Red Velvet’s Irene reveals how she really felt after constantly hearing comments about debuting at 24 years old

Red Velvet’s Irene is drawing attention after looking back on the frequent comments she received about her age when she debuted at 24.

Irene appeared on the August 14 episode of Lee Young Ji’s YouTube show No Prepare, where the two talked about Red Velvet’s long career and Irene’s early years as the group’s oldest member.

When Lee Young Ji asked how long Red Velvet had been active, Irene replied, “It’s been 12 years, and we’re now in our 13th year.”

The conversation then turned to Irene’s age at debut. Lee Young Ji pointed out that Irene debuted at 24 and shared that she had recently experienced being the same age herself.

She said, “When I was younger, 24 seemed so grown up when you debuted. But when I actually became 24, I realized that wasn’t the case at all. I still felt so young.”

Lee Young Ji then asked whether Irene often heard comments suggesting that she had debuted at a relatively older age.

Irene answered simply, “I heard that every time I appeared on a broadcast.”

Looking back, Lee Young Ji noted that Irene was also frequently viewed through the image of being Red Velvet’s oldest member and asked how she personally felt about it at the time.

Irene explained that she did not focus much on the number itself because she was more concerned about taking care of the members around her.

She shared, “I don’t think I thought about the number that much. There were so many things I had to take care of for the people beside me, so my own age wasn’t that important to me.”

Irene added that even after debuting, she often prioritized the younger members over herself.

She said, “After debuting, I think I thought more about the people beside me than myself.”

As the years passed, however, Irene said she gradually learned to pay more attention to her own needs as well.

She explained, “As time went by, I started taking better care of myself. Before that, I think I was just busy taking care of the younger members.”

Born in 1991, Irene debuted with Red Velvet in 2014 and has spent much of her career as the group’s oldest member.

Now in her 13th year since debut, Irene’s comments offered a rare look at how she viewed the attention surrounding her age at the beginning of her career and how her priorities have changed over time.