Red Velvet Tops Global K-POPIT Board Ahead of 'Velvet Summer' Release

K-POP girl group Red Velvet is heading into summer with a new album, and the announcement alone has moved the needle on the industry's biggest buzz metrics.

On July 6, SM Entertainment confirmed that the group will release its summer mini-album "Velvet Summer" on August 3.

According to K-POPIT BOARD, a K-POP analytics platform, Red Velvet saw a sharp rise in attention both at home and overseas on the day of the announcement. The group ranked No. 1 on the platform's global chart with a Global Power Index (PWR_GL) score of 57. In South Korea, it placed second with a domestic Power Index (PWR_KR) score of 61. The Power Index combines global music chart activity, social media volume, and news coverage into a single figure.

The surge lines up cleanly with the comeback news. K-POPIT BOARD's "D-layer SNS" metric, which tracks mainstream buzz outside of core fandoms, jumped 66.8 percent in a single day. The group's Viral Conversation (VCR) score, a measure of general-public chatter and viral response, hit 98. The Fandom Health Index (FHI), which reflects activity inside the existing fanbase, sat lower at 52. Read together, the numbers suggest the spike is being driven more by general listeners than by fandom mobilization.

"Velvet Summer" will be Red Velvet's first full-group release in about two years and two months, since "Cosmic" arrived in June 2024. SM Entertainment says the mini-album will carry five tracks, led by the title song "Surfin' Boy." It drops August 3 on major music platforms.