[SINGAPORE] IRENE & SEULGI are the Picture of Perfect Balance

They might only be two fifths of Red Velvet, but IRENE & SEULGI made sure that they packed a punch for ‘BALANCE’ in Singapore, the sub-unit’s first overseas stop of their 2025 concert tour. The duo, flanked by eight dancers, showed The Star Theatre the power of a pair through dramatic storytelling and aesthetics.

Tango for two

The duo first appeared in a black leather ensemble with silver embellishments, rocking the scale with their latest title track, Tilt, followed by equally gruelling dance tracks, Feel Good and Trampoline. While this dark, sultry tension hasn’t been left untouched by Red Velvet’s career, it seems to be the bedrock of the sub-unit’s artistic direction.

Video segments strewn across the 2.5-hour concert featured the pair in monochromatic tones, Seulgi representing white and Irene, black. As Irene explains the concept, “We start off as an unbalanced beam and find our balance as we go along.” The ‘BALANCE’ tour strives to portray this balance even in fine details, such as the usual single widescreen on stage being swapped for a pair of parallel vertical screens, and a set of weighing scales serving as the tour logo. 

Most K-pop concerts would alternate between songs with and without choreography for performers to catch their breaths, but Irene and Seulgi powered through the show with pretty much no break from choreography, even for more laid back tracks like Diamond. We were especially excited for Naughty, a single known for its sharp, angled tutting couple choreography. 

Solos with separate charms

The members of Red Velvet are in the eleventh year of their careers and have had plenty of time to explore their unique inclinations as solo artists, so we also got to witness what Irene and Seulgi had to offer separately.

Seulgi opened her solo segment sitting with her dancers in an interesting formation for Praying. After stunning with her vocals for Dead Man Runnin’, she asked the audience if her lipstick was smudged from brushing her lips against her mic so much — proof of how invested she was in the performance. She also revealed that she worked hard at sculpting her abs for the performance, which we spotted south of her red latex crop top as she performed more light-hearted tracks Rollin’ (With My Homies) and Better Dayz.

Before Irene proceeded with her solo segment, she joined Seulgi on stage with a chair (that she almost forgot to bring out with her) for a short rendition of Be Natural, a Red Velvet single from their early days, as well as Irresistible, a B-side from the duo’s latest EP. The stage then smoothly transitioned to let Irene take the stage for Strawberry Silhouette, Calling Me Back, Ka-Ching, and Start Line, all tracks from her debut and only album, Like A Flower. As if to balance out Seulgi’s fiercely sensual approach, Irene’s music is notably gentler and more dream-like.

Keeping it real

Irene and Seulgi were absolute commanders of the stage, but when the music’s off, they are just endearingly hilarious individuals. Irene, in particular, made us laugh a lot:

• Before performing Ka-Ching, she warned of a KPI for the audience. “I will be paying attention to how loud your fanchants are for this performance.” It goes without saying that the pressure worked.
• When she asked who had come for the opening Seoul concert and was met with just a few raised lightsticks: “That’s not a lot of you.” The frankness of a veteran.
• She also expressed her concerns about fans getting judged at home for practising the Like A Flower fanchant: “Isn’t your family at home? Oh, you only do it when you’re alone at home. Okay.”

After wrapping up the concert with titles including Seulgi’s Baby, Not Baby, Irene’s Like A Flower, and the sub-unit’s debut song Monster, the pair returned to have some close-up contact with fans on the ground floor and turned the encore segment into a rave with Red Velvet’s Hit That Drum and Zimzalabim. 

Seulgi promised to return soon, perhaps together with the full Red Velvet quintet. Holding onto a lightstick she broke while jumping to the beat of Zimzalabim, Irene’s expression was suddenly solemn as she apologised for almost forgetting her chair for Be Natural, but added that fans’ excitement to see the pair deeply moved her. “I feel like I’ll sleep really soundly tonight. I hope you all sleep soundly too.”

Special thanks to FriedRice Entertainment for the invite!

Written by: Gloria
Photos by: FriedRice Entertainment

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