Monster (Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi song)

"Monster" is a song recorded by Red Velvet - Irene & Seulgi, the first sub-unit of South Korean girl group Red Velvet, for their 2020 eponymous debut extended play. A dance-pop track with influence from dubstep genre, the song was written by songwriter Kenzie, while production was handled by Delaney Jane, Jenson Vaughan, Yaakov Gruzman, and Yoo Young-jin. It was released on July 6, 2020 by SM Entertainment and Dreamus, serving as the lead single from their first major release.[1]

"Monster"
Single by Red Velvet - Irene & Seulgi
from the EP Monster
LanguageKorean
ReleasedJuly 6, 2020 (2020-07-06)
Recorded2020
StudioSM Studios, Seoul, South Korea
Genre
Length2:58
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Red Velvet - Irene & Seulgi singles chronology
"Monster"
(2020)		 "Naughty"
(2020)
Music video
"Monster" on YouTube

Composition

"Monster" was produced by Delaney Jane, Jenson Vaughan, Yaakov Gruzman, Yoo Young-jin and arranged by the latter two, while the Korean lyrics were written by Kenzie. It is a midtempo dance-pop track with intense keyboard, heavy bass, and powerful dubstep sounds. The lyrics express becoming a monster that dances and bothers someone in their dreams.

Music video

The music video for the song was scheduled to be released with the song on July 6 but it was delayed and eventually released the next day.[2][3]

Commercial performance

The song debuted at number 8 on the South Korean Gaon Digital Chart, becoming the duo's first top 10 hit. Elsewhere the song peaked at number 8 in Malaysia, number 5 in Singapore and number 30 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart. On the US World Digital Song Sales chart the song peaked at number 7 becoming the duo's first top 10 hit on the chart.[4]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Y-Magazine

Following its initial release, "Monster" was met with positive reviews from music critics. Rania Aniftos of Billboard magazine described the track as "bold", further praising Irene and Seulgi for "preaching their confident individuality, and the "monster" inside as they deliver sultry choreography weaved in with eerie, paranormal scenery.".[5] Writer Riddhi Chakraborty of Rolling Stone India described the song as "one of the most stand-out singles of the year" referring to the subunit's "fascinating use of dark pop and dubstep".[6]

Buzzfeed ranked the song number 30 on their list, citing it as "delightfully scary as they detail possessing someone and toying with them as they struggle to break free from their hold".[7] Dazed magazine chose the song as one of their 40 best K-pop songs of 2020 describing the subunit's "gratifyingly noisy, and lyrically teasing" song.[8] The song was featured on Metro's 'The best K-Pop comebacks of 2020 ranked' at number 8, describing "Monster" as "sexy and slightly terrifying".[9] Nación Rex described the song as "elegant, mysterious, and obscure" further praising Irene and Seulgi for portraying their "artistic essence".[10] Rolling Stone India praised the song as "plenty of glamor and glitter" further adding the "imagery that can only be defined as creepy".[11] Furthermore, Teen Vogue described the song as "ferocious" and "intensely fun".[12]

Year-end lists
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
Buzzfeed 35 Songs That Helped Define K-Pop In 2020 30 [7]
Dazed The 40 best K-pop songs of 2020 32 [8]
Metro The best K-Pop comebacks of 2020 ranked 8 [9]
Nación Rex 20 K-pop Songs That Dominated 2020 With Their Style 4 [10]
Rolling Stone India 20 Best K-pop Music Videos of 2020 16 [11]
Teen Vogue The Best K-Pop Moments of 2020 Placed [12]
TrueID Top 10 K-Pop Hits in 2020 2 [13]

Accolades

On July 17, 2020, "Monster" managed to achieve a music show trophy from Music Bank. It also got nominated for the "Song of the Year - July" in Gaon Chart Music Awards. However, Kriz who worked in the song's chorus won the "Performer of the Year - Chorus" in the same award show.

Awards
Awards and nominations for "Monster"
Year Organization Award Recipient Result Ref.
2021 Gaon Chart Music Awards Song of the Year - July Red Velvet - Irene & Seulgi Nominated
Professional Categories
2021 Gaon Chart Music Awards Performer of the Year - Chorus Kriz Won
Music program award
Program Network Date Ref.
Music Bank KBS July 17, 2020 [14]

Usage in media

Netflix used "Monster" in an episode for its American drama streaming television series based on the novel of the same name by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, created by Michael MacLennan, Tiny Pretty Things.[15]

Charts

Weekly charts
Weekly chart performance for "Monster"
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Malaysia (RIM)[16] 8
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[17] 30
Singapore (RIAS)[18] 5
South Korea (Gaon)[19] 8
US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[20] 7

Monthly Charts
Monthly chart performance for "Monster"
Chart (July 2020) Position
South Korea (Gaon Digital Chart)[21] 18

Year-end charts
Year-end chart performance for "Monster"
Chart (2020) Position
South Korea (Gaon Digital Chart)[22] 157

See also
  • List of Music Bank Chart Winners (2020)

References
  1. "Monster - The 1st Mini Album". Melon Music (in Korean). July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  2. Dhote, Tanvi (July 7, 2020). "Red Velvet's Monster MV by Irene and Seulgi delayed, fans express outrage on Twitter". Republic World. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  3. "Red Velvet's Irene & Seulgi Unleash the 'Monster' Inside for Sultry New Music Video". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  4. "Blackpink, BTS, Red Velvet And Stray Kids: Notable Moves On This Week's World Songs Chart". Forbes. July 30, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  5. "Red Velvet's Irene & Seulgi Unleash the 'Monster' Inside for Sultry New Music Video". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  6. "Red Velvet's Irene & Seulgi Oscillate Between Frightening and Seductive in 'Monster' -". July 7, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  7. Travis, Emlyn. "Here Are 35 Of The Most Unforgettable K-Pop Songs Released This Year". BuzzFeed. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  8. Dazed (December 19, 2020). "The 40 best K-pop songs of 2020". Dazed. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  9. "The 20 best K-Pop comebacks of 2020". Metro. December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  10. "20 Canciones de K-pop que dominaron el 2020 con su estilo". Nación Rex (in Spanish). Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  11. "20 Best K-pop Music Videos of 2020 -". January 1, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  12. Vogue, Teen. "The Best K-Pop Moments of 2020". Teen Vogue. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  13. 10 อันดับเพลง K-pop ยอดนิยม ประจำปี 2020 บน TrueID Music [Top 10 K-Pop Hits in 2020 on TrueID Music]. TrueID (in Thai). December 16, 2020. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  14. "'뮤직뱅크' 레드벨벳 아이린&슬기, '몬스터'로 1위 "멤버들과 러비들에게 감사"". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  15. Cage, Matthew (December 19, 2020). "Red Velvet to hit Netflix with Irene and Seulgi's Monster". Somag News. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  16. "Top 20 Most Streamed International & Domestic Singles In Malaysia". Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  17. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  18. "RIAS International Top Charts Week 29". Recording Industry Association (Singapore). Archived from the original on July 21, 2020.
  19. 2020년 28주차 Digital Chart [Gaon Digital Chart - Week 28, 2020] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. July 11, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  20. "Billboard World Digital Song Sales Chart". Billboard. July 15, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  21. 2020년 07월 Digital Chart [July 2020 Digital Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  22. 2020년 Digital Chart [2020 Digital Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
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