Red Velvet’s Irene is here with her first mini album Like A Flower and title song of the same name.

Red Velvet solos have been a long time coming and Irene is the newest addition to the bunch which we are all excited about. I have to say I’m not quite sure what Irene’s solo musical direction is going to be but I think that makes this solo debut even more interesting for me. Irene is a very good vocalist and I think her smooth, gentle vocals definitely suit a dreamy kind of pop music so I’m looking forward to seeing what her first album brings us concept and music-wise. Let’s dive deeper into Like A Flower and review what Irene delivered to us today.

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Like A Flower is a very cute and uplifting track. I feel like it would’ve worked perfectly as an early summer song because it’s upbeat but not too much – just the right amount to make you want to get up and sway around while it’s playing. Irene’s gentle vocals suit this kind of sound really well. Like A Flower is also nicely structured, spanning over 3 minutes of length which is admirable on the current k-pop scene, and offering us a lot of lovely melodies to truly enjoy it. It’s a good choice for a title track, showcasing Irene’s charm and voice, while still offering something new from her, especially since this genre stands out during these cold days. The music video is also really pretty, and dreamy in a late-spring hazy kind of feeling and I’m loving it. Having listened to the album, I also think it fits really well on the album too – it’s definitely the leading single but manages to fit right with the rest of the tracks on the album.

From the album, I’d say my two stand-out tracks on the first listen are definitely Start Line and Winter Wish. Both of them have such a stunning, fairytale-like melody to them, managing to create a rather unique, uplifting atmosphere from the beginning. Winter Wish is more on the slower, while Start Line is more on the anthemic side of things and I really love them both. One of my favourite things about Start Line is the layered vocals during the post-chorus and the heartfelt emotion the chorus evokes in me. It’s both old-school and modern, playing around with nostalgia a bit and succeeding without a problem with that. Irene also sounds so good in both of these songs – this style truly suits her so much. I like the title track but these two songs take the crown for me as my favourites on the album and I recommend checking them out!

Irene has chosen a great musical direction for herself!

PS. Don’t know if this is too niche but Like A Flower immediately reminded me of BLACK6IX‘s song of the same name – those were my underrated kings. Hope they’re all doing well, I still listen to their Please very often.