Perfect Velvet is the second studio album by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. Released by SM Entertainment on November 17, 2017, the record incorporates R&B, soul and hip-hop with influences from future bass, trap and synth-pop, and saw contributions from various songwriters and production teams. The album is a portrayal of the group's "velvet" concept, making it their second major release to follow this sonic direction since their second extended play, The Velvet (2016). The album reissued as The Perfect Red Velvet on January 29, 2018.
Perfect Velvet was met with critical acclaim from music critics; music webzines Idology and Weiv named it the best album of 2017 while Billboard ranked it the fifth best K-pop album of the 2010s. Commercially, the album debuted at number two on the Gaon Album Chart and peaked atop the Billboard World Album Chart, extending their record as the K-pop girl group with the most number-one albums on the latter chart. Two singles were released from Perfect Velvet: "Peek-a-Boo", and "Bad Boy" from its reissue. To promote the album, the group performed on several South Korean music programs and embarked on their second and third concert tours, Redmare and La Rouge, between 2018 and 2020.
Perfect Velvet was included in several year-end lists from critics and earned the group several nominations, including Best Pop Album at Korean Music Awards and Album of the Year at the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards. A landmark performance by the group was held in North Korea where they performed "Bad Boy" at the "Spring is Coming" concert, to an audience that included Kim Jong-un.
Background
Perfect Velvet
On October 30, 2017, news about the group's upcoming comeback appeared on various South Korean news sites, which was then confirmed later that day by their company, SM Entertainment. At midnight on November 8, 2017, S.M. Entertainment revealed the title of the group's new single, "Peek-a-Boo", through a teaser along with the title of their second full album, Perfect Velvet, its release date, and that it would contain nine tracks. The title references the "velvet" half of the group's concept which stems from the meaning behind their name, where "red" is their vivid and bold image while "velvet" stands for their softer and more mature side. These two sides reflect the songs they release. In an interview with X Sports News on November 8, S.M. Entertainment stated that they intend to show "an upgraded version" of the group's "velvet" concept.
The group admitted to being unnerved by the success of their last single, "Red Flavor", as they were preparing for the album which the members participated in making through song selection. Similar to their company's statement, their leader Irene told Billboard that unlike their past two releases earlier in the same year which had been bright, falling under their "red" concept, they wanted to show an upgraded version of what they can show of their "velvet" image. Despite their concerns about the drastic change from their previous comeback, member Wendy stated that she thought it was "good timing" for the album to be released before the year ended as it "can show the perfect Red Velvet performances and songs".
The Perfect Red Velvet
In an interview with Idolator on January 16, 2018, about being nominated at the Grammy awards and working with K-pop artists, American production team, The Stereotypes, revealed they had "a new one coming that's gonna be really cool" when asked about working with Red Velvet. Previously, they also produced two tracks from Perfect Velvet ("Kingdom Come" and "Attaboy"). It was eventually reported that the new song will be the album's lead single, "Bad Boy". Only two months after the release of Perfect Velvet, S.M. Entertainment announced through an image teaser posted on their official Twitter and Instagram accounts on January 23, 2018, that Red Velvet will be releasing a repackage of the album titled The Perfect Red Velvet with "Bad Boy" as its lead single. "Bad Boy" was described as a song with a "sexy" or "girl crush" concept by South Korean news sites, which has never been done before by the group. On January 24, 2018, it was reported that the repackage of Perfect Velvet will be released on January 29 with three new songs, including "Bad Boy".