User:ReVeluv02/sandbox/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.

Background and release
On April 21, 2020, through SPOTV News, SM Entertainment confirmed that Red Velvet's Irene and Seulgi will be preparing to debut as a sub-unit after six years. Prior to their debut, a unit under the name of SR14G Seulgi & Irene as SM Rookies was formed, where the duo reinterpreted S.E.S.'s "Be Natural" (2000) with a performance. On May 27, SM released a logo of letter "I" and an inverted letter "S" in a form of ampersand, on which can be read as the initials of the sub-unit, namely Red Velvet - Irene & Seulgi.

Composition
"Monster" was composed by Yaakov "Yash" Gruzman, Delaney Jane, Jenson Vaughan, and Yoo Young-jin, while the Korean lyrics were written by Kenzie.

Kim Do-heon of IZM mentioned the lyrics "Under a single lighting, why are there two shadows", while describing the vocal sample as similar to a "mischievous whisper" on an unbalanced space created by an ominous piano and a heavy base. Riddhi Chakraborty of Rolling Stone India noted the song's "fascinating use" of dark pop and dubstep, describing the highlight of the instrumentation as "unforgettable". Additionally, Chakraborty acknowledged the song's "eerie modulated vocal melody" that follows the chorus line "I'm a little monster", justifying that it sounds similar to a little girl's voice and is "reminiscent of a horror-movie or something out of a nightmare". Writing for Y-Magazine, Hardwork described it as a minor chord, dance pop song with keys and chorus accents on a slightly dark sound, with a bass sound, and a dull beat brought forward. For Kim Sung-hwan, he noted the heavy pressure of electronic sound and dubstep sound of the song. While Yoo Seong-eun called the track a EDM genre song that advocates dubstep, while comparing it to Skrillex.

It is composed in the key of E minor, with a tempo of 116 beats per minute.

Critical reception
Following its initial release, "Monster" was met with mixed 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". Writer Riddhi Chakraborty of Rolling Stone India labeled the song as "one of the most stand-out singles of the year". On another song review, writers Cha Yoo-jung, Hardwork, Kim Sung-hwan, and Yoo Seong-eun, and of Y-Magazine described the track as "well-organized, from narratives reminiscent of delicate horror movies", further adding the "style with the energy of thought in the midst of mystery by utilizing its bold movements and images of femme fatale", while rating the track with three point five stars out of five. In an individual album review, Kim Do-heon of IZM viewed the track as "a neat composition without superfluousness" adding that "there is a lack of element that can be imprinted".

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". 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. 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". Nación Rex described the song as "elegant, mysterious, and obscure" further praising Irene and Seulgi for portraying their "artistic essence". Rolling Stone India praised the song as "plenty of glamor and glitter" further adding the "imagery that can only be defined as creepy". Furthermore, Teen Vogue described the song as "ferocious" and "intensely fun".

Accolades
On July 17, 2020, "Monster" managed to achieve a music show trophy from Music Bank. It also got nominated for the "Artist of the Year – Digital Music (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.

Commercial performance
"Monster" debuted at number 8 on the South Korean Gaon Digital Chart, becoming the duo's first top 10 hit. It debuted atop the Download chart for the period July 5—11, 2020 and peaked at number 13 on the component Streaming Chart. The song entered the Billboard K-Pop 100 at number 28 on the chart issue dated July 11, 2020. It peaked at number three in the following week. The track appeared as the 157th biggest hit single on 2020's Gaon Year-End Digital Chart. In Malaysia, "Monster" debuted at 16, and peaked at eight. The song debuted at number 30 on the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart. In Singapore, the track debuted at 18 on the Streaming Chart, and peaked at five. The song also debuted at number six on the Regional Chart, and peaked at two. On the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, the track debuted and peaked at number seven becoming the duo's first top 10 hit on the chart.

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. On June 4, 2021, the music video for the track reached 100 million views on YouTube.

Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Monster. ''

Studio


 * Recorded, edited, engineered for mix, and mixed at SM BoomingSystem
 * Recorded at SM Blue Cup Studio
 * Mastered at Sonic Korea

Personnel


 * Red Velvet - Irene & Seulgi –vocals, background vocals
 * Kenzie –Korean lyrics, directing
 * Yaakov "Yash" Gruzman –composition, arrangement, drums, keyboards & synths, programming
 * Delaney Jane –composition, background vocals
 * Jenson Vaughn –composition
 * Yoo Young-jin –composition, directing, recording, digital editing, mixing engineer, mixing
 * Kriz –background vocals
 * Jeong Eui-seok –recording
 * Jung Yu-ra –digital editing
 * Cheon Hoon –mastering