With all the hullabaloo surrounding Red Velvet’s Umpah Umpah, let’s not forget that band member Irene recently featured in a solo release, too, and it’s also a banger.
The Only, which credits Raiden—who debuted as a DJ in 2017 and recently signed with SM Entertainment—as the main artist, was released under the SM STATION label. SM STATION has emerged as the brand to follow if you’re interested in still keeping one foot in idol music, but have started to branch out into the wider world of Korean music in general.
Apart from The Only, songs like Page 0, Wow Thing, and Narcissus also exemplify SM STATION’s ethos of filling that half-step: holding onto the familiar K-Pop that most international fans have teethed on, but throwing in some less familiar artists, or interesting collaborations, or uncommon genres to keep listeners on their toes. I mean, for heaven’s sake, I’m 99% sure that The Only features a freaking kazoo.