I. Introduction
Red Velvet released its 12th extended play (EP), Queendom, on August 16, 2021, featuring the lead single "Queendom."
II. Background & Release
During promotions of Red Velvet's last release The ReVe Festival Finale in December 2019, member Wendy was severely injured in a stage accident. During her recovery period, the group remained on hiatus until January 2021, when they reappeared together as part of the SMTown Live 2021 Culture Humanity concert and performed several songs. During this hiatus, the sub-unit Irene & Seulgi also debuted. Members of the group began to tease a return as members Wendy and Joy made their solo debuts in the spring of 2021.
On June 9, SM announced Red Velvet would have an August release. Promotional activities began from July 26 to August 1, celebrating the group's career and leading up to their seventh anniversary with the theme "Queens Mystic Store." The release date and album name were announced on August 2.
The EP contains six songs and came in two versions: Queens and Girls. The group performed on a special comeback special as part of the promotions. The lead single "Queendom" was performed on Korean music shows with the b-side "Pose." The song's popularity on TikTok inspired the group to release a special video compilation of fans dancing to the song on their YouTube channel.
III. Tracklist
| Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Queendom" | Jo Yoon-kyung | minGtion, Anne Judith Stokke Wik,Moa "Cazzi Opeia" Carlebecker, Ellen Berg | minGtion | 3:01 |
| "Pose" | Lee Seu-ran | Fabian Torsson, Harry Sommerdahl, Ylva Dimberg, Moa "Cazzi Opeia" Carlebecker | Fabian Torsson, Harry Sommerdahl, Ylva Dimberg, Moa "Cazzi Opeia" Carlebecker | 3:20 |
| "Knock on Wood" | Seo Ji-eum | Jonatan Gusmark (Moonshine), Ludvig Evers (Moonshine), Moa "Cazzi Opeia" Carlebecker, Ellen Berg | Jonatan Gusmark (Moonshine), Ludvig Evers (Moonshine) | 3:40 |
| "Better Be" | Kim In-hyung (Jam Factory) | Andreas Oberg, Skylar Mones, Michele Wylen | Skylar Mones, Andreas Oberg | 3:00 |
| "Pushin' N Pullin" | Kenzie | Kenzie, Mike Daley, Mitchell Owens, Nicole Cohen | Mike Daley, Mitchell Owens | 3:03 |
| "Hello Sunset" | Choi Bo-ra (153 Joombas) | Sam Klempner, Noémie Legrand, Derain Whitmore Jr. | Sam Klempner | 3:30 |
IV. Spotify Playlist
V. Videos
Queendom Teaser:
Mood Sampler:
Queendom MV:
Hello Sunset Special MV:
Queens Archive:
Behind the Scenes:
Performances:
VI. Concept Photos
VII. Reception
The EP debuted at #2 on the Korean Gaon charts, #11 on the U.S. Billboard World chart, #17 on the UK Digital Albums chart and #11 on Japanese Oricon charts. It also charted in Belgium and Finland. All of the singles on Queendom charted on Gaon, with lead single "Queendom" reaching #5. The song reached #10 on the U.S. World song charts, as well as charting on the Japan Hot 100. This was Red Velvet's highest selling release, nearly tripling the first week sales of their previous high. As of September 25, 2021, the album had sold over 242,000 copies.
