Red Velvet’s Seulgi Makes Solo Debut with The Unsettling ’28 Reasons’

South Korean group Red Velvet’s member Seulgi made her solo debut earlier today with her first EP, 28 Reasons, and its chilling lead single of the same name. This makes her the third member of the quintet to release solo work, following Wendy and Joy.  

“28 Reasons” is a haunting pop track where Seulgi plays with the darker aspects of love. The production explores trap, heavy synths and an echoing whistle to add an unsettling aura to the entire song. In the lyrics, Seulgi portrays a menacing side of herself where she is amused by the power that she has to break those who are attracted to her or obsessed with her. She sings, “Unfamiliar attraction/ Look at you helpless, feel so bad/ I’ll show you heaven/ I’m not the devil/ Feel free to resent more, I don’t care/ The more you break, the more you want me.”  

The music video showcases two different Seulgis, one ‘good’ and seemingly innocent, dressed in white as she awakens on a mattress in the middle of a field. The other ‘evil’ Seulgi, dressed in darker, edgier looks, is surrounded by ropes and chains – possibly signifying the song’s message of love as an entrapment. The ‘evil’ Seulgi captures the ‘good’ version of herself, but at the end they both find a balance with each other, as the video ends with a core message of ‘Good and evil coexist within one person.’ 

28 Reasons features a total of six tracks: “28 Reasons,” “Dead Man Runnin,” “Bad Boy, Sad Girl” featuring rapper Be’O, “Anywhere But Home,” “Los Angeles” and “Crown.” Seulgi makes her songwriting debut on this record as well via “Dead Man Runnin” and Be’O is a co-writer on “Bad Boy, Sad Girl.” The album dives into everything from R&B to disco and EDM to showcase Seulgi’s various sides as an artist.  

Earlier this year, Red Velvet made their comeback as a quintet with their EP The ReVe Festival 2022 – Feel My Rhythm, a continuation of The ReVe Festival series of records. In addition to being a member of Red Velvet, Seulgi is also part of a sub-unit called Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi with fellow group member Irene, and SM Entertainment’s female supergroup Got the Beat.