aespa @ UPROXX (Edition 21)

Aespa Interview: The Next Level Cover Story

“Celebrities. They’re just like us.” 

It’s a saying that everyone knows well and its sentiment applies to aespa, too. For example, just like their many K-pop fans and listeners, they were quite skeptical of their ultramodern cyberpunk princess concept.

AI avatar counterparts called æ? A whole new metaverse with complex lore named KWANGYA? For even the most ardent fan, it was a lot to take in, and perhaps even overwhelming to the casual music listener. But imagine how it felt to be the artist doing the concept.

“How many ‘솔직히’ (honestly) do you want to hear?” ask two voices in Konglish — a mixture of Korean and English —  during a delightfully chaotic Zoom call. Laughs can be heard in the background. It is aespa’s two eldest members, GISELLE (22) and KARINA (22), getting candid, while the younger members, WINTER (22) and NINGNING (20), have the giggles.

“Do you really want to know?” KARINA playfully inquires in Korean; with the tone that she, alongside her three fellow members sitting beside her, was ready to tell me how they really felt about becoming aespa during their pre-debut.

It was at that moment that aespa broke the facade of an idol and became much more approachable than their intimidating K-pop personas and concepts. After all, these are four young, talented, and well-decorated women that love what they do at the end of the day. And that includes this hour-long, candid conversation that oscillates between English and Korean, as aespa prepares for their most crucial and definitive year in music. All roads have led to this, and even if there are pressures both seen and unseen, they are still having a blast. 

It’s through this letting down of their guard that we connect. Communicating in Konglish is key to revealing the different layers of charm that aespa generally withhold beyond their lore. The more someone speaks in Konglish — whether it is me, the members, or the translator — the more it brings out an unfiltered and humorous side of aespa that you don’t really capture in text or on stage. Everything feels natural, as if we were all good friends.

Just twelve hours before this conversation, it was announced the four-piece ensemble would perform at San Francisco’s very own Outside Lands music festival this summer (August 11-13). 

“I actually found out about this through my cousin,” GISELLE chuckles, recalling how she initially reacted to the exciting news. “She told me this morning through text, and she was like, ‘Oh my god, you’re coming to San Francisco to Outside Lands?’ And I was like, ‘What!?’”

The announcement comes weeks after being named sub-headliners at Governors Ball in New York this June. That appearance will mark the group’s first US music festival performance since their Coachella debut during 88rising’s Head In The Clouds Forever last year. Since that California set in April 2022, invites to perform at other festivals around the world have been pouring in, particularly as American tentpoles make more of an effort to bring in international artists. Their appearance at both events this year will notably make them the first K-pop act to ever perform at each respective fest. Clearly, the anticipation and demand for aespa only continue to rise. 

As for aespa themselves, the thought of meeting their US fans once again — or US MY, as they’re called — is exciting and “두근두근 (dugeun-dugeun),” or “heart-fluttering,” as KARINA describes.

“With those experiences, we’re just really excited to attend another festival in the US,” KARINA says. ”We’re anticipating some cool rearrangements of the songs we’ll be performing on our setlist.” 

“We had great memories during our previous trips in New York, so being able to perform at Governors Ball is really exciting,” GISELLE adds. “And we can’t wait to go to San Francisco for the first time as a group as well!”

Just like any K-pop act, the journey for aespa to get to where they are today was not an easy one. Months to years of training were taken into consideration to create the group we all know. The group’s Chinese member, NINGNING, was the first to enter SM Entertainment in 2016. She was soon followed by members WINTER and KARINA in 2017, while GISELLE was the last to enter in 2019 but ended up being the member with the shortest training period. (Her 10-month onboarding is said to be the shortest one out of all SM Entertainment artists.)

Just after the pandemic started in 2020, aespa’s debut became a hot topic in the industry, as they would be the first group to debut under SM Entertainment in four years. It was an unusually quiet period for the label that has been considered the top Korean entertainment company, housing legendary acts such as H.OT., TVXQ, Super Junior, NCT, as well as powerful female acts such as S.E.S, BoA, f(x), Red Velvet, and, of course, Girls’ Generation. It’s an iconic roster that puts aespa in the lineage of legends.  

“It puts good pressure on us to want to continue to grow as artists and performers with everything we do,” the group collectively says. “Our seniors are always cheering us on, which makes it easy for us to feel confident about giving our best effort with each performance.”

"OUR SENIORS ARE ALWAYS CHEERING US ON, WHICH MAKES IT EASY FOR US TO FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT GIVING OUR BEST EFFORT WITH EACH PERFORMANCE."

As the wait grew for their debut, the women had time to reckon with aespa’s ambitious concept, which took them a little time to wrap their heads around.

“I think the business savvy side of us was a little more like, ‘Okay, I see it’s kinda – it’s gonna do well’ in terms of business,” GISELLE says. “But for us, as human beings, to have a concept of artificial intelligence was difficult at first.”

“To be completely honest,” WINTER swoops in right afterward, “we weren’t exactly sure how the concept would pan out in the long run. Especially how long and how big it would pan out in the future. But at the same time, we appreciated the refreshing and unfamiliar concept.”

“It was very unfamiliar and hard to understand just as it was for the entire public,” KARINA finishes.

Even the name aespa is high concept, meshing the words "avatar, experience, and aspect." This means "to be able to meet another self through an avatar and experience a new world,” according to SM Entertainment from a Yonhap News report. Ultimately, it was just a matter of trusting the process and letting things unfold as they go. Soon enough, that same skepticism that many had prior to their debut turned into a celebration for their complex vision. 

aespa released their standalone debut single “Black Mamba” in November of 2020, an electro-pop rager filled with EDM elements and synth. The song introduces the main antagonist to aespa’s lore: a black snake that goes by Black Mamba that is out to interfere with the connection between aespa and their æ. The song was generally well received, while the music video became the most viewed first 24 hours for a debut K-pop music video with 21.4 million views.

The quartet followed that up in May 2021 with their second single, “Next Level” — a Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw soundtrack remake. It soon became a viral hit for both its easy-to-follow, angular dance moves and its futuristic dance-pop sounds. That’s not to mention its “beat drop” when “nævis” — the AI system, or what some fans jokingly refer to as aespa’s “god” — calls, helping æ appear in the real world to the aespa members. “Next Level” lived up to its name and won the Best Song and Best K-Pop Song awards from the Korean Music Awards, and also earned aespa the Best Dance Performance - Female Group at the MNet Asian Music Awards.

The quartet then released their first EP, Savage, later that fall with a lead single of the same name. The six-track project gave more insight into aespa, KWANGYA, and their worldview. The intro track, “aenergy,” properly introduced each member’s superpower in their world, “KARINA, Rocket Puncher / WINTER, Armamenter / GISELLE got Xenoglossy / NINGNING E.d Hacker.” Meanwhile, the title track, “Savage,” stands as an empowering, playful anthem that speaks to aespa’s confidence and fearlessness. Like the group’s previous releases, the EP saw another commercial milestone, landing at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 chart.

But the next step for aespa was perhaps the most tricky: successfully crossing over to an American audience. In 2022, the group released their pre-release single “Illusion” before their second EP, Girls. The EP played as a statement piece of who aespa was as a group both inside and outside of KWANGYA. The release notably featured their first English single in the form of “Life’s Too Short,” which would go on to be performed at aespa’s debut Coachella performance. The EP peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart and broke their pre-order record of 1,610,000 units, surpassing Savage and making it the best-selling album from aespa to date. aespa had officially planted their flag on American soil, and now anything seemed possible.

Just a few years into their existence, aespa have now become today’s trendsetters and one of the most sought after K-pop acts in the world. Even the group’s trusty translator agrees. “Yeah, they’re [aespa] continuously going to be the trendsetters of the music industry,” they note. 

"WE'RE GONNA KEEP TRENDSETTING!"

“We’re gonna keep trendsetting!” GISELLE adds, with claps and roars from her supportive members hollering right beside her. 

Trendsetting can be natural in the physical world, where artists are responding to the culture around them. But in the metaverse, things are a bit trickier, as any changes to their avatars might be slower to be realized.

“While I am developing and changing as an artist, I am sad to see æ-NINGNING stay the same since debut,” NINGNING says.

  

As the member who has an eye for fashion, GISELLE quickly dissects the æs physical appearance, talking about how the looks of avatar aespa are nothing like them. Except for KARINA’s.

“I understand æ-KARINA because æ-KARINA looks like KARINA in a way,” she begins. “But æ-NINGNING, æ-WINTER, æ-GISELLE literally don’t look like us. But especially æ-GISELLE, I don’t know where that super short hair came from. And the whole orange outfit, I hate orange and I don’t know why she’s wearing orange mixed with silver. And orange and silver, that’s the worst combination for me. And so when that came out, I was like, ‘Whoa! That’s me? …Why?’”

This causes an eruption of laughter in the room — even from members of the aespa team — giving the sense that everyone involved is still acclimating to the inventive nature of the project. And while aespa may have been the flagship artist to lead the K-pop charge into the virtual world, SM Entertainment is now involving other artists from their roster, showing that this innovative concept is not simply a flash in the pan. If you look at the industry now, compared to three years ago, AI avatar and hybrid (human and avatar) idol groups widely exist, further proving innovative concepts like aespa’s do work.

“It was definitely an attention-grabbing moment for us to debut as this new powerful girl group,” WINTER says. “And honestly, we didn’t know the company would all join in on this ‘worldview’ and make this like an SM Culture Universe. So we were surprised that we were the gateway for all of the other members and the artists to join in for this worldview and SM concept.”

The SMCU, as they call it for short, has not only created a world structured like the MCU, it has created many opportunities for older and newer artists in the label to collaborate and release special projects. 

In the case of aespa, the members have all shared their talents in subunits, duets, and supergroups with other artists on the label. But out of them all, KARINA and WINTER’s participation in SM’s super girl group GOT the beat has been the biggest. The pair represented aespa in the all-female Avengers consisting of key members from Red Velvet (Wendy and Seulgi), Girls’ Generation (Taeyeon and Hyoyeon), and BoA.

“It’s always great to get to work closely with other artists from SM like in GOT the beat and the SMTOWN LIVE performances,” KARINA says. “We get to learn from their experience and also showcase our own talents together to create a new synergy.”

As the conversation jumps from aespa to GOT the beat, the realization comes that we are speaking on International Women’s Day, celebrating on opposite sides of the world. Briefly and off-tangent, the members name Beyoncé, Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande, SZA, Tinashe, and Ella Mai as some of their female inspirations in music.

But they themselves have become inspirations, too. The young SM powerhouses have earned themselves the titles of ‘Monster Rookies’ and ‘It Girls,’ with a slew of “Best New Artists” or “Best Song” awards and accolades from the MTV EMAs, Seoul Music Awards, Golden Disc Awards, and more under their belt. That’s on top of the brand deals the group and individual members have landed, as well.

But as we entered a new era, one with no word of new music as of yet from the SM group, but with multiple stateside appearances lined up, it wasn't hard to question — when will the new music from aespa come?

In a time where the act is part of a new renaissance of K-pop girl groups, aespa’s whereabouts have become an ongoing discussion on the internet and social media between fans and industry people. K-pop artists, especially fourth-generation acts, are more accessible to the public eye than ever before, with dozens of content pieces released daily online and regular fan meets. Promotion cycles have also changed, becoming more swift than in past generations. The time between aespa’s prior release, “Girls,” and now had become all the more glaring.

Their response? SYNK : HYPER LINE, aespa’s first-ever solo concert.

Held at Seoul’s Jamsil Arena in February of 2023 for two sold-out nights, SM’s cyberpunk princesses unveiled new and unreleased songs to 10,000 in-person fans a night, and thousands more who were livestreaming the second show. 

While the four-member ensemble was able to take fans inside the world of KWANGYA, MY’s eyes and ears were hyperfocused on the new performances and sounds from aespa. Eleven new tracks were debuted, including solo songs by each member (KARINA’s “menagerie,” GISELLE’s “2HOT4U,” WINTER’s “Lips,” and NINGNING’s “Wake Up”) and the previously spoiled tracks “Salty & Sweet” and “Thirsty.” (“I would like to reassure the fans not to worry!” a mischievous WINTER chuckles while discussing the teased offerings. “No one got in trouble afterwards. The members were also a little bit aware of how things were going to go down, so it wasn’t completely a solo act of rebellion.”) 

The four gasp when asked what it was like to prep a whole new album’s worth of songs, on top of the concert.

“It felt like we were back in the trainee days,” GISELLE explains. “We were thinking about choreography 24/7, sweating every day. That whole day-to-day lifestyle came back to us after a while. And it has been a while since we’ve worked that much. Physically, it was very tiring. But also mentally since there was a lot of pressure because we haven’t had a comeback in a while. Everything in general felt kind of distant at the same time ‘cause it’s not like we've been doing any performances recently. So to do a whole concert suddenly was a lot of pressure. But, at the same time, we were very excited to show our new songs ‘cause this time we’re very confident in them. And we actually do love them for real!

“As much as we showed a new side of ourselves through these songs, I want it to also be another [form of] expression?” GISELLE quickly pauses, questioning her wording, but does so with confidence. “I don’t know if that’s the right way to say it. But we have way more sides of us to show. And to this day, we still haven’t been able to express ourselves fully yet. We want our MYs to know that, and to keep the anticipation. Just ‘cause we come back, doesn’t mean our next comeback is going to be the same. 

“The versatility and the highlight of our new songs are that all of them have great meaning,” she says. “All the lyrics and vibes this time around are a lot easier to listen to and relate to, which is something we were really excited to show.”

Perhaps this move toward accessibility will serve as a refresher — to welcome more MY into their complicated human and virtual worlds. The unreleased music featured at their concert was just an impressive teaser of aespa’s capabilities, diving into different genres outside of their typical electro-pop and EDM sound. However, time can only tell. But if GISELLE and the members are excited and confident to share this new side of themselves, fans and listeners should trust the process too. 

The excitement for new aespa music will reach a fever pitch when they drop “Hold On Tight” for the Tetris soundtrack today (March 30) and then this May, when aespa offers up their next full release. It’s safe to assume that some of the music performed recently will wind up on the collection, but otherwise, details for the project are pretty limited. The group is predictably coy with information, but did offer a little tease on one standout.

“It is a little different, while keeping our roots in the whole aespa vibe,” GISELLE says. “We are about to show a versatile version of ourselves. Not just to show a comeback song, but also unveil a more sentimental and music-oriented side of ourselves than our performance. A song that we, all four of us, are really, really fond of.”

As aespa has already established themselves as singular figures in music and in the metaverse, KARINA, GISELLE, WINTER, and NINGNING are embracing their uniqueness in the industry. As their concept has engaged and inspired many around the globe, it also reflects their true value as aespa.

“We want to be known as artists and leaders who give positive energy to our fans through our music, energy, and message,” KARINA says.

"WE WANT TO BE KNOWN AS ARTIRTS AND LEADERS WHO GIVE POSITIVE ENERGY TO OUR FANS"