Red Velvet member Irene has officially renewed her contract with long-time label, SM Entertainment.
Today (February 7), SM Entertainment announced in a statement to South Korean press (per ET News) that Red Velvet’s Irene has renewed her contract with the company. The singer has been signed with the K-pop agency since 2014, when she made her debut as a member of the girl group.
“We renewed our contract with Irene […] based on mutual trust and partnership,” SM Entertainment said, as translated by Soompi. “We will support her in various directions so that she can promote even more actively as a global artist, so please show lots of love and interest going forward.”
SM Entertainment’s press release also included a statement from Irene, who shared that she renewed her contract based on her “trust” of the company, which she said has “made me who I am now, and [for] the company staff whom I worked together with since my debut”.
All five members of Red Velvet first renewed their contracts with SM Entertainment in 2021. Member Seulgi re-signed with the label for the second time in August 2023, followed by Irene today. Remaining members Wendy, Joy and Yeri have yet to be publicly announce their future with the label.
Red Velvet last released music in November 2023, with their third full-length album ‘Chill Kill’. In a glowing four-star review of the record, NME’s Tanu I. Raj described it as “thrillingly demonic”, adding that the girl group have “returned to what they do best – spinning chilling tales with flawless harmonies at the centre”.
In other K-pop news, BLACKPINK member Lisa has released a cryptic teaser on her Instagram account, just a month after YG Entertainment confirmed that she and her fellow bandmates would not be renewing their individual contracts with the agency.
The post Red Velvet’s Irene renews contract with SM Entertainment appeared first on NME.
