Aespa is both real and virtual, how can they surpass NewJeans 'teasing' BlackPink's position?

Aespa is gradually asserting its position, not only as a successful group but also as an icon ready to lead the future of K-pop.

Aespa gradually consolidated its pioneering position in the K-pop music industry - Photo: SM

Aespa, consisting of Karina and Winter (Korean), Ningning (Chinese), and Giselle (Japanese), are forging a unique path, breaking the conventional mold to succeed in the K-pop market.

Aespa Rises to the Top, Redefining the K-pop World

Time magazine once called Aespa an "experiment" in 2022, emphasizing how the girl group creatively blended real and virtual elements to reshape the music industry.

The experiment proved effective. Just four years after their debut, Aespa is leading the K-pop girl group scene.

Aespa dominates the charts, leaving other top girl groups far behind - Photo: SM

2024 has been a huge year for Aespa. Their debut album Armageddon released in May and their recently released 5th mini-album Whiplash both sold over 1 million copies in their first week of release.

Among them, the title track Supernova held the number one position on the Melon chart for 15 consecutive weeks, an unprecedented feat. Currently, the song still maintains its appeal in the top 10.

Written by hit-maker KENZIE, Supernova conquers listeners with its minimalist beat, built on a powerful kick and bass, creating impressive climaxes.

Ghostly images in Aespa's MV Armageddon - Photo: Naver

Not only that, the latest song Whiplash and solo song Up by leader Karina continued to hold firm in the top 5, despite strong competition from hits like APT. by Rosé (BlackPink) and Power by G-Dragon.

Aespa's continuous domination of music charts has widened the gap between them and other girl groups such as NewJeans, IVE or Le Sserafim, making them a strong competitor of BlackPink.

Why is Aespa so popular?

Since their debut, Aespa has always been associated with a mysterious yet modern style. From music to visuals, the group always creates a grandiose, unique fantasy space.

It can be said that choreography, sound and visual storytelling are the elements that make up Aespa's unique appeal.

Aespa proves their appeal in Japan through two concert nights with 94,000 spectators - Photo: SM

A member from the SM Performance Directing Lab team said, "We focused on conveying the entire story of the song through choreography, the coordination between music and visuals.

Each movement, each step has its own meaning, not only supporting the music but also helping the audience understand more deeply the emotions that the song wants to convey.

It is the combination of traditional and modern elements, between the real and virtual worlds, that helps Aespa create a unique style, different from other K-pop groups."

Armageddon is a powerful hip-hop dance track based on electronic music. From the very first notes, listeners can notice the skillful combination of elements such as house, techno, trance and the pounding drums of future bass, creating a chaotic and tense atmosphere.

Aespa broke NewJeans' record as soon as they released their new album - Photo: SM

Although the melody of Armageddon is a bit difficult to listen to for those who are new to it because it is written on a rather strange chord progression, the melody brings a feeling of suffocation and a desire to escape from that gloomy atmosphere.

Aespa's music is not easy to approach at first listen.

As a group that is both real and virtual, Aespa's music is meticulously constructed to match the group's fantasy image.

Each of Aespa's songs is composed with careful calculation to ensure that all elements such as visuals, MV storyline, and the group's own universe blend together to create a unified whole.

Aespa still has a lot of room to grow internationally. For example, the group has consecutive albums in the top 50 of the Billboard album chart and performed at the Tokyo Dome for two consecutive years.

However, Aespa's international operations remain focused primarily on Japan.

According to The Korea Times , critic Kim Do Heon commented: "Aespa's global tour started quite late and the group has not participated in many major international festivals yet. To position themselves in the global market, they need to expand the scale of their activities."

Aespa is scheduled to embark on a world tour with 41 shows in 2025. The tour will start on January 28, 2025 in Seattle, with 9 shows in North America, 5 shows in Europe, and end in Madrid on March 12, 2025.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/aespa-vua-thuc-vua-ao-lam-cach-nao-ma-vuot-mat-newjeans-ca-khia-vi-the-blackpink-20241122113724648.htm