Music analysis: The summer concept in K-pop - ‘Velvet Summer’ by Red Velvet
Seasonal concepts have always been huge in K-pop, with it formally beginning in 1999 with SM Entertainment releasing ‘Christmas in SMTown.’
This led agencies to create holiday compilation albums with their signed artists until the shift in the next millennium, writes Music News Blitz’s Brianna Ngambi.
Seasonal novelty
What agencies realised in the 2010s was that marketing seasonal tracks and albums with individual groups was more successful, birthing groups such as SISTAR, who popularised summer concepts for individual groups and idols and earned the title “summer queens” in the K-Pop community.
The summer concept in the early 2010s was characterised by dance-pop and house-infused tracks with beach-themed music videos, for example “Touch my Body” by Sistar and “Bubble Pop” by HyunA.
This continued in the third generation of K-pop, which began with groups and idols that debuted after 2012.
Bands like Red Velvet, TWICE, EXO and Gfriend have all released dedicated winter or summer albums, following the industry trend that has led to agencies competing to produce tracks and albums that encompass that particular season.
Red Velvet - Summer queens of the third gen
Red Velvet, who debuted in 2014, are an idol group that have been praised throughout their career and have followed the SISTAR blueprint in producing their own summer mini albums and using concepts that match the mood of the sunny season.
Last Year, two of the members, Wendy and Ye-ri, left their exclusive contracts with SM Entertainment, but remained in the group.
Many fans believe this would be the beginning of their disbandment, but in July 2026, their long-awaited comeback was announced to be released on August 3.
This mini album was called Velvet Summer, and the ‘Velvet’ is particularly important here as the group’s name is played on the image and music of the band.
They have contrasting ‘Red’ and ‘Velvet’ concepts. The former showcases their bubbly and colourful image with music that is predominantly Pop, and the latter is more mature and elegant, accompanied by RnB and Ballad tracks.
In recent years, they have mixed these concepts, and this is evident on their newest mini album, which has a colourful image and all the tracks are Pop RnB adjacent.
READ MORE: Music news: KATSEYE unleash their wild side with new single ‘Animal’
Velvet Summer
This mini album is accompanied by a music video for the single “Surfin Boy.”
The topic of the song is typically of summer concepts, with references to love, the sea, surfing, sunsets and other elements of the vacation season. The video is also very bright, with hues of blue and white, reminiscent of the sea itself.
It begins with a clip of the ‘surfin’ boy who happens to be a type of merman and then shifts to the five members in an open factory setting.
Here, there are many men carrying fish and walking around the members while they dance.
Then, the video shifts and becomes a darker blue hue, one often associated with sirens, and this is where we find Irene with the ‘surfin’ boy, holding one another, but this ends quickly as Yeri shoots him.
These dark concepts are very typical of Red Velvet, where they harm someone or each other, such as in Russian Roulette and Peek-a-Boo, both tracks that are deemed a mix of velvet and red concepts by fans.
The video ends with all the girls in the same factory, with no men around, drinking glitter blue drinks and fireworks in the background, circling back to the summery concept.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Music news: Tate McRae turns to gold during Lollapalooza headline debut
My favourite tracks
As this mini album is only five tracks long, I will focus on tw favourites.
By far, “Orchestra” takes the cake for me, and it samples the 1961 lounge and film piece “Lujon” by Henry Mancini. It blends this film piece with a smooth R&B groove, which is very Velvet.
I may be biased as I have always preferred Velvet tracks, but overall it is a very well-produced song.
I also enjoy “Hawaii,” the final track of the mini album, which fits the summer concept, as the title itself is a holiday destination and they sing about wanting to escape and leaving the stress of adulthood to be carefree like in childhood.
The song is an acoustic pop song that has wave sounds and ukulele in the background of the production, making it have a very summery feel, which I enjoyed.
For a comeback after two years, this summer mini album was the perfect reintroduction to Red Velvet, doing what they do best.
READ NEXT: Music news: Bruno Mars’ Romantic tour stop in London comes to an end
