The Kulture Study: Red Velvet 'Birthday' MV REACTION & REVIEW 

idc what anyone says, red velvet are THE whimsical kpop group. every time they comeback they never fail to make something fresh and new AND FUN. they're always gonna be different in some way, even if they add in a trend or two. tbh rookie has been my fav title track from them since its release but the more i listen to this song the more i think its becoming my new fav, its just so catchy and like you said, each member really does shine

Nobody does sophisticated chaos better than Red Velvet!

Idk why people why saying this is flop era when this song is THAT GOOD THAT PD EVEN SAID HE LIKES THIS BETTER THAN PSYCHO?!! GAHD PEOPLE WAKE UP! NO FLOP ERA FOR RV 🤧 U just have to understand RED VELVET thru heart and soul 🤪

i agree ! i have no idea why people hate this song it’s literally insane

some kpop fans just don't understand and seem cant keep up with how complex and packed the productions and composition of red velvet's songs in general. of course, most of em would easily go with the mainstream girlcrushy, into your face type of songs. but with red velvet, you have gotta appreciate how brave they are to take such musical risk and that speaks insane capabilities. that's why i still stand with the notion, red velvet is the best kpop girl group now, with the best discography ever.

Video explainer: Each of individual monsters that they fight: edward scissor hands, that furry yeti thing, the lions in the elevator, the large cat, etc are all "gate keepers" to them getting into the party. It's why they grab a key after every face off. So they "level up" and then face the "final boss" which is the ginger bread man. You see the final battle during the bridge of the song where it's animated and each animated version of the members use their weapons ( Irene with her pink brass knuckles, Joy and Yeri w/ their barbed bats, Seulgi w/ her chain is a solid throwback to 28 reasons) to fight him. It's how they get into the party at the end. Notice that all the monsters they fought to get into the party are at the party in the end. Red Velvet start out as the ones excluded from the party, end up being the party leaders..

Red Velvet being Red Velvet. That's it. They can never go wrong because they can pull off anything. That's how good they are! Reveluv!!

From the first time I saw this MV I was sure that no one could do that like they can... This era is just peak Red Velvet!

Their songs will always make our ears feel full of experience. The production, vocals, harmonies, and ad-libs are legit every time 😌

Red Velvet sampling all of these OG classical pieces is really hitting the spot for me... as someone who really loves/plays classical music

i think you may enjoy their behind the scenes video of recording the song, they do all their own harmonies and layering :)

So many people are sleeping on this! The bridge alone is so phenomenal. The instrumental is so good T^T the whole album is chefs kiss

"nervous looks thrown my way" - Red Velvet definitely knows their audience.

AND RED VELVET DID IT AGAIN!!! there’s no one doing it like them that’s how it is

This song and its entire album have been playing on repeat. I absolutely enjoy this comeback. Birthday is crazily stuck in my head that I had to listen to white noise on my earphones just so I could sleep at night.

Birthday is SO fucking good and nobody gets it man. I literally can’t stop listening to it, it’s in my head constantly. And the rest of the album is also just FANTASTIC, such an incredible mini album. It feels like a return to form after the FMR album which I didn’t love and the Queendom album whose title track I didn’t totally love. Such a perfectly iconically Red Velvet track

From what I understand of the story… They get blocked from going to the party. Then, they come back with a vengeance and take out that bodyguard and enter this weird complex of rooms that are in the way of them reaching the birthday party. Each member or group of members had their own challenges to go through to get their keys: that white furry thing with seulgi Wendy and yeri, the board game where Joy and Irene just poofed that guy and got a key, and seulgi exploding that ghost dog. Then once they got the keys (Joy in the elevator), they start getting chased. Then Irene freezes all of them with a Wii remote (?) then they summon a giant teddy bear to stop the rest of the guys from following them. Then seulgi fights the gingerbread guy and they finally make it to the party.

I loved Birthday too. There are so many layers to the song and the production is great. Joy actually was the first to record and stacked a lot of the harmonies for the chorus. I loved Joy beginning the bridge too. The EP is phenomenal, I really recommend it.

Agreed, this song is literally sooooo Red Velvet and amazing~ Absolutely no way anyone else can pull off a concept like this. Their MVs are honestly one of a kind too, I mean the sets, the weird scenes, I mean no other group does this. Also, I'm a classical music junkie, and it's awesome how they did this again, using first Bach's "Air on the G String" in "Feel My Rhythm", and now Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" for "Birthday" ~~ And I have to agree, I think this song is dominated by a lot of Wendy, and I love that :)

this is their first comeback in a while where i love the title track more than the bsides and that says A LOT

My SOTY is Feel My Rhythm still. Red Velvet are for sure my favorite group. The GOATs

I said this elsewhere, but I want this as the opening song of their next tour.

Birthday has been on repeat for me all week

I really loved this song too. It reminded me of older Red Velvet music. I think you’d also really enjoy a new group called Fifty Fifty. They have music that isn’t trying to be weird haha.

cake girls looking so damn fine and vocally is an eargasm. They never disappoint!

"Red Flavor" is still my favorite RED song, and "Automatic" is still my favorite VELVET song. But "Birthday" (the song) is great. And I personally like the performance video even more than the MV.

I LOVED this song right away. I think when red velvet have a comeback people are always hoping/wanting for something like bad boy or psycho and get disappointed when they release something on their red/quirky side. But im obsessed with this song, I loved the whole mini album!

soo good and the live stages served so hard

Definitely an underrated song already!

my friend and i were just discussing this album & talking about not every song has to be mature or have mind blowing deep lyrics. i adore cute songs that make you feel good. this has been a rough couple of months for me and birthday has genuinely brightened my mood so much!! you just can’t help but feel happy listening to it! people saying reve flopped are delusional lol

Love to see that PD continues his Red Velvet Supremacy era

I LOVE BIRTHDAY ESPECIALLY THE ALBUM RV NEVER DISAPPOINTS SINCE DAY 1

I enjoy this song. It took a second listen but it’s so catchy! As for the video, also took a few rewatches. But it looks like the gingerbread man blocked them from the party, RV battles the other guests for keys ( for access?) and in the end RV become guests of honor and cookie man a cake ornament 😂, while the defeated guests look on.

I always tell people that Red Velvet is like Wine: It’s an acquired taste. When I first tried listening to them it was jarring and weird. After listening more and more, nothing hits like them

PLEASEEEEEEEE LISTEN TO THE WHOLE ALBUM. BYE BYE, ON A RIDE AND ZOOM ARE SOOOOO GOOD💗

4:36 Also my face when listen to this song 1st time. Until now still confuse why people say it's flop ???

Kole is a semi-regular writer for SM artists and has credits for several other kpop groups. As far as SM goes, she has written for NCT, BoA, Red Velvet multiple times, Taeyeon, and Exo. I follow her on tiktok and she shares enough of her demos thatI knew a few second into Birthday she had to have written it!

I GOT INTO RED VELVET BECAUSE OF THIS SONG. Ive been obsessed since it released!!

One of these nights is one of my favorites title track, but Birthday got a top position close to Psycho and Feel My Rhythm...just WOW! Wow wow...and again wow and thank you to exist Red Velvet!!!

Full mini album is perfect 💯 On A Ride is so good.

This song remains in my head since its release.

I didn't mind birthday the first time i listened to it. It was ok, but now I like it a lot more. It's such a fun song! Also, PD if you haven't checked out BoA's Forgive me you absolutley should!

Red Velvet is iconic!! I was so looking forward to your reaction and it did not disappoint!

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOUR REACTION YAAAAAY

You should heck out Red Velvet & Aespa new song Beautiful Christmas. It was released today

Sometimes ART is so hard to get for some people... That's the only reason I can forgive people say BIRTHDAY is a bad song... And it's amazing how Red Velvet as a whole allow they level of creativity. I'm not saying the just the girls I meant as the brand of RV.

you should react to BIBI's comebacks, still feeling for Animal farm and BIBI's vengeance, this is her best era, the cinematography is something of a kind

11/10 for me title track, but still not my favorite track on the album - that is how good this album is. Like the album may be my favorite??? It's definitely top 3 Red Velvet albums of all time for me. The video is incredible!

Best comeback in 2022!

Red Velvet song getting more unique. If you like it, your are unique person. If you not like it, you just a normal person.

The fact that this song when from being my 3rd fav in the album to being my favorite song rn like I kept singing to it

every single rv song is a true masterpiece 💗💛💙💚💜

Hi! Thank you so much of your reaction! This song birthday sampled a classical song called Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin. *i am so happy Red Velvet is back sampling classical/orchestramusic like Bach's "Air on the G String" in "Feel My Rhythm",

The rest of the album is even better, in my opinion 👌🏼

Its definitely good and wild, I wouldnt put in the top 5 for RV but istill good. (and yes the EP is amazing, especially Bye Bye and Zoom)

I'm not sure of the seance either but sm really added to our witchery this comeback with the members having superpowers. Irene's being time slip, Seulgi teleportation, Wendy size manipulation, Joy super fast and Yeri fall in love (according to schedule teaser). I love how they support our red velvet witch agenda now 😂 Anyway, Birthday is definitely a hit for me. It's very quirky and very red velvet-sounding. Not my fav in the album though because the album is 🔥 A contender for their RBB EP indeed. Anyway, can't wait for the b-side reactions!

I absolutely love this type of creativity within the whole production, and the quality I just saw Jackson's come alive one, and my artsy soul cannot be happier I also want to recommend you MINHO's CHASE, I think you will love the cinematography of it. It is angsty and deep, but in a really cool way movie like way

i watched and listened when it dropped, and honestly, it’s been stuck in my head forever but i’m not even mad

Some parts of this MV reminded me of Rookie, especially the many doors and places that they go through and the blue room scene (0:52 to 1:00 of their MV). Yeri does the same pose that is even in the thumbnail of Rookie.

dang, you just missed Wendy playing rock paper scissors with the scissors hand guy 🤣 they were playing games/slaying the guys to get the keys to advance to the "next level" and the final boss was the gingerbread

I think the production of this song and its music video were on high budget here. I love the CGI, the storyline here that is straightforward but still has a lot of references, I don't know how many Luvies fantasize getting their arse wrecked by RV after watching this one. If I can summarize one thing about Red Velvet Discography: They deconstructed the pragmatic mind of the audiences and presented the other side of their works. One more thing I saw, Red Velvet kept outdoing themselves every bloody comeback.

This song is so good, and the video of the recording behind is awesome

Red Velvet always crazy🔥

You might like their b-sides too..On a ride is to die for😊

I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Their album is playing on loop for me and it hypes me up so much

I think you’d enjoy watching the Behind The Scenes vocal recording session they posted to YT. Really interesting process, and the harmonies each member lays down are amazing. I was especially impressed with Joy.

I think the storyline in the Birthday Music Video is that Red Velvet are trying to attend the Gingerbread man birthday and they were rejected. *So I think the Red Velvet members are trying to get their revenge throughout the music video.The members have to face through obstacles like the monsters/creatures they encounter. The members have different magical powers and they were trying to find keys to get to the party. *Seulgi has the final boss fight with the Gingerbread Man and at the end, the members are allow to the party and are Birthday party leaders.

Everything they do is DIFFERENT and FRESH and ASTOUNDING. Their music is so full of layers, that over time it only gets better. New theories about their music and MVs are continuously discovered as time goes on. Their music will be listened to, years from now.

The way the pre-chorus builds kinda reminds me of K/DA POP/STARS.

I'm so glad to see that you like it that much! I also think it's their best title track ♥️ the instrumental is so good (especially in the verses) and has perfect rhythm. And the melody of their singing in the chorus is so nice ! Definitely sounds like a Red Velvet song !!

I like RV because they always bring some Revolutionary Videos with Real Vocals as following their signature "R to V"

Watching the recording behind for this song really made me appreciate it and like it even more seeing how many layers there were and the harmonies that went into it

Although some have said that this is an easier song vocally compared to the rest of their discography I disagree, there are no other groups that could do justice to this insane of a song

I love that u loved it❤

I already liked the song but everytime I watch these videos I come to appreciate the song, the MV, the detailing to everything so much more.

I'M IN LOVE WITH THOSE GUITARS TOO !! I started listening to the Instrumental version too just so that I can appreciate those rock guitars and drum fills even more :)

I loved Birthday at first listen! So glad I could see their stages!

Think of like them going through escape rooms. They each get a key to get to the room with the party. They also said they were using their powers, Yeri blows on the white fluffy man thing and it makes him move when they're supposed to be still, so he gives them the key. And Joy makes that other man thingy disappear and take his key. And then Seulgi fights the cookie man with a chain which she says ties into her solo, referring to the part where she's holding onto herself with chains.

I love this song because of the instrumental really unique and I just love how RV can making it ve~ry ve~ry good!!!! ❤️

I didn't expect that you would mention Birthday with Psycho, but it is true this title track so good and Red Velvet always make a really awesome comeback, it's so hard for me to choose what is better than what when talking about Red Velvet's music

Pd boa made a comeback with "forgive me" i know you were mind blown by her songs lately so i am sure you would love this song and it's rock too

i swear red velvet thought me what complexity is.

the gershwin sample got me instant goosebumps for days! so so so AMAZING❤

Yess Red Velvet Rock song, and singing it with live band

Def in my top 5 rv title tracks

After hearing both the song and watching their recording behind, my want-no, need- for a sexy wendy song got greater. Knowing how she sounded sassy me, so good, look, and perfect 10, and her low notes on birthday's bridge kinda part, i am t h i s close to begging sm for a non-ballad wendy song. She has the aura for it, she has the swag for it, please let it happen.

I was kinda nervous clicking on this but yaayyyy of course PD loves it 😆 I loved it on first listen too!

I really hope you will watch the Birthday recording video on patreon! Like at first I was very intrigued by that song. For the second listen I was already kinda hooked, but the recording video made me fall even more in love with that song!

Aaaaah!!! Peek-a-Boo is my favorite song and this MV brought that exact same feeling to me as well! I am so excited you said that. I think on the Red side, Birthday, Peek-A-Boo, and Feel My Rythym may be my favorites now. I think on the velvet side it is hard to beat Psycho and Automatic.

their vocals never disappoint

my fav from this album is ZOOM !! I think its even among my favorite rv songs

Thank you for appreciate Birthday 😃

Well this is a happy surprise, I was not expecting you to like this song but I agree it slaps 😭 I missed quirky red velvet so much

SAME. Also easily my favorite RV title track.

Same!! this song-MV one of their best! and the album is a jewel!! i love that it is so fresh and difference and yet i find sooo many references to old songs like Ice Cream Cake, Zimzalabim, Bad Boy...

People who say this era's a flop have never listened to their side tracks foe this album. "Celebrate" is soooo amazing

It's so cute to see PD loving so much a song/MV 🥰

Love it

They are always my ultimate GG ever

they went craaaazy with the adlibs and weird harmonies. This song feels like a joyful brainfuck and i love it soo much