On June 9, 2021, SM Entertainment announced that Red Velvet would be making their comeback in August with a new album.[1] From July 26 to August 1, Red Velvet held a promotional event titled "Queens Mystic General Store" through their Instagram account leading up to their seventh debut anniversary and anticipated comeback.[2] The promotional event showcased props used in their previous music videos, and was intended to heighten the anticipation for the announcement of their comeback and release of their promotional schedule.[3] On August 2, it was announced that Red Velvet would be releasing their sixth extended play titled Queendom, containing six tracks.[4] The extended play is marketed by SM Entertainment as the group's sixth "mini album".[5] On August 3, the promotional schedule for their comeback was released, which included concept photos, promotional posters, and a teaser of the upcoming music video for the title track "Queendom".[6] The EP was released digitally on August 16, and physically the following day.[7]
Queendom consists of six songs and incorporates various genres such as dance-pop, R&B, and soul.[8] The title track "Queendom" was described as a dance-pop song with a "refreshing atmosphere".[9] The B-side track "Pose" was described as an "up-tempo pop dance" song with an "impressive energetic bass line" and "fast-changing drum".[10] "Knock on Wood" was musically described as a "fairytale-like electro-punk" song with lyrics that detail the "hope to get someone to like you" as well as "the act of knocking on wood for good luck".[11] "Better Be" was called a "witty R&B pop" song characterized by Red Velvet's "dreamy vocals and rich harmonies" and lyrically described as "not giving up easily to the person you like".[12] "Pushin' N Pullin" was described as a "medium-tempo pop R&B" song with a "friendly and gentle message" and lyrics that "tell us to trust in the time we spent together with the person who is pushed with anxiety in [a] relationship".[13] "Hello, Sunset" is a "slow-tempo R&B ballad" that "creates a late summer sensibility", characterized by a "subtle drum rhythm, refreshing electric guitar, and dreamy piano performance" and lyrics about a "confession" of being together with loved ones.[14]
Upon its release, Queendom received positive reviews from music critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from publications, the album received a mean score of 74 based on 5 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16]
Rhian Daly from NME described the EP as "playing it safe; cautiously dipping a toe back in the water rather than making a big splash to signal their return".[19] Joshua Minsoo Kim writing for Pitchfork called the EP "perfectly adequate, but the release itself never reaches the group's former heights" and "doesn't overflow with excellence". He further added that the title track "rarely offers the quintet the chance to flaunt their vocal prowess", feeling it is "too low-key" and "frustratingly one-dimensional" while labelling other songs on the EP "similarly unambitious, but a couple of its other songs at least have everything in order". Overall, he stated the EP "both falters and thrives in simplicity" and gave it a score of 6.7 out of 10.[20]
Ana Clara Ribeiro from PopMatters described the EP as crème brûlée, comparing the dessert's "simplicity and accessibility in its taste" to Red Velvet's music. Overall, she stated the EP "not all songs from Queendom will be most listened by the fans, and it's not because any of these songs are poor" while explaining that we "don't eat dessert because we need basic nutrients for our body" but because we want to "taste something delicious and Queendom tastes delicious".[21] JT Early from Beats Per Minute described the EP as "an all-killer summer project exploring the themes of empowerment, romance and its accompanying obstacles". and stated the EP "ticks all the boxes that fans would want" and has "great replay value".[17]
In South Korea, the EP debuted at number 2 on the Gaon Album Chart in the chart issue dated August 15–21, 2021.[23] In the United Kingdom, the EP debuted at number 17 on the UK Digital Albums in the chart issue dated August 20, 2021.[24] In Japan, the EP debuted at number 41 on Billboard Japan Hot Albums in the chart issue dated August 25, 2021.[25] In the United States, the EP debuted at number 16 and 11 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums and World Albums chart, respectively, in the chart issue dated August 28, 2021.[26][27]
^Hosted by the Hong Kong Asia Pacific International Group and Sunway Records, the Asian Pop Music Awards bases its winners on "Asian Pop Music Chart" which opened in September 2019.[28]
^Hwang, Hye-jin (June 9, 2021). "SM 측 "레드벨벳 8월 컴백 준비중, 많은 기대 부탁"(공식)" [SM side "Red Velvet is preparing for a comeback in August, please look forward to it" (official)] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via Naver.
^Ko, Seung-ah (July 26, 2021). "레드벨벳, 신비로운 분위기 ... 아카이빙 프로모션 진행" [Red Velvet, mysterious atmosphere ... archiving promotion in progress] (in Korean). News1. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via Naver.
^Jeong, Hee-yeon (July 26, 2021). "레드벨벳 8월 컴백 ... 아이린→슬기 비디오 공개 [공식]" [Red Velvet comeback in August ... Irene → Seulgi video released [Official]] (in Korean). Sports Donga. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via Naver.
^Park, Seo-yeon (August 2, 2021). "레드벨벳, 16일 새 미니앨범 'Queendom' 발매 .. 서머퀸의 화려한 컴백[공식]" [Red Velvet, new mini album 'Queendom' released on the 16th .. Summer Queen's splendid comeback [Official]] (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kang, Da-yoon (August 3, 2021). "'16일 컴백' 레드벨벳, 새 미니앨범 '퀸덤' 스케줄 포스터 공개" ['Comeback on the 16th' Red Velvet unveils new mini album 'Queendom' schedule poster] (in Korean). My Daily. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via Naver.
^Seon, Mi-kyung (August 16, 2021). ""모두가 퀸" .. 레드벨벳, 진짜 서머퀸의 빛나는 응원 '퀸덤'[퇴근길 신곡]" ["Everyone is a queen" .. Red Velvet, the real summer queen's shining cheer 'Queendom' [new song on the way home from work]] (in Korean). Osen. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021 – via Naver.
^"Queendom - The 6th Mini Album" (in Korean). SM Entertainment. August 16, 2021. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021 – via Melon.
^Seon, Mi-kyung (August 9, 2021). "'컴백' 레드벨벳, '퀸덤'으로 입증할 서머퀸" ['Comeback' Red Velvet, summer queen to prove with 'Queendom'] (in Korean). Osen. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kwak, Hyun-soo (August 10, 2021). "레드벨벳 수록곡 'Pose' 공개…에너제틱 매력 선사" [Red Velvet's b-side song 'Pose' released ... Energetic charm] (in Korean). YTN. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021 – via Naver.
^Yoon, Sang-geun (August 9, 2021). "레드벨벳, 'Queendom'으로 전할 감각적 음악 세계 ... 위트 더한다" [Red Velvet, 'Queendom' to convey the world of sensual music ... Adds wit] (in Korean). MT Star News. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via Naver.
^Jeong, Tae-yoon (August 9, 2021). ""수록곡, 미리 알고 듣자" ... 레드벨벳, '퀸덤' 스포일러" ["Let's listen to the included songs in advance" ... Red Velvet, 'Queendom' spoilers] (in Korean). Dispatch. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kim, Min-ji (August 11, 2021). "'컴백' 레드벨벳, '푸싱 앤 풀링'+'다시, 여름'으로 감성 충전 예고" ['Comeback' Red Velvet, 'Pushing and Pulling' + 'Again, Summer' to charge emotions] (in Korean). News1. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021 – via Naver.
^Lee, Sun-myung (August 11, 2021). "레드벨벳의 여름 감성을 느껴보자" [Let's feel the summer sensibility of Red Velvet] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021 – via Naver.
^ ab"2021년 34주차 Album Chart" [Week 34 of 2021 Album Chart] (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. August 15–21, 2021. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021 – via Gaon Chart.
^"2020亚洲流行音乐大奖结果出炉 林俊杰获5奖成最大赢家" [2020 Asian Pop Music Awards results are out JJ Lin won 5 awards as the biggest winner]. VCT News (in Chinese). December 28, 2020. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
^【APMA 2021】亚洲流行音乐大奖2021年度入围名单 [(APMA 2021) Asian Pop Music Awards Shortlisted for 2021] (in Chinese). Asian Pop Music Awards. November 30, 2021. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021 – via Sina Weibo.
^Queendom (photobook). Red Velvet. South Korea: SM Entertainment, Dreamus. 2021. Credits.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^週間 アルバムランキング2021年09月20日付 [Weekly Album Ranking September 20, 2021] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
