Korean Pop Legend Kim Wansun and Red Velvet’s Seulgi Release a “Lucky” Duet

Legendary soloist Kim Wansun and Red Velvet’s Seulgi have released a single sure to bridge the gap between generations. “Lucky,” released January 15, is an ‘80s disco-inspired track produced by J.Y. Park. Park created the song to thank Kim for her collaboration on his 2023 single “Changed Man.” Despite the 28-year gap between their debuts, the two female artists came together as respected peers in the industry. These combined efforts behind “Lucky” make the single one that fans of all ages can enjoy. 

Kim Wansun and Seulgi’s Previous Interactions

Before the duo released their own original song together, the two previously performed on two variety shows. In 2020, Kim appeared as a special guest on Level Up! RISKY Project, a Red Velvet variety spin-off series for the Irene & Seulgi sub-unit. The three women practiced a performance of Kim’s 1986 debut song “Tonight” and “The dance in the rhythm,” originally released in 1987. 

The legendary singer would later appear on 2021’s The Wise Music Encyclopedia, a talk show that Seulgi hosted with music critic Kim Zakka, highlighting  veteran singers’ careers. On the show, Kim said she would like to do an official collaboration with Seulgi one day. Kim invited Seulgi to perform with her in 2023 for the variety show Dancing Queens on the Road. The two performed a duet cover of “Masquerade,” off her 1990 album Piero laughs at us. This stage transformed the original into a dance battle between two crews, one led by “Korea’s Madonna” and the other led by Red Velvet’s main dancer.  

A “Lucky” Collaboration

Composed by J.Y. Park, JBACH, and Deza, “Lucky” centers around finding fortunate moments. Kim Wansun and Seulgi sing as they look forward to finding those lucky days. Kim describes the song not as a feature, but as a duet with the parts divided exactly in half. The performance is both a pleasure to listen to and watch from its retro instrumental and fun hand gestures. 

The simple music video accompanying “Lucky” focuses on choreography, made by the LACHICA dance crew, and bright neon colors. Its ending scene shows Kim Wansun and Seulgi running happily as flower petals fall down. It’s truly lucky to have such an unexpected collaboration between two iconic female artists offering a performance that transcends generations. Kim’s nearly 40-year career is still going strong, and singers from decades ago and those in modern K-Pop still value her artistry.

Edited by Clark Royandoyan