Red Velvet and the “Bad Boy” Comeback
On January 29, 2018, Red Velvet released The Perfect Red Velvet, the repackage for 2017’s Perfect Velvet, and the music video for “Bad Boy.” Letting their “Velvet” persona shine even brighter on the repackage, this comeback would go on to become a massive fan favorite. At the time of writing, the “Bad Boy” music video has 279 million views—100 million more than the music videos for “Russian Roulette” and “Peek-A-Boo,” the promoted track from Perfect Velvet. An English version of “Bad Boy” was released as a bonus track on Summer Magic, the first Red Velvet track to be re-recorded in English.
The Music Video
As mentioned above, The Perfect Red Velvet was all about capitalizing on their “Velvet” persona after the success of “Peek-a-Boo,” and boy did Red Velvet deliver with the music video for “Bad Boy.” This hiphop-influenced R&B and trap song features the girls in super sexy outfits, with soft pink pajamas, black athleisure wear paired with fishnets, and tight jeans, boots, and crop tops. While there isn’t a real plot or hidden story in the video, the choreography and aesthetic sets definitely make this a music video to watch over and over again.
The Comeback Performance
The comeback stage for “Bad Boy” was on February 1, 2018 on M!COUNTDOWN. Each member wore all-black outfits similar to ones seen in the music video. Joy, Seulgi, and Yeri wore the slightly sexier outfits, with Joy sporting a fur shawl over one shoulder, Seulgi in a crop top with leather pants, and Yeri in a crop top with a black skirt and fishnets—not that Irene and Wendy weren’t stunning as well in their athleisure-based outfits, with Wendy pairing a crop top with track pants and Irene in a tight romper with fishnets underneath. The backdrop for the stage was simple—the girls danced in front of a chain link fence with red dripping from the top and a hand making a “shh!” gesture in front of a pair of lips while the lights alternated in different shades of red.
The Legacy
“Bad Boy” would go on to win five music show wins, with one win on February 7 on Show Champion, two wins on M!COUNTDOWN on February 8 and February 15, a win on February 9 on Music Bank, and another win on February 11 on Inkigayo. The track peaked at No. 2 on the Gaon Weekly Digital Chart and Billboard World Digital Songs. Unfortunately “Bad Boy” did not take home any wins at the end of year awards, though it was nominated for “Song Of The Year” and “Best Dance Performance Female Group” at the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards, “Best Song Award” at the 2018 Melon Music Awards, “Song of the Month (January 2018)” at the 2019 Gaon Chart Music Awards, “Digital Single Division Main Award” at the 2019 Golden Disc Awards, and “Best Pop Song” at the 2019 Korean Music Awards.
The Perfect Red Velvet peaked at No. 1 on the Gaon Albums Chart, No. 3 on the Billboard U.S. World Albums Chart, and No. 7 on the Billboard U.S. Top Heatseekers Albums Chart. And sadly, just like with the title track, The Perfect Red Velvet was nominated for “Album of the Year” at the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards but did not win. The previously promoted track “Peek-a-Boo” received two music show wins and was also nominated for end-of-year awards, as did the Perfect Velvet album, but did not win any awards either.
“Bad Boy” was the group’s first single to receive Platinum KMCA certification following its introduction in 2018. Red Velvet performed “Bad Boy” and “Red Flavor” at the Spring is Coming concert at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre in North Korea. The concert was considered an act of cultural diplomacy that was intended to be part of a wider diplomatic initiative between South Korea and North Korea. They were only the fifth idol group to ever perform in North Korea and the first SM Entertainment artist to perform since Shinhwa in North Korea in 15 years, all in part due to the ever-popular “Bad Boy.”