “Red Room” concert in August last year.

One of K-pop’s most prominent and best-charting acts, Red Velvet started out in 2014 with the debut single “Happiness.” Hits under its belt include “Ice Cream Cake,” “Dumb Dumb” and “Peek-A-Boo.”


(lotus@heraldcorp.com)