Like A Flower: Not Just A Visual

[@GuruPuffola]

1:37 The "face card" scene you're talking about isn't from a commercial, but from a SNL skit! It's iconic and so true haha Here the full skit with eng sub "SNL Korea 3-Minute Girlfriend"

[@GuruPuffola]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/poSXdJ6NZ96Xacksi=c8cdr5s5l_a_iKtm

[@Taejiu]

I literally thought I was going crazy

[@Ruenne]

@@GuruPuffola HELP WHY IS YERI FLYING AWAY AT THE END

[@yeeunlatte]

I usually don’t vibe with the “flower/power/shower” rhyme scheme but Like A Flower executed it so so well! It surprisingly doesn’t feel too cheesy

[@yeeunlatte]

I think my second comment got deleted as spam for whatever reason so I'll place it here 😭: 12:11 I feel that LAF (the title and album) shows Irene at her best and most evolved level but I can see why people would say that she has much more to show as an artist/idol.

[@Bblyeri]

as a reveluv who is pretty familiar with Irene's talents and has wanted her to debut a soloist I was still pleasantly surprised by how much effort and thought she put into her solo seeing her be inspired by tyla and taking on a challenge of learning afro dance from square one although it seems sm does have a lot of input into rv solo projects i'm glad she was able to showcase her talents and give us variety when to comes to music

[@officialkamauharvey]

I think what I’m most happy about with LAF is that SM didn’t do Irene like YoonA. I know that outside the usual “Kpop” sphere, idols tend to do more OST type of ballads. Especially the “visual” solo idol mainly to prove they can actually sing. Im just glad they allowed her to do something in her wheelhouse instead of attempting to water her down

[@AbdulKader-hb5iw]

Whole album was bop🔥 everyone songs is perfect i can't even choose one fav 💯

[@MariusMoonbeam]

I think Irene didn’t get the hate that Tzuyu did bc she’s viewed as being more talented than she’s been portrayed as. Like as a reveluv, there’s always been talk in the fandom that Irene (and Yeri) are being held back and not being utilized as much as they could be. So I think most people were like…yeah that tracks. Plus ppl saw her in a subunit. Anyway, I’m so proud! I love that her solo truly suits her and that’s she so pleased with it. I also appreciate her taking the time to learn the basics of the dance, on Hyo’s show she mentions that it’s based in afrobeats and that she had to really understand it so it wouldn’t look awkward. It’s also selling really well!

[@yangvolcanos]

i think 'kaching' and 'i feel pretty' are special tracks because Irene had performed these songs before and 'i feel pretty' was also included in her exhibition photo book so in a way they're not 'fresh new songs' like the other tracks in the album

[@pipreyes2966]

this breakdown and the context of visuals in kpop in general was chef’s kiss. irene’s debut was a picture perfect musically, thematically and really captures her story and her place in kpop/rv. it was also a project about courage, and the water motif represents fear as she actually did have a water phobia. she faced her fears and came out on top

[@edvaedan9161]

Anybody questioning Irene’s abilities just needs to watch her work with Seulgi (Seulrene).

[@nasa.starry.ultraoof1827]

8:34 ka ching is a special track because irene performed it for her birthday fanmeeting before her solo released in 2023 I feel pretty is a special track because she performed it for her birthday this year (if I remember correctly) and she released it during her solo exhibition through an nfc chip

[@zerobaseone4ever]

I really adored the whole album it sounds so well made and very irene everything was so well done from the lyrics and instrumentals and performances u could see how much love and effort was put into it, its my favorite album this year i think its very special to me because im in the point of my life where i could really relate to the whole theme especially like a flower it really embodies how a person has finally come into full bloom not caring about what anyone else thinks about them anymore because they themselves are so truly happy with the person they’ve become and how much it toke for them to get to that point it rlly is like unlocking the coolest superpower of all the song sounds so sure of itself and so calmly happy and i think theres nothing more beautiful than that and irene truly glowed, i love it sm its so special and the final line on the bottom of the cover is so beautiful 🥹💗

[@Rellz2401]

Ironic how I was listening to Irene's album while this video popped up lol. I've enjoyed this album alot I consider myself relatively easy to please in terms of music but I always find msyelf going back to this album when I'm doing something especially when I'm gaming it's just a vibe I really enjoy.

[@run-for-roses05]

So the conversation of who deserves a solo and who doesn't reminds me of one of my courses. Where we discuss deserving versus undeserving poor. It is the concept that if someone becomes poor through no fault of their own why should they be condemned. But undeserving poor is when someone is assumed to be able to work and through the "fault" of their own. Again people tend to not question the systems that surround that individual and how they play a role into the individual's life in poverty. Now you must be thinking how does this relate to kpop. Idols with the most talent in the eyes of their audience are seen as people who deserve a solo. However not every Idol is going to be top tier in every category of talent and that is okay. So they might have a lot of flaws but they are still an idol and they still have important skills that adds to their group. However, when people hear about the fact that a visual member is going to get a solo they tend to fault that Idol for lacking the skills to earn one. However, I like to argue that Idol is still capable of wanting to create art. Even if the idol is not all rounder they deserve to at least have an opportunity to involve themselves in creating body of work with their artistic vision. In fact if you keep denying Idols the right to be expressive in their solo work you might never be able to see their true potential be tapped in because you have ultimately decided that they don't deserve to be able to grow artistically. In the case of someone who may be in poverty we often fault that individual rather than the systems that surround them. Again these are totally different scenarios but we often fault the idol rather than faulting the industry for creating such a system where we are creating an environment where we are making standards of who is allowed to create art and have an artistic identity for themselves. We don't criticize the systems that potentially reduce a visual members talent to their looks. We don't criticize how companies have created this unproductive conversation due to the toxicity of the industry seeping into the fandom. If you want more Idols to create or be involved in creating art you have to let the visual find themselves as an artist. (Should this be a video? Yes it should be but will I make this video? probably not).

[@CatNagTaylorsVersion]

Slay

[@CatNagTaylorsVersion]

Make the video queen

[@seon_njang]

that’s a really interesting comparison. When I think of Tzuyu it makes me wonder how much say she actually had in the music she got and like, if she didn’t why should she be faulted for not bringing enough substance? I saw someone complain about how debuting idols with poor solos was a “waste of money” which like. I guess. But at the same time why shouldn’t they at least have a shot at going solo to see how they like it.

[@yeeunlatte]

This comment is extremely well-articulated and I think it should be made into a video🔥🔥

[@projectprojectx]

i'm just glad she finally gets this moment to showcase her potential

[@AbdulKader-hb5iw]

Courage is unique Irene is amazing

[@gabrielaaraujo4124]

Idk y international fans dont know this but ive heard korean critics like 5 times now say irenes voice is what makes red velvet. Her lines are beautiful. I dont get why ppl dont praise her for naughty when she literally had the best lines... You can say that her legs lack confidence. I agree. However, try looking at 3rd gen choreos for female groups - almost no moves where legs were used just pretty lines and she excels on that. She is the lead dancer of her group

[@AbdulKader-hb5iw]

Yes she is talented idol I hope more opportunities to show her talents

[@Sheepy16able]

Since I became a kpop stan and found out about Red Velvet, i was waiting for Irenes solodebut and anywhen I`ve thought it will never happen. I`m so glad she did it :) I just think the timing is a little bit weird. This year there were rumors of her leaving SM and now they let het debut solo (I have similiar thoughts about Minnies solo debut in January tbh), But overall her solo debut was one of the very less solo debuts this year I thought are interesting. I`m glad you made a video about it :)

[@valeriai.38]

The thing is, Irene always had the skill and just because she’s a visual people liked to overshadow her skills with the other members skills but as a true reveluv I knew she had it there 🤧. I always hated how surface level biased people where, but I love the themes of this comeback, maybe a flower blooming is no new thing but it has a meaning to Irene too and she said in a video separate to the documentary that she wanted to express the albums themes is the best way possible to get the message out.

[@CatNagTaylorsVersion]

Oh I think that commercial was an ALT choice for Irene’s standard commercial for 3CE. 3CE is a Korean makeup brand in which Red velvet had a collab with. It’s the only commercial I can remotely think of where she paid for something with her face card

[@CatNagTaylorsVersion]

Also please don’t pin me, I can’t find a link, even if I could I would probably be marked as a bot anyways

[@CatNagTaylorsVersion]

This could also be her drink commercial but it doesn’t show her paying with her face when she pays. Either way that face card never decline my god

[@carolinesch.]

I am usually not one for groups doing a lot of solos in between group releases and when I watched the documentary and behind the scenes for this I was really happy that content was there, it finally clicked why: I really dislike it if the members have solo work and do nothing with it. I dont need all of them to do full comeback promotions or a concert but just a behind the scenes thing like she did or any of it being carried into the next group project. I am really happy when these solos are treated as what they are, a music release and not just a side quest

[@Flabby913]

I think what you're talking about at 1:44 is this video at 4:34: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHi5iI1veqaEd5osi=ju30b5bXOf1ezvvz It's not a commercial, but it's still Irene paying with her face card

[@CatNagTaylorsVersion]

@@Flabby913 I thought of this too but I think I put a little to much thought about it being a commercial but this is probably it

[@Flabby913]

Someone commented the same video 3 hours after this one, and it got the pin 💔

[@AbdulKader-hb5iw]

Irene is one of the talented female idol she is perfect in everything dancer,singer, actress, rapper it should be crime if she didn't debut as solo i am to see her successfully debuted and break records of most female sales in sm ent 🎉 excited for more opportunities and activities she deserves it

[@PikaAud]

It makes me happy to know I'm not the only one thinks the visual role is kind of dumb lol. Kind of similar to when the yougest member is just the maknae role but nothing else. Especially when they are a very capable idol, they deserve so much more credit than that😭