Bad Boy (Red Velvet song)

A few months after the release of the group's second studio album Perfect Velvet, the group's company S.M. Entertainment announced through an image teaser posted on their official social media accounts on January 23, 2018 that Red Velvet will be releasing their first reissue of an album, a repackage of Perfect Velvet titled The Perfect Red Velvet.[2][3] The lead single was described as a song with a "sexy" or "girl crush" concept by South Korean news sites, which the group has never done before.[4]

On January 26, teaser images of members Wendy and Joy were released through Red Velvet's social media accounts which Kang Seo-jung of Osen commented had the vibe of a powerful "eonni". Kang also noted how the song's concept differs from the group's past releases.[5]

"Bad Boy" is described as a hip hop-based R&B song with a synth melody and a heavy bass sound.[6][7] The song was composed by Maxx Song , The Stereotypes, Whitney Philips and Yoo Young-jin with Korean lyrics by JQ ,Moon Hee-yeon[8] detailing the attraction and emotions between a 'bad boy' and a cold woman.[9] Mexican news site Milenio called the song's melody a mix of R&B and hip hop and stated that its lyrics tell the story of the beginning of the couple's relationship.[10] On August 6, 2018 an English version of "Bad Boy" was released as a bonus track of their next EP "Summer Magic".[11]

An accompanying music video directed by Kim Ja-kyoung of Flexible Pictures and choreographed by Japanese hip hop dancer and choreographer Rie Hata, who had previously worked with CL for the choreography of "The Baddest Female" and with the group's label mate BoA for her single "Nega Dola", was released on the same day as the album and song.[12] The video was called 'sultry' by Annie Martin of UPI and it featured the members in various coordinating outfits, which included all-black ensembles and pink pajamas. They were also seen in sexy uniforms, with athleisure fishnet-and-leather outfits. Tamar Herman of Billboard stated that it depicted the group as "femme fatales aiming to destroy the titular 'Bad Boy'". She also noted how it wasn't "particularly plot-oriented" but "the dangerous vibes of Irene, Seulgi, Wendy and Joy contrast with the more youthful, unicorn-riding image of youngest-member Yeri, who the others seemingly protect, with Seulgi even covering her ears during one scene". Talking about the choreography, she said that it was "filled with suggestive hip rolls and aggressive come-hither hand motions, beckoning sultrily toward the audience and shooting at the camera".[13][14]

On January 29, 2018, Red Velvet held a comeback showcase broadcast live through the Naver app V Live which was hosted by label mate Girls' Generation member Hyoyeon where the members discussed "Bad Boy" and performed it live for the first time.[15] Red Velvet began their music show promotions for the song through M! Countdown on February 1.[16] The group also performed the song on Music Bank, Show! Music Core, Inkigayo and Show Champion where they achieved their first music show win for "Bad Boy" on February 7.[17] The group received 5 total music show wins for the song.

On April 1, 2018, Red Velvet performed the song along with "Red Flavor" in Pyongyang at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre to an audience that included Kim Jong-un during a concert billed as "Spring is Coming", intended as part of a wider diplomatic initiative between South Korea and North Korea. This made them only the fifth idol group to ever perform in North Korea and the first artist from SM Entertainment in fifteen years since Shinhwa.[18][19][20] The group also performed a half-Korean, half-English version of the song at a fan meeting in Chicago in April 2018, months before the release of its official English version in August.[21]

Tamar Herman of Billboard labelled the song their "darkest yet", noting the difference between the rainbow hues of their last single "Peek-a-Boo" and stated that the members "played up their smoother retro leanings" with the addition of the new songs in its parent album The Perfect Red Velvet. Herman also commented on the song's choreography, which was seen as the sexiest the group has ever done. She then called the song and the album "overall representatives" of the group's "velvet" side (a reference to the group's dual concept), which contrasted the quirkier "red" songs that the group has released in the previous year.[14] Avery Thompson of Hollywood Life stated that the song was "music perfection" and called the members "the epitome of girl power" in the music video. She also praised its choreography and the group's vocals.[22] Fuse's Jeff Benjamin felt that the group put their own spin on modern R&B and hip hop and compared it to other artists such as Rihanna, Tinashe, and Cardi B who have incorporated "sassy, catch phrases into their verses and choruses".[23] Forbes opined that The Stereotypes' work on the album "have helped hone the girl group's lush contemporary R&B-meets-pop sound".[24]

In the group's native country South Korea, X Sports News described "Bad Boy" as the perfect blend of the group's intense "red" side and soft "velvet" in their review of Red Velvet's dual concept "red" and velvet" since Red Velvet's debut with "Happiness" and "Be Natural" in 2014.[25]

In December 2018, Billboard included "Bad Boy" in their '100 Best Songs of 2018: Critics' Picks' list while the song topped their annual '20 Best K-pop Songs of 2018: Critics' Picks' list, making Red Velvet the first female artist to top the list since it started in 2012. In the article, Billboard called it "the group's and one of the year's most pristine production to date".[26][27][28] Dazed also included the song in their '20 best K-pop songs of 2018' and called the song "understated but bold, a buttery, mid-tempo R&B track that puts the focus on the quintet's voices" they then concluded that "Red Velvet are already K-pop's most musically interesting girl group" and the song "solidifies them as one of the best in the game overall".[29] The song was also featured in Paper's 'Top 20 K-Pop Songs of 2018' at number two, stating that "In a year marked by terrible men (still) hogging way too many of the headlines, a girl group flipping the script and delivering an ode to stringing along a 'Bad Boy' makes it all the more perfect as one of the year's best releases".[30]

In 2019, Billboard once again featured "Bad Boy" in their decennial 'The 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s: Staff List', placing 27th. Writing in the article, L. Singh called "Bad Boy" the "perfect representation of their mature 'velvet' persona", and further praised its composition, commenting on "how tactile the sonic and visual layering of the song is".[31]

"Bad Boy" charted at number one on Gaon's Weekly Download Chart and at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart[48] Elsewhere, it peaked at number two on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart, earning them their best US sales to date, selling 4,000 downloads from January 26 to February 1.[49] "Bad Boy" also marks the group's debut on the Canadian Hot 100 at number 87, becoming only the seventh K-pop artist and the third female act to appear on the chart.[50] The song also charted in Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. Moreover, "Bad Boy" has sold over 500,000 units in the United States, which makes it eligible for a Gold certification by the RIAA.

In October 2019, the song reached 100 million streams on Spotify, making Red Velvet the first artist from SM Entertainment to reach this milestone. In April 2020, "Bad Boy" was certified Platinum by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) for selling over 2,500,000 downloads, marking their third song to reach the milestone, following Red Flavor and Russian Roulette, but the group's first to receive a KCMA certificate following the introduction of certicate system in 2018.[51]

Credits adapted from The Perfect Red Velvet liner notes[52]