No one will replace Red Velvet. If I were to suggest that, I should be summarily executed. Anyway, as you well know, I’ve been hesitant to explore the fourth generation of K-pop, a hesitance so lengthy there’s now a fifth generation. The reasons were twofold. One, as previously outlined, the idol experience is more than the music itself. My interests in groups like Red Velvet and Oh My Girl began with the music, and then gradually I’d fall in love with the members and their dynamics. I love Solar’s chaotic energy and artistry and her chemistry with Moonbyul, and Moonbyul’s no-bullshit attitude and friendship with Seulgi, and Seulgi’s curious mind and so on and so on. I love the demystification of seeing the idols in music videos either playing characters or performing with uniform professionalism, only to then discover their individual selves, which are sometimes dramatically different. I tried this with Kep1er, who are so cool in the video for “Killa,” but in the behind-the-scenes material, they’re a little too kidlike. Only in their early 20s, they’re not too far removed from their teenage years, and it gave me a visceral reaction. As someone in his 30s now, I shouldn’t be so concerned with the interior lives of people that young. No, no, please, hold your applause. Xiaoting just put out a solo track called “Legend,” though, if you’re interested. … More The Next Red Velvet?