“Akhirnya kami di Malaysia!”
Red Velvet expressed their happiness (no pun intended ?) at having the chance to perform in Malaysia, but honestly, fans were more excited at the prospect of seeing their beloved idols in the flesh.
Titled “Red Velvet ‘Rookie’ Mini Album Event in Kuala Lumpur”, the event marked the girls’ first visit to the country. Their popularity was proven when tickets to their show sold out in 20 minutes, which prompted Universal Music Malaysia to add an additional fan signing on Saturday (22nd April). As plenty couldn’t get tickets to the fan event held at Bentley Music Auditorium on Sunday (23rd April), they grabbed the chance to meet the girls a day before.
However, hours before the fan signing, Red Velvet welcomed Malaysian media in a press conference. We were one of the lucky ones who attended it and to be very honest, we weren’t fans of the girls prior to this. But seeing their cute interactions with each other, their innocence as well as excitement, it was hard not to fall for them. The girls were affable and tried their best to answer the questions as honestly as possible.
The first question that they got at the press conference was, of course, a Malaysia-related one. Sadly, they hadn’t had to chance to experience Malaysian food or culture at all as they arrived late the night before. Later at their fan event, they also assured fans that they would like to come to Malaysia for a holiday if possible.
Red Velvet fielded some interesting questions from the press, with Wendy assuring fans that she would still be doing music right now even if she weren’t a singer. Her exact answer was, “I might be busking in the streets. Somewhere, I don’t know where. Maybe Malaysia? *laughs* But I would be doing music.”
This was followed by Yeri’s childhood dream of being a firefighter. “I had many ambitions and one of them was being a firefighter. So if I wasn’t a singer, then I’d probably be somewhere putting out a fire,” exclaimed the maknae.
The girls showed off their Malay-speaking skills, as Yeri proudly told the media “Terima kasih!” while Irene struggled to remember the phrase “Saya rindu kamu semua,” and gave off an adorable but triumphant laugh when she managed to say it without any problems. Wendy also did her best to tell us “Saya cinta padamu,” but the funniest moment came when Irene repeatedly told the media that she was “Lapar, lapar“.
When asked if there was anything that they wished their younger selves knew, Wendy gave a touching answer. She said, “Everything that my parents said. I guess I didn’t listen to what my parents said but right now, everything I need to do by myself, now I realise ‘Oh I should listen to them’.”
They’ve also revealed that many of their sunbaes (seniors) have given them precious advice on how to survive in the industry. However, the best advice they received was to “stay together as a team” and be a “good member”.
A day after the press conference, we met the girls again at their mini album event. The show was supposed to start at 4pm, but long lines had started to snake around the auditorium since the morning. When the doors opened at 4pm, the venue was filled up within seconds.
Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long for Red Velvet to appear. They kicked off the show with their hit tracks “Ice Cream Cake” and “Dumb Dumb” – energetic songs that boosted the moods of fans who had waited for hours to see their precious idols.
After ending their performance, they showed us more Malay speaking skills. Of course, there was the standard “Terima Kasih”, “Saya cinta kamu semua”, and more. Midway through the segment, Wendy puzzled fans by running off the stage. When she returned, she gave fans a surprise by telling us, “Hati berdebar-debar!” We almost melted hearing that ?
A board was then brought on stage and Red Velvet was required to choose notes filled with messages and questions from fans. Yeri went first and to our surprise, she tried her best to speak in English! Although she contemplated a long time, she finally chose one which said, “When you’re doing a concert, what song would you like to sing for the ending?”
She hesitated before asking the crowd, “What do you want?“, which made the audience laugh as it sounded like she wanted to pick a fight ? After pondering for a good few seconds, she chose “First Time (처음인가요)”. The maknae even sang a snippet of the song for the audience!
The 2nd question, picked by Irene, was, “What is your favourite thing about becoming a member of Red Velvet?” She replied by saying, “The members take good care of me. And they celebrate every members’ birthday at 12am sharp!”
When asked, “What was the most memorable thing that fans have ever done?“, the members all replied by singing the Korean version of “This Is The Moment”, a song off the “Jekyll And Hyde” musical. Fans began singing along, which surprised Red Velvet! “We’re so touched to see all of you singing along even though it’s our first time here. We’re so thankful,” replied the girls.
Wendy wrapped up the session with a touching message. She told fans, “Even if we can’t see each other face to face all the time, we’re always together. Yesterday, after the fan sign, some people were crying and I felt really sad. It’s a happy moment, right? So, we’re always by your side and we’re always together. So, yeah, we’ll try to visit more.”
They went backstage for an outfit change, and fans were treated to a special making clip for the “Rookie” album jacket photo shoot and music video. Then, the girls returned with “Russian Roulette“.
After the tiring dance routine, the girls gathered around for a game. This time, they were joined by members of the audience. They were split into 2 groups, Wendy with Seulgi and Yeri with Irene. The groups had to compete against each other where the fastest group to act out a designated action, wins the game.
We never expected the girls to take the game seriously, but they even asked for a practice round and had discussions with their teams! The game ensued in a few funny moments, but fans were extremely excited when a fanboy had to hug Seulgi to act out the iconic scene from Titanic.
The game ended in a draw, and the lucky fans got to go onstage for a photo with Red Velvet.
Although Joy couldn’t make it to Malaysia, her Malaysian fans weren’t forgotten. She made sure to convey her message of thankfulness to fans. In the short video that played during their show, she said, “It’s sad that we couldn’t meet but it would be possible in the future. Saya rindu dan sayang anda semua!”
Red Velvet then came back onstage once again to perform their last song, “Rookie”, with promises to return to Malaysia soon. Of course, the polite idols did not forget to thank fans for their attendance and support. They also took a group photo with the audience to remember the night.
It was truly an unforgettable night and you’ve converted us to true blue fans, Red Velvet! Looking forward to meeting you girls again in Malaysia 🙂
Special thanks to Universal Music Malaysia for the invite.
For more information on Red Velvet, check out their official website and Facebook page.
