According to the South Korean entertainment outletStarNews, Wendy will release her solo debut on April.[1] Following the report,SM Entertainment toldSports Kyunghyang to look forward to it.[2] Prior to 2021, she suffered a pelvic fracture and broken wrist, among other injuries and had been on a year-long hiatus due to a stage accident during the 2019SBS Gayo Daejeon music festival.[3] On March 24, it was officially announced that Wendy will be having her solo debut.[4] The first batch of teaser photos were on theRed Velvet's officialsocial media accounts.[5] "Like Water" had its official digital release on April 5, 2021, along with the extended play of thesame name.[6]
"Like Water" was composed by production team Coach & Sendo and Anne Judith Stokke Wik; the lyrics were written byKenzie andYoo Young-jin.[7][8] Wendy stated that she wrote the lyrics "I just wanted to thank you for believing in me" inspired by the fans and voiced it with particular affection.[9][10] She revealed that "Like Water" is about hope and gratitude, and was a healing song written for her fans.[10][11]
Musically, "Like Water" was described as anacoustic popballad andmodern rock song.[7][12] Hwang Hye-jin ofNewsen noted the track for harmonizing "lyricalguitar riffs, bands, andstring sounds".[7] JT Early ofBeats Per Minute called it as a song with "an enchantingpop-rock ballad with warm guitar, soaring strings and a general sense of triumph".[13] The song is composed in thekey ofG major with atempo of 84 beats per minute.[14] Lyrically, the song compares each other's existence and meaning to "water," which is indispensable in life, further adding to the message of hope for a new journey with gratitude to the precious people who stood by her side.[15] Ruby C ofNME described how the song represents people needing one another and helping to fill each other up, "just as a person should not be without water".[16]
Following its initial release, "Like Water" was met with mixed reviews frommusic critics. JT Early ofBeats Per Minute called the song as "a very satisfying and cinematic song that could easily soundtrack the moment when a difficult obstacle has finally been surmounted."[13] The track was featured onMTV News'Bop Shop where it was described as "an ethereal acoustic ballad", complimenting Wendy's "effortlessly flits from delicate humming to phenomenal high notes".[17] Divyansha Dongre ofRolling Stone India complimented the "vocal abilities as she experiments with different ranges throughout the track", further citing the reinforcement of signature high-notes on the chorus.[18] Tamar Herman ofSouth China Morning Post described the song as a "whimsy of the sweet, sentimental soft pop", further adding the song as "bolstered by soaring string instrumentals".[9] Claire Dodson ofTeen Vouge praised the track for its "soaring bridge notes" that "are cinematic and moving", and concluded that it makes "one perfect for the turning point in a coming-of-age film".[19] Erin Han ofIdology noted the song as it "may feel boring due to the explosive power of "When This Rain Stops"", clarifying that "the warmth of the song continues for a long time, enhancing its persuasive power as a title song".[20] Jung Da-yeol ofIZM compared similarity of the acoustic guitar introduction of the track toTaeyeon's "Fine", but explained that it "has become richer with the addition of string sound".[21] Ruby C ofNME noted the song for being "at times strangely familiar" that the song could have also been sung by Taeyeon, further noticing the "feels like it follows a more tried-and-tested songwriting formula".[16]
"Like Water" was included inNME's The 15 best K-pop songs of 2021 – so far list, emphasizing the "warm embrace" feeling of the song, further praising Wendy's straightforward metaphor use of "water", calling it a "a simple yet poetic symbolism".[22] The song landed onBillboard's 25 Best K-Pop Songs 2021 list at number 23, with J.B. praising it for "acting as a gorgeous soundscape for Wendy to unleash one of her best vocal performances to date".[23]
"Like Water" debuted at number 54 on the 15th weekly issue of South Korea'sGaon Digital Chart for 2021 during the period dated April 4–10.[24] It also debuted at number 85 and number 87 on the Gaon Download Chart and Gaon Streaming Chart, respectively.[25][26] In addition, it debuted at number 21 on the component BGM chart.[27] The song entered theBillboard K-Pop Hot 100 at number 85 on the chart issue dated April 17, 2021.[28]
The accompanying music video for "Like Water" was directed by video director Lee Rae-kyung.[29] The music video for the song was premiered on April 5, 2021, to coincide with the release of the song and that ofLike Water. Prior to its premiere date, the music video was teased with two teasers.[30][31][32] The music video is set in a mansion filled with overgrown plants.[3] It adopts a neo-royalty cinematography.[18] Following the music video's release, Kayla Fontalvo of Glitter Magazine noted the "aesthetics of the video", bringing out Wendy's visuals in floral sets.[33]
Wendy delivered her first performance of "Like Water" at SBS PowerFM'sCultwo Show.[11] On April 9, 2021, she made her debut stage onMusic Bank.[34] She then performed the song on KBS CoolFM on the same day.[35] Throughout promotions, the singer continued to perform the song onInkigayo,M Countdown andShow! Music Core.[36][37][38]
^Gong, Mi-na (March 10, 2021).레드벨벳 웬디, 4월 첫 솔로 출격..데뷔 7년만 [Red Velvet's Wendy, First Solo Appearance in April, Seven Years After Debut].StarNews (in Korean). Archived fromthe original on March 10, 2021. RetrievedApril 11, 2021 – viaDaum.
^Lee, Se-hyun (March 10, 2021).웬디, 4월 솔로 데뷔 [Wendy will Have Her Solo Debut in April].Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Archived fromthe original on March 10, 2021. RetrievedApril 11, 2021 – via Daum.
^Jeon, Hyo-jin (March 24, 2021).레드벨벳 웬디, 4월5일 솔로 데뷔 [Wendy of Red Velvet to Make Her Solo Debut on 5th of April].Sports Dong-A (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. RetrievedApril 11, 2021.
^Bae, Hyo-joo (March 28, 2021).‘솔로 데뷔’ 레드벨벳 웬디, 사랑스럽고 포근하다‥티저 공개 [Red Velvet Wendy's 'Solo Debut', Lovely and Cozy, Teaser Revealed].Newsen (in Korean). Archived fromthe original on April 12, 2021. RetrievedApril 11, 2021.
^Jung, Hee-yeon (April 5, 2021).레드벨벳 웬디, 오늘 솔로 데뷔 [Red Velvet's Wendy Solo Debut Today].Sports Dong-A (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. RetrievedApril 11, 2021.
^Choi, Hee-jae (March 29, 2021).'솔로 데뷔' 레드벨벳 웬디, 타이틀곡 '라이크 워터'…유영진·켄지 지원사격 [Wendy of Red Velvet 'Solo Debut', Title Track 'Like Water', Yoo Young-jin and Kenzie Supports Shooting].Xports News (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. RetrievedApril 9, 2021.
^abPark, Seo-yeon (April 8, 2021).'컬투쇼' 정엽X웬디, 봄밤 같은 힐링 1열 라이브..최준→아쟁·박정현 성대모사 [Jungyeop X Wendy in 'Cultwo Show', Spring Night Healing First Row Live, Choi Jun → Impersonation of Ajaeng and Park Jung-hyun].Herald Pop (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. RetrievedApril 10, 2021.
^Go, Seung-ah (March 29, 2021).레드벨벳 웬디, 청초한 분위기…희망 메시지 담은 '라이크 워터' [Red Velvet's Wendy, Pure and Innocent, 'Like Water' with a Message of Hope].News1 (in Korean). Archived fromthe original on April 9, 2021. RetrievedApril 9, 2021.
^Moon, Wan-sik (March 29, 2021).레드벨벳 웬디, 더블 타이틀 곡 'Like Water' 청아한 매력 예고..기대 UP' [Red Velvet Wendy's Double Title Song 'Like Water' is a Preview of Pure Charm, Expectations UP'].Star News (in Korean). Archived fromthe original on March 29, 2021. RetrievedApril 9, 2021 – viaNaver.
^Han, Erin (May 16, 2021).Monthly : 2021년 4월 – 앨범 [Monthly: April 2021 – Albums].Idology (in Korean).Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. RetrievedJune 3, 2021.
^Jung, Da-yeol (April 2021).Like Water 리뷰 [Like Water Review].IZM (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. RetrievedJune 2, 2021.
^2021년 15주차 Download Chart [2021, Week 15 Download Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. RetrievedApril 15, 2021.
^2021년 15주차 Streaming Chart [2021, Week 15 Streaming Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. RetrievedApril 15, 2021.
^2021년 15주차 BGM Chart [2021, Week 15 BGM Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. RetrievedApril 15, 2021.
^abLike Water (photobook). Red Velvet. South Korea: SM Entertainment, Dreamus. 2021. Credits.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Kang, Min-kyung (April 9, 2021).'뮤직뱅크' 웬디, 존재만으로 울림..몽환의 'Like Water' [Wendy in 'Music Bank', Resonating Only with Existence, Dreamy 'Like Water'].StarNews (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. RetrievedApril 10, 2021.
^Jeong, Han-byul (April 9, 2021).'볼륨을 높여요' 웬디 "'뮤직뱅크' 무대서 덜덜" ['Turn Up the Volume' for Wendy "Shakes the 'Music Bank' Stage"].Hankook Ilbo (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. RetrievedApril 10, 2021.
^Gong, Mi-na (April 11, 2021).'인기가요' 웬디, 천상의 목소리로 성공적 솔로 데뷔 [Wendy Made a Successful Solo Debut on 'Inkigayo' with Her Heavenly Voice].StarNews (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. RetrievedApril 12, 2021.
^Ha, Soo-jung (April 15, 2021).'엠카' 강다니엘x마마무 휘인x레드벨벳 웬디, 컴백 무대 최초 공개 [Kang Daniel x Mamamoo's Wheein x Red Velvet's Wendy, Will Make Her Comeback Stage on Public for the First Time on 'M Countdown'].Osen (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. RetrievedApril 18, 2021.
^Lee, Ha-na (April 17, 2021).'음중' 아이유 출연없이 1위, 샤이니·강다니엘 컴백→웬디 솔로 출격 [Number 1 without IU's Appearance in 'Show! Music Core', SHINee and Kang Daniel's Comeback → Wendy's Solo Appearance].Newsen (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. RetrievedApril 18, 2021.
^2021년 04월 Digital Chart [April 2021 Digital Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. April 2021.Archived from the original on May 6, 2021.
^곡 정보 - Like Water [Song Information - Like Water] (in Korean).Melon. April 5, 2021.Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. RetrievedApril 9, 2021.
