After A Stellar First Year As A Group, Venus Hit 2019 Swinging. They Began Their "Video Game Era," Officially

After a stellar first year as a group, Venus hit 2019 swinging. They began their "Video Game Era," officially titled "VSCAPE," promoting their upcoming series of video games that would come with every comeback. VSCAPE would be a three-part series in which the girls would be put in three different genres of video games: fighting, action, and simulation.

People weren't exactly sure how seriously Angelico would take this project until their third mini album, "VSCAPE: BATTLE ROYALE," was released along with the accompanying video game under the same title. Of course, you had to buy the album and video game separately, but both came with photocards, so fans were more than happy to spend their money. Fans were even more shocked when the game was good, with stunning graphics that felt utterly out of Angelico's budget.

VENUS IN 2019 AT THEIR COMEBACK SHOWCASES: Bliss (21 via Battle Royale), Baebi (20 via PUNCHOUT), Chloe (19 via LOVE&LOSERS), Sena (17 via PUNCHOUT), and Jiah (16 via Battle Royale).

The game would be similar to Mortal Kombat but less violent. You could pick which Venus member you'd like to fight as and be paired with randomized villains or other Venus members, resulting in many hilarious reaction videos created by their fans, Constellations.

BATTLE ROUND, the title track, would win eight music show trophies and sell over 1 million copies, becoming the first Venus album to achieve this and the first group in Angelico history to have over a million sales.

They would release the second part of the VSCAPE project, another mini album and video game titled "VSCAPE: PUNCHOUT." Many fans expected the same type of gameplay from the first VSCAPE project but were shocked to be met with entirely different graphics and gameplay. This game follows the player through an apocalyptic world, trying to find the cure for the disease that's destroyed the country of South Korea. The graphics and gameplay are very similar to TellTale's The Walking Dead game, which is not shocking as they were the studio behind it. The game was praised for its interactive story elements, the girl's voice acting, and an overall storyline that had many constellations crying by the end of it.

VISION BOARDS FOR BATTLE ROYALE, PUNCHOUT, and LOVE&LOSERS.

PLAYER ONE would be the title track for PUNCHOUT, securing the girls' 12 music show wins as well as being certified platinum by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) for 100 million streams just three months after its release. This would mark the second Venus song to achieve this.

The final and most iconic part of the VSCAPE series is "VSCAPE: LOVE & LOSERS," with the title track "LOVE SIMULATOR." The game is just that: a dating simulator featuring all the girls. Though the game concept was quite controversial, as many fans saw it as pandering to a specific audience, the art used for the game was heavily praised for its cute and unique style.

FAN FAVORITE OUTFITS FROM THE VSCAPE ERA!

Though the game was hit or miss by fans, the song took over South Korea. "Love Simulator" received positive reviews from music critics and appeared on many year-end rankings of the best songs in 2019. Rolling Stone placed "Love Simulator" at number 24 on their list of the top 100 songs in 2019. On the National Circle Digital Chart, the single peaked at number two. The Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) certified it double platinum for surpassing 200 million streams in South Korea. The song was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for accumulating over 100 million streams in Japan.

Love Simulator would have 17 music show wins to its name, something virtually unheard of from Angelico. It is the 4th most-awarded song in music show history.

Venus would win their first Daesang this year, taking home Song Of The Year at MAMA for Love Simulator and Best Dance Performance—Female Group. They would also go on to win the Grand Prize at the Seoul Music Awards, marking another Daesang win for the girls.

hi myah! hope you’re doing well! i love seeing how people sometimes share their ideas on which idols could fit one of the girls (yoonah especially) in their minds, and it’s always fun to think about. lately, me and my friend (we’re both big fans of your blog, by the way) have been having a little debate: she thinks kim lip (artms) could be a good match for biblical baebi, but i feel like jinsoul (also artms) would be a better fit. so, we thought, why not ask the baebi creator themselves? do you think either of them could fit yoonah in an alternate universe, or are we both off the mark? we’re super excited for the upcoming revamped profiles of jiah and sena (and maybe bliss too?) plus the new discography and everything else you’ve got in store! have a great day!

oh my god heyyy! this ask was so cute ndksbsks cant believe venus is a topic of conversation outside tumblr thats literally so cool omg 😭💗

i would sayyyy kim lip is more on the mark! its so funny yall mention jinsoul because i recently got an ask saying she could be chloe. i think yoonah visually is very pretty but in a more edgy type way (i think that’s the word im looking for snsksbsks) like kim lip while chloe very much fits kbs and has a more princess look like jinsoul.

very excited for this new era! can’t wait for yall to see it! 💗

i am probably wrong but i feel like kim doyeon (ioi/weme) could fit biblical chloe. not necessarily for the physical features but more about the vibes, the "innocent yet mature" part, as well as a face card fitting the beauty standard of the industry (but i love jiwon!chloe with all my heart tho <3)

chloe's vibe is more inspired by taeyeon! like here's a chloe vibe n visuals moodboard:

this might only make sense to me but iykyk njkdsadsa

Kpop stan Twitter hates them. Sena is talentless tweets hitting crazy numbers. Jiah deactivated her Instagram account. #BaebiGoSolo has trended for three days now...They had ONE chance.

VENUS entered 2021 mad as hell with their second full album, "I AM VENUS," which included the title track "I AM. "I AM was a commercial success in South Korea and topped the Circle Digital Chart for six weeks. It also reached the top ten in Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The song has been certified platinum for streaming in South Korea. It also received four PAKs and nine music show wins.

Dazed ranked it 19th among the 50 best K-pop tracks of 2021, and Grammy named it one of the 15 K-pop songs that defined 2021.

The group would repeatedly go viral for their performances of I AM as the girls were either emotional while performing the song or they were in platformed heels. For the first time in their career, Chloe was able to look people in the eyes during the music show interviews. Though the heels were a hit, they raised concerns for fans as there were multiple instances of the girls twisting their ankles or falling during performances because of them. Either way, iconic.

The platformed heels Venus wore during the promotions of I AM. These are the ones on displayed at the Angelico Artist Muesum. The group wore a total of 36 different pairs of heels for this era.

Their repacked album "VENUS, I AM." would come shortly after I AM VENUS with the title track "DIVE". Before the song's release, the teaser images for VENUS, I AM would go viral for their unique concept and artistic expression.

The teaser images used for "VENUS, I AM." under the creative direction of LEXA.

The album debuted at number one on the weekly Gaon Album Chart and also topped the monthly chart, selling 544,339 copies in its first month of release. It has since been certified triple platinum by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) for surpassing 750,000 units.

Tássia Assis from NME gave Dive a 4 out of 5-star rating, describing the track "Dive" as "the definite, luxurious plunge. " Despite being "more subdued" than the group's previous album, "I AM," it is a "chaebol crush" that matches the extravagance and confidence that defines VENUS. Uproxx named it one of The Best K-Pop Albums of 2021.

The hate train finally seemed to slow with the ever-mounting success the girls were receiving. It's not like the girls had enough time on their hands to even really focus on the hate. They were always working on something. That next something would be their 6th mini album, "Illusions," followed by a title track of the same name.

Upon its release, Illusions was praised by music critics for increasingly showcasing all members' vocal abilities with "trendy" production. Illusions was a commercial success in South Korea and charted in Japan and the United States. It debuted atop South Korea's Gaon Album Chart on the chart. Overall, it ranked seventh on the Gaon's 2021 year-end album chart.4 Walls debuted at number thirty-nine on Japan's Oricon Albums Chart, and it peaked at number one on the US Billboard World Albums Chart, becoming Venus' second number one on the chart following 2019's Love Simulator.

Illusions was primarily beloved for its "multidimensional" concept and music video. In the video, the girls were trapped in a time loop, and the song restarted midway through the eight-minute video, signifying that the viewer was also in the time loop with them.

Stills from the "Illusions" music video. Creative direction by LEXA.

The girls would close out the year with the summer classic "Summer Luv!" and a title track of the same name. When I tell you this song was massive, it was huge. Love Simulator was finally overthrown as Venus' most-known song because you could not go anywhere with Summer Luv'ing.

GQ Korea named "Summer Luv!" its Song of the Year in the magazine's November 2021 issue. In December, IZM listed the song as one of its top 10 singles of the year. Dazed ranked the song at number two on its 20 Best K-pop Songs of 2021. The song landed on Billboard's 20 Best K-Pop Songs 2021 list at number four. Melon ranked it number 15, while Rolling Stone ranked it number 13 in their lists of the greatest K-pop songs of all time, with the latter publication praising its production and hailing it as the epitome of "summertime fun, adventure, and romance."

Summer Luv! would win the girl's Song of The Year at the 2021 MAMA Awards and the Best Dance Performance – Female Group award. They would go on to win the Digital Daesang at the Golden Disk Awards and Song of the Year at the Korean Music Awards.

Some of the various wigs and hairstyles were worn by Venus during their Summer Luv! Promotions. Gif style inspired by @pickmedolls !

The Summer Luv! era was not only defined by success but looks as well. The girls would wear different wings at nearly every stage, mixing up their styles and colors while "giving their scalps a much-needed break," as said Chloe during an interview. The girls would go through seventy-five wigs between the five of them, with a fraction of them, the most iconic ones, being displayed at the Angelico Artist Museum.

can you maybe make the vibe boards for the other girls like you did for chloe? i feel like it helps me visualize her more than any faceclaims! <3

here's yoonah's because she's the clearest visions i have at the moment!

TW // HYUNA

If you were concerned that the girls were being overworked before, welcome to the year, Angelico proved you right ten times over! Refusing to lose their hype and cash flow, Venus would release their first full album, "BRAINROT," alongside the title track WORMZ4BRAINZ. "WORMZ4BRAINZ" received positive reviews from critics, who praised its production and the group's vocal delivery. It attained commercial success, peaking at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart and number three on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart.

Showing their full versatility this year, the girls would come back with their sixth mini album, "#dontlike" taking on a more "teen crush" type concept. The EP debuted at number two on the Gaon Album Chart and number six on the Billboard World Albums chart. The songs from the album also performed well digitally. "#dontlike" charted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart and number three on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart.

Controversially, just two months after Jiah turned 19, Venus would release "Come N' Get It," a sexy summer mini album. While a group of Constellations were very vocal about how inappropriate it was for this concept to be done on a freshly legal adult, the general public didn't seem to care. "Come N' Get It" debuted at number 27 on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart. It rose to number one the following week. The song debuted at number one on Singapore's Top Streaming Chart, the Malaysia International chart, and the Billboard Hits of the World charts for Hong Kong and Taiwan, earning Venus their first number-one in Hong Kong.

When asked about how she felt looking back on Come N Get It in the "The Road To Venus" documentary in 2023, Jiah would discuss how she feels currently about the concept vs. how she felt at nineteen.

The music video, full of provocative dancing and the girls in swimsuits, was filmed two days after Jiah's birthday, resulting in another wave of concern from fans. Jiah would only concern fans further by saying she's been waiting to do a concept like this and was very excited to show this side of her.

As a means of damage control gone wrong, VENUS would close out the year with their second digital single, "BAD GIRL," which spearheaded the Venus Hate Train of 2020. A hate train when you're in a successful girl group is to be expected, and the girls handled it to the best of their ability. However, online critics did nothing to the girls charting power and influence.

"Bad Girls" was named the best K-pop song of 2020 by Business Insider, second by Zenerate, and amongst the best songs of 2023 by Elle. Apple's campaign and "Bad Girls"'s music video received awards at the One Show and the Spikes Asia Awards. The song received four music show awards, twice on both M Countdown and Inkigayo.