IRENE (Red Velvet) – KPOPREVIEWED

[Review] Biggest Fan – IRENE (Red Velvet)

April 3, 2026April 3, 2026Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged IRENE (Red Velvet), Red VelvetLeave a comment

Red Velvet’s IRENE made her comeback at the start of the week with her 1st studio album, Biggest Fan, and the title track of the same name. It serves as her first music release since the return of the subunit she is part of alongside fellow member SEULGI, and her solo debut in late 2024 with Like A Flower (the title of both her debut mini-album and title track).

What I really like about Biggest Fan is its dance-pop instrumental, which provides a funky, groovy backing for the track. The upbeat nature and vibrancy of the background helped make Biggest Fan feel bold and commanding, even if it wasn’t the intention. I enjoyed IRENE’s nasal tone, which is on full display throughout Biggest Fan. And the primary hook, “Lookin’ at you, Lookin’ at me“, while repetitive and could have been spruced up with a different set of lines in its second half, was catchy and earwormy – it’s the most memorable aspect of Biggest Fan. The thing holding me back about Biggest Fan is that I like the individual elements on their own. But when they come together, I don’t find the same level of engagement in the song. Potentially more interesting verses and a stronger first half of the chorus (i.e., the half of the centrepiece before the mentioned hook above) could help make Biggest Fan more engaging.

The music video sees IRENE exude confidence in her beautiful visuals. Everyone around her becomes her ‘biggest fan’ throughout the music video – from walking in public, the modelling world, to even on stage. I was also struck by her visuals in this video. In the end, she embraces her fans as she makes global headlines. I did notice that the headlines said she was making her solo debut through Biggest Fan, which was an interesting detail. One thing that struck me as I was watching the music video whilst writing this review was that I don’t think I have any reason to go back to it. Aside from what I mentioned above, there wasn’t much else to the video, nor was there much else for me to seek it out.

The performance was good. I really like the tutting-esque poses that IRENE and the dancers did during the aforementioned hook, as well as the overall brightness of everyone during the performance.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

[Special] Top 30 Songs and Artists of 2025

February 21, 2026February 21, 2026Posted in KPOPREVIEWED Awards, SpecialTagged aespa, AHOF, ALLDAY PROJECT, ATEEZ, BOYNEXTDOOR, CHAEYOUNG (TWICE), CHUNG HA, DAY6, DAYOUNG (WJSN), ENHYPEN, G Dragon (BIGBANG), GOT7, Hearts2Hearts, i-dle, IRENE (Red Velvet), ITZY, IVE, j-hope (BTS), Jennie (BLACKPINK), KATSEYE, KIIRAS, LE SSERAFIM, Mark (NCT), MEOVV, MONSTA X, NCT DREAM, NCT WISH, NMIXX, ONF, Red Velvet - IRENE & SEULGI, Stray Kids, Ten (NCT), TWICE, TWS, TXT, YEJI (ITZY), ZEROBASEONELeave a comment

Earlier this week, I announced the Winners of the 2025 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, which were mostly decided by you throughout December 2025 and January 2026.

In that post, I also announced the Best Overall Song of 2025 (Stray Kids’ CEREMONY) and Best Overall Artist of 2025 (Red Velvet – IRENE & SEULGI). Alongside this announcement, I also promised to post the Top 30 songs and artists of 2025, and this is it!

Remember that the Best Overall Song and Artist of 2025 were decided by 50% your fan votes and 50% of my Weekly KPOP Charts that I post (roughly) each Sunday.

So without further delay, I present to you the Top 30 songs and artists of 2025!

Top 30 Artists of 2025

Pos.	Artist
1	Red Velvet – IRENE & SEULGI
2	DAYOUNG
3	NMIXX
4	CHUNG HA
5	Hearts2Hearts
6	BOYNEXTDOOR
7	TWS
8	MONSTA X
9	YEJI (ITZY)
10	KIIRAS
11	LE SSERAFIM
12	MARK (NCT)
13	IRENE (Red Velvet)
14	ZEROBASEONE
15	Stray Kids
16	ENHYPEN
17	NCT DREAM
18	ALLDAY PROJECT
19	TEN (NCT)
20	TXT
21	ITZY
22	JENNIE (BLACKPINK)
23	DAY6
24	G-DRAGON (BIGBANG)
25	j-hope (BTS)
26	CHAEYOUNG (TWICE)
27	KATSEYE
28	TWICE
29	aespa
30	AHOF

Top 30 Songs of 2025

Pos.	Song
1	CEREMONY – Stray Kids
2	body – DAYOUNG
3	Blue Valentine – NMIXX
4	Air – YEJI (ITZY)
5	Love Language – TXT
6	ICONIK – ZEROBASEONE
7	Bad Desire (With or Without You) – ENHYPEN
8	Good Thing – i-dle
9	Hollywood Action – BOYNEXTDOOR
10	In Your Fantasy – ATEEZ
11	STUNNER – TEN (NCT)
12	1999 – MARK (NCT)
13	PYTHON – GOT7
14	I Feel Good – BOYNEXTDOOR
15	Countdown! – TWS
16	HANDS UP – MEOVV
17	THIS IS FOR – TWICE
18	FOCUS – Hearts2Hearts
19	DROP TOP – MEOVV
20	poppop – NCT WISH
21	The Stranger – ONF
22	THUNDER – SEVENTEEN
23	Beautiful Strangers – TXT
24	LIKE YOU BETTER – fromis_9
25	XOXZ – IVE
26	Lemon Drop – ATEEZ
27	BLUE – ZEROBASEONE
28	TILT – Red Velvet – IRENE & SEULGI
29	INSIDE OUT – DAY6
30	SPAGHETTI – LE SSERAFIM ft. j-hope (BTS)

[Album Review] Like a Flower (1st Mini Album) – IRENE (Red Velvet)

January 4, 2026Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged IRENE (Red Velvet), Red Velvet3 Comments

IRENE is nominated for Best New Female Soloist, while Red Velvet – IRENE & SEULGI’s TILT is nominated for Best Dance Performance (Female Group), in the 2025 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support IRENE and TILT by casting your vote today by clicking the link here.

Confession time: I almost forgot to review IRENE’s debut mini-album, Like a Flower, in my pursuit to finish reviewing the 2024 albums I still haven’t reviewed (status update: there are only two more left after this one). But luckily, I remembered in time, and here we are. Like a Flower (the mini-album) was released at the end of November 2024 and features a title track of the same name. Another 7 songs are featured on the mini-album, including two special tracks (though I am not sure why they were considered ‘special’).

While some tracks did stick out to me even after a year, I didn’t remember Like a Flower as a strong mini-album with other great tracks, so much so that it’s a recommended one from me. More recently, IRENE regrouped fellow Red Velvet member SEULGI to reform the subunit Red Velvet – IRENE & SEULGI and released TILT.

1. Like a Flower (Title Track) – Click here for my full review of Like a Flower. (7.5/10)

2. Summer Rain – As a pop ballad, Summer Rain has me captivated with her nasally vocals and dreamy synth work. It was honestly hard for me to forget this side track even after a year since its release. Her ad-libs and the instrumental, as a whole, were just amazing. The melodies bring out that swaying motion that I have associated with good ballads. I also liked the addition of summer rain sounds at the start and end of the song, which gave the song a special touch. (10/10)

3. Calling Me Back – Calling Me Back sees IRENE venture into R&B territory with her vocals, and a powerful instrumental with futuristic influences, dreamy synths and heavy bass. This is a strong combination that leaves quite an impression. I really liked how IRENE pushed herself vocally in Calling Me Back, particularly in the choruses, which made the song very engaging. It was another song that was hard to skip. (10/10)

4. Strawberry Silhouette– Some people have said that Strawberry Silhouette could have been an alternative title track. And honestly, I agree with them. Strawberry Silhouette is a mid-tempo R&B dance track with a hefty instrumental, and IRENE delivers mature, sensual vibes with her breathy vocals. I actually quite liked it when the song focused on the instrumental heaviness and would have liked a longer rap sequence. Altogether, Strawberry Silhouette is quite impressive and memorable, whereas Like a Flower was not. (10/10)

5. Start Line – Start Line is a pop band track that combines a fulfilling band sound with synth bass to produce a very bright number. The same can be said about IRENE’s vocals. I did enjoy the energy of the chorus. It was fantastic, especially after the string of ballads and R&B numbers. If you also cannot tell from Start Line’s tone, the lyrics were also quite uplifting, and I recommend you check them out. (9/10)

6. Winter Wish – Winter Wish is a Christmas track, disguised as a pop dance track. Aside from the lyrics, Winter Wish also features the classic Christmas bells to bring about the festive sound. Aside from that, it was a simple and straightforward dance track, with IRENE’s vocals leaving a smile on your face. At least, that is what she did through the song to me. (8/10)

7. Ka-Ching (Special Track) – Ka-Ching is another dance pop track. I liked how it started off like an old-timey track and developed into a fun dance track whilst still maintaining that slight retro vibe. The whole track comes off as rather cute, and that energy is quite infectious. (8/10)

8. I Feel Pretty (Special Track) – Described as an acoustic pop song, IRENE closes the album with I Feel Pretty. Her vocals were effortless and lovely in this track. Those strings in the background were gorgeous and worked well with the lyrics, which were about falling in love with yourself. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.8/10

IRENE’s teaser image for *Like a Flower*

[Review] Like A Flower – IRENE (Red Velvet)

November 28, 2024November 28, 2024Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged IRENE (Red Velvet), Red Velvet2 Comments

Tuesday saw IRENE from Red Velvet make her solo debut with the mini-album and lead single of the same name, Like A Flower. This is her first release since Red Velvet’s Cosmic and Sweet Dreams, which were released earlier in the year. Fellow member WENDY also made her solo comeback earlier this year.

Like A Flower is another pleasant song. My use of the word ‘pleasant’ in reviews can either be a good or bad thing. But for the first time, I am unsure what side of the spectrum I fall on. Part of me really likes Like A Flower‘s pop-dance instrumental, which has an excellent rhythmic beat. The percussion was soft yet yielded an upbeatness that felt robust and dynamic. The piano melody that peeks through the backing makes it feel pretty and dreamy. There are also some textural vocal chops in the back of the latter parts of the chorus, which I also enjoyed particularly because they help cut the linear nature of the song. The rest of Like A Flower is where my liking of the song weakens. Mostly, the melodies came off as monotonous, and IRENE’s vocals ultimately felt bland. She does a decent job of making herself sound soft, but that comes at the cost of something riveting or captivating. The English lyrics in Like A Flower‘s chorus suffer a similar fate as ATEEZ’s Ice On My Teeth, though not as bad. Overall, Like A Flower is a decent debut track. However, it could have been more enticing.

The following is just my interpretation of the events in the music video. It starts with IRENE recording different sounds in life, including love. It is all shown in a bright and sunny environment, implying her hobby is innocent. I assume that doing this makes her want to experience her love, so she seeks out a guy she met once. She pleads to the internet to help her find the person, going to lengths of using a computer program to find the person and printing out a huge photo of him. But once she does, things turn a little sinister. The mood shifts from innocent to creepy as she chases after him. At one point, he looks up, and she is staring back down at him. This change in the video’s mood shines a different light on the van as she travels in at the start and stores her tapes. It is suspiciously spacious. Scary movie-loving me now thinks IRENE is a serial killer, and the tape recordings represent a victim, with the guy’s tape being titled ‘See The Sun’. I could be very wrong about the dark twist in the story, but that is what I got out of it.

I quite enjoyed the choreography for IRENE’s solo debut. It fully embraces the rhythmic beat I spoke about earlier, and the routine has a contemporary and elegant feel. There were some glitchy-like hand movements in the routine, which I thought was a standout detail.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10