They may have left the agency, but both idols will continue to be part of the group.
On Friday, April 4, Korean talent management company and record label SM Entertainment announced the departure of Red Velvet members Wendy and Yeri.
SM wrote in its statement, as translated by entertainment website Soompi, “We are informing you that our exclusive contracts with Wendy and Yeri have come to an end.“
It continued, “The time we spent together with Wendy and Yeri, who—after debuting as Red Velvet—were not only active in group promotions but also as solo artists in various fields, was a great joy for us as well.”
The agency also said that it will cherish all the moments they have spent together with the artists, adding that “we will sincerely root for Wendy and Yeri as they make a new start.”
While their individual contracts have already expired, SM confirmed that Wendy and Yeri will be working with the label for their group activities under Red Velvet.
“We sincerely thank you for the unsparing love you have given Wendy and Yeri up until now, and we hope you will give your warm interest to the two members as they embark on new challenges in their respective paths,” SM ended their note.
Wendy, along with Irene, Seulgi, and Joy, made their debut in 2014 with the song ‘Happiness,’ which was later followed by their rendition of the song ‘Be Natural’ of their senior group S.E.S.
In 2015, in time for the release of ‘Ice Cream Cake,’ Yeri was formally introduced as the group’s fifth member.
They went on to drop more hit singles in the following years, such as ‘Dumb Dumb,’ ‘Russian Roulette,’ ‘Rookie,’ ‘Red Flavor,’ ‘Peek-A-Boo,’ ‘Bad Boy,’ ‘Power Up,’ ‘Zimzalabim,’ ‘Umpah Umpah,’ ‘Psycho,’ ‘Queendom,’ ‘Feel My Rhythm,’ and ‘Chill Kill,’ among many others.
In 2024, in celebration of their 10th anniversary, Red Velvet released their special album ‘Cosmic Night,’ which carries the lead track ‘Cosmic.’
In September that year, they visited Manila for the Philippine stop of their ‘Happiness: My Dear Reve1uv’ concert tour.