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"Rookie" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their fourth extended play of the same name. The song was released on February 1, 2017, as the lead single from the EP by SM Entertainment, and contains contributions from multiple songwriters. A pop-funk dance track, its lyrical content compares a girl's lover to a rookie.

While initial reactions to the song were unfavorable, it was better received as time went by. The Korea Herald stated that like Red Velvet's past eccentric pop releases, the song is "weird at first, but addictive later". Commercially, the song peaked at number three on the Gaon Digital Chart and number four on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart, and garnered over 1.3 million digital downloads in South Korea by the end of the year.

To promote the single, Red Velvet performed the song live on various domestic music programs. Internationally, the group headlined the K-Pop Night Out concert during the 2017 SXSW Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, and made an appearance at KCON Mexico the following day. The group additionally held a two-day fan meet in Malaysia in May, where they promoted the song's parent album through a mini showcase.

Background and composition

"Rookie" was produced by American production team The Colleagues, who previously worked with western rap artists such as 2 Chainz and Gucci Mane, and Jamil 'Digi' Chammas who composed the song along with Leven Kali, Sara Forsberg, Karl Powell, Harrison Johnson, Russell Steedle, MZMC, Otha 'Vakseen' Davis III, Tay Jasper while its Korean lyrics were penned by Jo Yoon-kyung. The single was released on February 1, 2017, in conjunction with its parent EP's release and music video.

Musically, the song is characterized as a pop-funk dance track, making it Red Velvet's fourth single to follow their "Red" sonic concept. Tamar Herman of Billboard stated that the song "draws on Red Velvet's unconventional musicality to combine low-key sing-speaking and synth beats before blasting into the saccharine hook of a chorus" while its melody is "dominated by brassy horns and plinking synths". On the other hand, Jacques Peterson of Idolator described it as "a pure bubblegum ditty based on old-school funk and R&B". Its lyrics compare a girl's lover to a 'rookie', with the word being repeated all throughout the chorus and hook.

Music video and promotion

A music video directed by Shin Hee-won was released on the same day as the single's release, featuring choreography by Ryu So-hee and Japanese dancer and choreographer Rino Nakasone who has choreographed for other S.M. Entertainment artists such as TVXQ, Girls' Generation and Shinee. The members claimed that it was their most difficult choreography at the time. The music video begins with all five Red Velvet members at a play as 'rookie' performers. After being offered some mysterious pink smoke by member Joy, a series of random and entertaining scenarios ensue where the members follow a floral-clad mascot in a 'Wonderland' while wearing various colorful outfits, such as blue and white Alice-like dresses and continue the chase as they fly around in spaceships. It ends with the members exiting the stage they first appeared in. Billboard likened the girls in the video to Alice in Wonderland's titular character, as they travel in a world that's part Candyland and part Yellow Submarine. Meanwhile, Bradley Stern of PopCrush called it "a colorful visual buffet including a flower dude, UFO adventures and fourth wall-breaking meta marionette moments" and added that it's the K-pop version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The group performed the single on all of South Korea's music programs (Music Bank, Inkigayo, The Show, Show Champion, M! Countdown, Show! Music Core) in February 2017, performing the song live for the first time on Music Bank on February 3, 2017. To help promote the song overseas, Red Velvet headlined the K-Pop Night Out concert during the 2017 SXSW Conference and Festivals at The Belmont on March 17, 2017, in Austin, Texas which had over 2,500 spectators. A day later, they participated in KCON Mexico. On April 16, the group had a fan event for the album in Taipei. They flew to Malaysia the next month to hold a two-day fanmeet at the LG Concourse of Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur, where they performed and promoted the song through a mini showcase for the EP.

Critical reception

"Rookie" was initially criticized for being unconventional and confusing but eventually gained popularity in the group's native country where the song topped various South Korean music charts and its hook was lauded as the biggest earworm of the year.

Jeff Benjamin of Billboard labelled it as "a quirky, funk-driven dance track with an unforgettable earworm of a hook" while Jacques Peterson of Idolator called it "a testament to the barrier-breaking, musical diversity of the K-pop genre". The song also received generally favorable reviews in South Korea, where it was praised for its success despite earlier reactions from the public. The Korea Herald stated that similar to the group's previous eccentric pop releases, "Rookie" is "Weird at first, but addictive later". However, The Star's Chester Chin commented that while the EP's lead single had an "insanely catchy arrangement and energetic delivery", he felt that it is its weakest track.

Idolator chose "Rookie" as the best k-pop song of the first quarter of the year. It was also nominated for Song of the Year at the 2017 Melon Music Awards.

Commercial performance

The song debuted at number 4 on the Gaon Digital Chart and rose to number 3 a week later. It also peaked at number 4 on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart. "Rookie" accumulated over 9 wins on South Korea's music programs, winning two consecutive weeks on Music Bank, Inkigayo, Show Champion and M! Countdown.

"Rookie" has sold over 1.3 million digital downloads in South Korea and was certified Platinum. It is The Colleagues' first single to receive Gold and Platinum certifications.

Charts

Accolades

Release history

See also

• List of Inkigayo Chart winners (2017)
• List of M Countdown Chart winners (2017)

References

1. ^ "Rookie – Red Velvet (레드벨벳)". Melon. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
2. ^ Peterson, Jacques (April 17, 2017). "From Red Velvet To BTS, The Best K-Pop Songs Of Q1". Idolator. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
3. ^ Rookie (booklet) (in Korean). Red Velvet. S.M. Entertainment. 2017.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
4. ^ Herman, Tamar (January 31, 2017). "Red Velvet Discovers Pop Wonderland in 'Rookie' Music Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
5. ^ Herman, Tamar (March 21, 2017). "Red Velvet Discuss Their Musical Identity and Headlining SXSW's K-Pop Night Out". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
6. Seong, Jin-hee (February 7, 2017). "레드벨벳, 신곡 '루키 Rookie' 퍼포먼스로 상큼발랄함+여성美 발산!". The Star (in Korean). Retrieved December 17, 2017.
7. Stern, Bradley (January 31, 2017). "RED VELVET RETURN WITH 'ROOKIE': LISTEN". PopCrush. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
8. "레드벨벳, 2월 3일 '뮤직뱅크'서 신곡 '루키' 최초 공개". The Herald (in Korean). January 26, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
9. "Fifth Annual K-Pop Night Out Marks Biggest Success Yet at SXSW 2017: Photos From Inside the Showcase". Fuse. March 21, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
10. "韓國大勢女團Red Velvet首度訪台 五缺一". China Times. March 23, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
11. Loong Wai Ting (May 8, 2017). "Colours of Red Velvet". New Straits Times. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
12. Park, Su-jeong (February 20, 2017). "[팝업뮤직]"선병맛 후중독" 레드벨벳이 증명한 공식". Herald Pop (in Korean). Retrieved December 17, 2017.
13. Jung, Joon-hwa (March 2, 2017). "[Oh!쎈 초점] 레드벨벳, '루키'를 넘어서다". Osen (in Korean). Retrieved December 17, 2017.
14. Herman, Tamar (March 21, 2017). "Red Velvet Earns Second No. 1 on World Albums With 'Rookie'". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
15. ^ "Red Velvet's song is once again 'weird at first, addictive later'". The Korea Herald. February 20, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
16. Chin, Chester (February 23, 2017). "Review: Rookie by Red Velvet". The Star. Star Media Group Berhad. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
17. ^ "2017년 05주차 Digital Chart". gaonchart.co.kr. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
18. ^ Herman, Tamar (February 25, 2017). "World Digital Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
19. "The Colleagues". Facebook. April 10, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
20. "KP_of_TheColleagues". Twitter. July 19, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
21. 2017년 상반기 결산 Download Chart [Gaon Download Chart: 1st Half of 2017]. Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
22. 2017년 07월 Download Chart. Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
23. 2017년 08월 Download Chart. Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
24. "2017년 02월 Digital Chart". gaonchart.co.kr. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
25. Kim, Yoon-ju (February 17, 2017). "'뮤직뱅크' 레드벨벳 '루키'로 2주 연속 1위…앵콜무대서 박력 춤까지". Asia Kyungje (in Korean). Retrieved December 10, 2017.
26. Jang, Young-hoon (February 19, 2017). "2주 연속 '인기가요' 1위 차지한 레드벨벳 '루키' 라이브 영상". insight.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved December 10, 2017.
27. Kim, Young-jin (February 7, 2017). "레드벨벳, '루키'로 1위 행진…美 빌보드부터 '더쇼' 1위까지". asiatoday (in Korean). Retrieved December 10, 2017.
28. Kim, Mi-ji (February 15, 2017). "'쇼챔피언' 레드벨벳 2주 연속 1위, NCT DREAM·SF9 컴백(종합)". xsportsnews (in Korean). Retrieved December 10, 2017.
29. Kim, Yoo-jin (February 16, 2017). "'엠카' 레드벨벳 1위…NCT 127·NCT Dream 한 자리 (종합)". xsportsnews (in Korean). Retrieved December 10, 2017.

• 2017 singles
• 2017 songs
• Red Velvet (group) songs
• SM Entertainment singles
• Songs in Korean
• Songs written by Sara Forsberg
• Music videos directed by Shin Hee-won
• Songs with lyrics by Jo Yoon-kyung