Red Velvet's debut song "Happiness" is extremely good. It sounds a bit different at first, but the general response to the song itself has been very positive.

However, Red Velvet's debut has been covered in various forms of scandal and filled with speculation, as fans try to figure what exactly SM Entertainment was doing. One popular opinion is that SM Entertainment pushed up Red Velvet's debut because f(x) is having internal issues, and it seems like, based on some simple observation, the fans may be right.

It doesn't really matter whether or not the fact that f(x) ended its promotional cycle early led to Red Velvet debuting a bit earlier; SM Entertainment may have very well planned for Red Velvet to debut now.

But, the way that Red Velvet's debut differs from some of SM's most recent debuts makes it seem unlikely that there wasn't some rush regarding Red Velvet.

Comparing Red Velvet's debut with that of EXO in particular, leads to some stark contrasts. The two groups are dramatically different in size and style, but even so- SM Entertainment spent a long time promoting EXO prior to debut. It seems a little bit odd that Red Velvet was announced and debuted within a span of a few days.

Teasers

For one thing, EXO had more than the normal amount of teasers- it had over 20. In comparison, Red Velvet had one. And, not only was it just a single teaser, it was a snippet from the actual music video itself. While that's not uncommon, it is uncommon for an SM group.

SM Entertainment is one of the top entertainment companies in Korea, and it's unlikely that there wouldn't be a lot of thought put into a marketing campaign. While EXO's teasers and pre-debut marketing stirred a lot of attention on the group itself prior to debut, leading to EXO's fervent fanbase, Red Velvet hardly had any time in between being introduced and actually debuting.  

Music Video

 When EXO debuted, the group released several music videos. Out of the five songs on EXO's debut album "Mama," three songs ("What is Love," "History," and the title song "Mama") were graced with music videos.  While Red Velvet is expected to release a follow-up track to "Happiness" after promoting the song for a bit, the difference is a bit startling.

To make matters even odder- SM Entertainment always has visually spectacular music videos. While fans may complain that SM keeps it's idols "in boxes," due to being stuck on sets, it came as a shock after first seeing "Happiness" to realize the kaleidoscope-esque graphics that were being utilized. Instead of building a set and creating some sort of plot, or focusing on the group's dance, Red Velvet was almost lost in the concept and dizzying colors.

The music video was very good, and entertaining, but didn't match SM's style at all. Computer graphics like the ones that appeared in "Happiness" are very basic, as were the few sets, and it seems almost as if it was all put together.

The scandal involving headlines about the atomic bombs being dropped on Japan in WWII, and possible allusions to terrorist attacks on New York and London, also seems as if it was caused by a rush to get the music video out there.

While one or two things could escape SM's tight planning (Girls' Generation had a Japanese rising sun on one of its albums,) it seems unlikely that a debut music video would usually have to be rescinded and re-released because of political issues. Rather than SM Entertainment keeping tight control on the debut video, it ended up looking a bit sloppy.

The Physical Album

While Red Velvet's first album hasn't officially been released, the group took a picture with SHINee's Minho at Music Core. They gave Minho a copy of the album, and it looks simple. A very nice jewel case, with very nice graphics. This is in stark contrast to most K-Pop albums, especially from big companies.

EXO's debut albums, while not overly exciting, were at least personalized for the group and in cardboard cases with EXO's insignia on it. Red Velvet may surprise its fans, but based on the rest of the aspects of this debut, it seems unlikely.

Red Velvet is definitely ready to debut and become K-Pop idols-the four members seem extraordinarily talented and SM wouldn't really let them debut if they weren't ready. But the planning surrounding the group's debut seems a bit shoddy, and it's unfortunate that Red Velvet had to debut with so many discrepancies.

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The ideas expressed above are those of the writer and do not reflect the opinion of KpopStarz.