Pioneering the Wilderness: aespa, Every Day at 'Next Level' [★22nd Anniversary] ③

*This content was translated by AI.

[Editor’s Note] Fourth-generation K-pop idol groups have achieved dazzling results in the global music market and emerged as new leading forces of K-pop. Not content with simply inheriting the global influence built by predecessors such as BTS, the first-generation leaders, they are expanding it in their own unique ways, broadening the horizons of K-pop. Particularly noteworthy is that they rose to stardom rapidly, achieving clear results within a relatively short period after debut. This demonstrates that K-pop is no longer limited to the success of certain artists but has established itself as a sustainable global music genre across generations. StarNews, on its 22nd anniversary, seeks to discuss the past, present, and future of fourth-generation K-pop idol groups that are making dazzling impacts in the global music market.

There is a fourth-generation idol group that has conquered both the unknown wilderness and the vast multiverse. This is the story of aespa (aespa: Karina, Winter, Giselle, Ningning), which has imprinted its identity through its own unique grammar.

Since debut, aespa has built an original worldview, featuring a narrative in which digital avatars (ae) coexist with humans in the virtual world known as KWANGYA. Furthermore, they have expanded their worldview into a multiverse, walking a unique path by moving between virtual and reality. This bold concept brought fresh shock to the public and has become the foundation, original intention, and driving force behind aespa's consistent career highs over the past seven years.

aespa debuted on November 17, 2020, with their debut single "Black Mamba" during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are also the team that brilliantly opened the door of the SM Culture Universe (SMCU) project, whose motto is "Meeting another virtual self as an avatar and experiencing something new." At the time of their debut, they garnered significant attention with a grand adventure narrative in which they communicate with their own avatars, ae, while fighting against the villain "Black Mamba," who tries to interfere between them.

"Black Mamba" was a powerful dance track based on signature synth sounds and intense bass, featuring catchy hooks that stood out as their debut song. Proving the intense interest it generated, the music video for "Black Mamba" recorded 21 million views on YouTube within 24 hours of its release, achieving the highest 24-hour view count in history for a K-pop debut music video. Furthermore, on January 8 of the following year at around 5:35 a.m., it broke through 1 million won views on YouTube. This result was achieved just 51 days and 12 hours after the music video's release, marking the shortest record in history for a K-pop group's debut music video.

Due to the intensity of their worldview, they were also evaluated as the most experimental team among fourth-generation groups. To increase public understanding, explanations about aespa's worldview were inevitably required, and at times, this point was even perceived as an obstacle to fully enjoying aespa's music.

However, aespa has consistently proven through every album that "experimental" in pop music does not necessarily carry only negative connotations. After engaging in a final showdown with "Black Mamba," they secured both public appeal and fan support simultaneously with hit songs featuring strong individuality such as "Next Level," "Savage," "Spicy," "Supernova," "Armageddon," and "Whiplash," standing tall as the representative leaders of the fourth generation.

The adjective that runs through aespa is "metallic taste." From their mega-hit song "Next Level" released in 2021, followed by "Savage," "Supernova," and "Armageddon," aespa's musical lineage is steeped in a cold and sharp feeling. Of course, they have also built diverse charms through songs of other genres from time to time, but opinions will converge that the "essence" of aespa's sound is indeed metallic taste.

Particularly, starting with "Next Level," which triggered a nationwide craze for the "Ddud Dance" (a dance mimicking the consonant ㄷ), aespa perfectly captured both the public and their fandom. At the 'Asia Artist Awards 2021' (AAA 2021), they were honored with three awards, including the Grand Prize equivalent "Stage of the Year," as well as "Hot Trend" and "New Artist."

Having become a grand prize-winning artist through 'AAA 2021,' aespa stated in an exclusive interview with StarNews after the ceremony: "Our team has such a unique concept, didn't we? We were very worried and curious about how people would receive and interpret 'Next Level.' It seems we gained attention because we had a unique worldview from the beginning. The fact that many people paid close attention to us was a great source of strength."

"Next Level" also brought aespa the joy of a global career high. Through this song, they broke the highest ranking record for a K-pop girl group on the Billboard 200 chart and were listed at No. 45 on NME's "Top 50 Best Songs of 2021," written by the famous British music magazine, achieving dazzling career highs.

Remarkable achievements did not stop there. With their second mini-album "Girls" released in 2022, they shattered the pre-order record for a K-pop girl group with 1.61 million copies sold, and then achieved the first-ever debut-week million-seller status for a K-pop girl group with sales of 1.42 million copies in the first week (based on Circle Chart). Their third mini-album "MY WORLD," released in May 2023, broke through 1.69 million copies in initial sales, shattering the previous record for initial sales by a K-pop girl group. Later that November, with their release "Drama," they recorded 1.13 million copies in initial sales, securing the title of three consecutive million-sellers.

The peak of their career was achieved with their first full-length album "Armageddon" released in 2024. At that time, this album set a record-breaking achievement by maintaining the No. 1 position on Melon for the longest duration and achieving a perfect all-kill (PAK) across all music streaming charts. They also won the "Group of the Year" award at "Billboard Women in Music 2025," delivering overwhelming results.

The slightly bitter metallic taste transformed into a thrilling sourness. This was through their second full-length album "LEMONADE," released last May. The album includes 11 tracks in total, featuring the title track of the same name along with "WDA" (Whole Different Animal), "Switchblade," "SHAKIN," "Bite," and "Roll." With a synth bass sound driving an addictive electronic dance track as the title song, they targeted the summer music scene.

The public did not stop responding to aespa's new and clever transformation. This album achieved sales of 1.03 million copies, marking their eighth consecutive million-seller achievement following their previous works: mini-albums "Girls," "MY WORLD," "Drama," full-length album "Armageddon," mini-album "Whiplash," single "Dirty Work," and mini-album "Rich Man." Furthermore, they entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 9, achieving their third top-10 entry in total, while also making their debut on the UK Official Singles Chart and reaching No. 13 on the French SNEP Top Albums Chart, showcasing their presence across various major global charts.

However, it is worth noting that evaluations regarding aespa's releases "Dirty Work" and "Rich Man," released in June and September of last year respectively, were mixed. This may provide a clue to bridge the gap between what the public and fandom expect from aespa and aespa's future direction.

"Dirty Work" and "Rich Man" contain restrained dark energy rather than aespa's signature futuristic concept. Embracing their new image, "Dirty Work" surpassed 1.01 million pre-orders, while "Rich Man" also broke through 1.11 million pre-orders. In particular, "Rich Man" achieved top-10 rankings in 29 regions worldwide on the iTunes Top Albums Chart and topped both the overall and EP digital album sales charts on China's QQ Music, earning "Platinum" certification (sales exceeding 1 million yuan), showcasing outstanding performance on global charts.

However, apart from their chart achievements, evaluations regarding music and performance were somewhat mixed. While it is welcome that they attempted new changes by breaking away from their existing concept, opinions began to emerge that the songs themselves and performances lacked impact.

In this disappointing situation, aespa's performance on the US ABC morning program "Good Morning America" immediately after releasing "Rich Man" quickly turned into a controversy over their skills. Criticisms poured in regarding the low level of completion for a stage performed by only the four members without dancers, the casualness of not changing choreography that required dancers, and the members performing as if they were going their separate ways. Among these, the most criticized aspect was lip-syncing, followed by regret over not fully capitalizing on the opportunity to perform on a US broadcast stage.

Nevertheless, we must pay attention to the fact that aespa continues to steadily rise. Their mere presence is significant as they consistently achieve results on the global stage based on strong support from domestic and international fandoms. Additionally, they have also entered Gocheok Dome. On the 7th and 8th of this month, aespa held "SYNK:COMPLaeXITY" at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome, opening a brilliant chapter for their fourth world tour. A total of 35,000 audience members attended over two days, achieving a sold-out show. This was the second time a domestic girl group performed solo at Gocheok Dome since BLACKPINK in 2023, once again imprinting aespa's influence and reach.

A music industry official stated: "aespa is a solid team where music, worldview, and visuals are organically interconnected. They have absorbed the legacy of SMP (SM Music Performance) with their own unique color. While there was some division in public reception regarding the songs released last year, they seem to have captured both trendiness and mass appeal through their second full-length album 'LEMONADE'."

The official continued: "Given that aespa has shown a new side and achieved great success with 'LEMONADE,' public interest will naturally turn toward aespa's next step. It is time to narrow the gap between aespa, who breaks frameworks and pursues novelty, and aespa, who maintains their unique musical identity, in order to build an even more solid discography."

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*This content was translated by AI.