💁‍♀️Next level and another dimension of AESPA

AESPA at the forefront

AESPA's "Armageddon" has been on repeat lately. Oh, wait. Let's add "Supernova" to the mix. Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention "Licorice," and come to think of it, I also enjoy "Mine." Oh, and let's not forget the upbeat "BAHAMA" and "Live My Life"... So, the most played song on my streaming service in recent weeks is AESPA's full-length album "Armageddon." This album is a comprehensive gift set(!) of various genres, much like a K-pop album. "Supernova" and "Armageddon," the so-called "AESPA flavor," lead the charge, but there’s also heavy hard-bass electronic pop, refreshing tropical pop, and casual rock and roll.

Even in the 2020s, critics like me who use full-length albums as the standard for evaluating music, unlike fans, have a soft spot for comprehensive gift sets. However, AESPA's "Armageddon" sneaks past my old-fashioned prejudices with its concept of the "multiverse," and I find myself sneakily persuaded. AESPA was originally conceived as a concept that moves between the real and virtual worlds, so it’s natural to traverse multiverses. In this worldview, AESPA naturally expands its musical genres to include hyper-pop, electronic pop, hip-hop, rock and roll, bubble pop, and ballads. But you'll need to watch the music video for "Armageddon" to fully grasp the concept.

Debuting in 2020, AESPA's name is a combination of the word 'æ', which combines 'Avatar' and 'Experience', and the English word 'aspect', which means two sides. AESPA, a four-member girl group of SM Entertainment consisting of Karina (born in 2000, South Korea), Winter (born in 2001, South Korea), Giselle (born in 2000, Japan), and Ningning (born in 2002, China), can be described as the first K-pop group to introduce the concept of combining the virtual and real worlds, and the group that popularized the hyper-pop genre in Korea.

Hyper-pop is the hottest genre right now. As is often the case with new genres, it first emerged as an internet subculture, then entered the mainstream to great controversy, and now, with artists like Charli XCX on the cover stories of nearly every music media outlet, it's become mainstream. Mixing EDM, future bass, hip-hop, and even "speeding up" any song, hyper-pop is characterized by distorted sounds, abrupt beat changes, high-pitched vocals, and blazing-clear sound effects that stimulate a state of emotional hyperactivity.

Hype-pop emerged as a way to stand out in a hyper-competitive world that grew exponentially from the 20s to the '10s, and it became hugely influential as social media became the mainstream media of a new generation. This, coupled with the pandemic's Force Majeure environment, led to its explosive popularity in a short period of time. What started as a format that captured the attention of listeners by mixing disparate genres such as electronic, hip-hop, and acoustic, has now acquired its own identity as a kind of zeitgeist. AESPA puts this new sound of a new generation at the center of its musical identity.

AESPA's worldview is set in a future world where the global population connects to a virtual alter ego, the avatar ‘ae’(I). In reality, AESPA debuted as an eight-member group, including 'æ-AESPA' as a member. 'ae' exists in a virtual realm known as 'FLAT' and is linked to each member through 'SYNK'. On the other side of 'FLAT' lies 'KWANGYA', an amorphous and infinite domain, and these settings are part of SM Entertainment's virtual space brand called SM Culture Universe (SMCU). AESPA's fandom, "MY," signifies the most cherished entity in the virtual world.

In a realm that oscillates between 'real' and 'virtual', AESPA members engage with idols in reality and avatars in virtual space, or portray different characters across multiple universes. This creates a wealth of storytelling opportunities. The debut song "Black Mamba" narrates the presence of the antagonist "Black Mamba," who disrupts the connection between the real and virtual worlds, while "Next Level" and "Savage" depict AESPA's battle against Black Mamba with the assistance of the enigmatic nævis. The first EP "Savage" in 2021 and the second EP "Girls" in 2022 served as an introduction to this worldview, while the third EP "My World" in 2023 fully realized the narrative surrounding nævis' presence.

The fourth EP, "Drama," which features "Welcome to my world" with nævis, "Spicy," showcasing a casual school girl image and pop sound, and "Drama," characterized by action movie aesthetics, demonstrated the potential for AESPA's existing setting and new image expansion to coexist harmoniously.

AESPA is different

Traditionally, female singers and groups have always been popular. They may not always get the recognition they deserve, but for generations, women's voices and presence have had a very important place and role in popular culture. Whether it's reproducing traditional gender roles, scary twists, or creating role models for new generations, women in pop culture have been as colorful as the complex social context in which they exist.

The same is true for K-pop. In the history of K-pop, girl groups have always been in a complicated position, and it's not just because of their musical differences. The place and role of women in Korean society was very important and now they are consumed within cultural perspectives and social messages from different parts of the world.

In this context, it's interesting to revisit AESPA from the historical perspective of K-pop girl groups. Not too long ago, it was widely believed that K-pop girl groups were only aiming for popularity and were not able to build a fan base, which is why their careers were usually focused on three to four years.

However, since 2020, this stereotype has been broken. The key is fandom. As girl group fans expanded and created a base of activism, the support of female fans, in particular, became visible and began to break down the industry's prevailing stereotypes. Girl group fans were all men. In fact, female fans of girl groups were always there, it's just that they weren't emphasized by mainstream media or industry insiders.

As mentioned earlier, the relationship between female fans and female artists is more complex, and K-pop girl groups are no exception. In this context, K-pop's 2022 can be summarized in one word: redefining girl groups. This is because the business model has been reorganized based on mass popularity and fandom, with multiple girl groups competing with different personalities.

Along with this, the popularity of girl groups in the global K-pop market has increased. The girl group's fandom outside of Korea has created economies of scale by adding the United States, Europe, and South America to existing markets such as Japan and Southeast Asia. Based on these economies of scale, they were able to build a business value chain of solo concerts, world tours, and merchandise sales. It can be said that quantitative growth has led to qualitative change.

AESPA's performance should be viewed against this backdrop. In terms of the universality and specificity of the K-pop business, AESPA proves the universality that the K-pop business is a model that works on the basis of fandom, while at the same time creating an unprecedentedly special situation by not necessarily denying or distorting conventional femininity, but instead juggling gender identity and musical identity in both hands.

From 2021 to 2023, AESPA was the No. 1 selling K-pop girl group for three consecutive years, with "MY WORLD" achieving monthly sales of 2 million copies, demonstrating their high impact. They were also the second K-pop girl group after BLACKPINK to be named an ambassador for luxury brand Givenchy, and were named one of Forbes' "30 Asian Leaders Under 30" and Billboard's "K-pop Stars to Watch" in 2022.

In April 2023, they held their first solo concert [Sync: Hyperline] in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, and in May, they participated in the Coachella Festival. In July, they held his second tour [2023 Sync: Parallel Lines], and in January 2024, they released his first movie [AESPA: My First Page]. On June 29, the second world tour [2024 aespa LIVE TOUR - SYNK: PARALLEL LINE] began with a total of 14 cities in Asia and Australia.

As we know, K-pop is a three-dimensional music business. It utilizes the equation of total entertainment rather than the traditional music industry formula. In addition to the traditional star system of the music industry, it extends to characters, IP, merchandising, and fandom businesses. AESPA's music is notoriously difficult to sing and choreograph, and its signature songs, all of which emphasize the beat, are combined with choreography that emphasizes large, detailed movements such as hip-hop, breaking, and waxing. Add to that a mix of musical genres such as R&B, hip-hop, and electro-pop, and you have a song that demands a high level of choreography and singing. All four members of AESPA - Karina, Winter, Giselle, and Ning Ning - are artists who embody these requirements at the highest level.

A radical style that breaks down boundaries

AESPA's musical direction can be described as a new genre of a new generation. The sensibilities of the 'new generation' are always challenging and subversive. This unwillingness to conform to conventions touches the sense of "weirdness" from an established perspective, so when we encounter an artist's music or fashion and our first reaction is "What the hell?!", I believe we need to put our hands on our chests, shout "I'm old!" and take another look. and then maybe we need to look at it again.

AESPA's fashion style is as foreign as their worldview, concepts, and music. Of course, AESPA's outfits don't oscillate between high fashion and avant-garde. Rather, the group's "worldview blurs the line between the real and the imaginary," making a clear distinction between the album's concept and everyday fashion.

In their Instagram and content updates, the members wear casual looks from Ralph Lauren, Balmain, Gucci, and Versace to MLB, Kirsh, Zara, H&M, and Adidas. There are also modern and balanced brands like DSQUARED2 and ANDERSON BELL.

In the early days of career, they was mostly seen in Givenchy(as they was named the brand ambassador of Givenchy), Balenciaga, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. But accented by boots like DOLLS KILL and PUBLIC DESIRE. The outfits in their new concept visuals and music videos are bold yet playful.

The exaggerated silhouettes and sporty styles of video game characters are emphasized in "Black Mamba," "Next Level," and "Savage," which debuted in 2021. MUGLER and JEAN PAUL GAULTIER, in particular, made iconic contributions to AESPA's avantgarde concept, proposing a bold yet elegant aesthetic. The brand has since been featured in the music videos for "Drama," "BETTER THINGS," and "Armageddon," and has become the foundation of AESPA's identity. This, coupled with casual brands like NAMILIA that have strong support from a new generation, created an interesting texture.

In particular, young brands such as MIAOU, ANDERSSON BELL, GANNI, AVAVAV, and AREA, which emerged from 'Spicy' and 'Drama', the turning points of AESPA in 2023, presented a point of intersection between AESPA's direction and the brand's philosophy. Not only do they hail from Sweden (AVAVAV), Denmark (GANNI), Paris (MIAOU), New York (AREA), and Seoul (ANDERSSON BELL), but they all grew up with a wide digital following (AREA in particular is a favorite of a new generation of digital-first celebrities, including Katy Perry, Kendall Jenner, Ariana Grande, and Michelle Obama), and their playfulness and twisting of conventions all overlap with AESPA's direction. And given that "Spicy" and "Drama" were actually the singles that laid the groundwork for AESPA to experiment with all sorts of things in their 2024 debut album, "Armageddon," it can be said that the fashion brand's boldness directly influenced their later style.

In 2024, AESPA became even bolder with their first full-length album [Armageddon]. Just as "Supernova," which popularized lyrics such as "Su-Su-Su-Supernova" and "우린 어디서 왔나 oh ay" convinced the public of its unfamiliar and bold sound, it also drew attention to fashion styles that flaunted a strong presence.

In particular, Chinese designer Sensen Lii's WINDOWSEN, whose brand philosophy (a window between brand and reality and a posthuman imagination) is almost in line with AESPA's identity, defined the "beginning" of AESPA's first full-length album with its fun and bold genderless methodology. Add to that the balanced aesthetics of legacy brands YVES SALOMON and ACNE STUDIOS, combined with the intuitive and strong sensibilities of newcomers KNWLS and DION LEE, and you have AESPA's visual delight.

But even in "Armageddon," AESPA pursues the extremes of simple yet intense imagery by mixing and matching RICK OWENS and OTTOLINGER. Indeed, the vibe of humanity's last war is bound to be recreated in avant-garde and cult styles. RICK OWENS, fashion's most famous outsider, is a bold creative force that blurs the lines between past and present, tradition and modernity, while OTTOLINGER, with its avant-garde sensibility, pushes boundaries through radical deconstructionism. The brand identity of the interplay between creation and destruction is a perfect fit for the album's identity and the single's concept of the world's last war, which is grounded in reality but at the same time, an otherworldly experience.

The next level of girl groups

At a time when K-pop is expanding and creating more opportunities, SM Entertainment, the source and home of K-pop, seems like choosing to focus on the music itself. As a longtime observer of the industry, I've noticed that instead of prioritizing keywords such as fandom communities, characters, IP, media mixes, and other features of K-pop that are currently in the spotlight, SM Entertainment seems to be investing more resources in the music and the concept that makes it all possible. In that sense, I'd say it's the most musical company.

Of course, SM Entertainment's business model is ultimately about maximizing and expanding the value derived from its artist IP. This is because it is no longer possible for anyone to create sustainability through music alone. Most artists, whether they're American, British, Japanese, hip-hop, pop, jazz, or country, are all trying to develop an integrated fan-based business model. Everyone is having problems because it's not as easy as they think it is. Nevertheless, things are better for K-pop, where once you have fans, you can structure the value chain of advertising, albums, concerts, tours, and merchandise.

Therefore, AESPA is also an artist brand for the next stage of SM Entertainment. It's a guide that demystifies the difficult and unfamiliar concepts of virtual space and multiverses, while giving us a preview of the SM Culture Universe (SMCU) that SM Entertainment will soon be creating. This is why the fictional character nævis, the backbone of AESPA's worldview, recently appeared on stage during the group's world tour.

AESPA did not emphasize themes such as "growth" or "self" in the early stages of their debut like other K-pop groups. Instead, they sang songs that walked you through the setting of their world, like a tutorial or manual for a game. This process was so strange and bizarre that even the members complained that they couldn't understand the lyrics, but it allowed fans and the public to consume AESPA's music as a kind of content, similar to sci-fi movies, Japanese anime, and games with huge settings. As a result, AESPA offers a unique experience that almost completely separates the music and the artist. This gives AESPA the freedom to expand its activities and SM Entertainment the opportunity to find unique business possibilities. This is why it's hard to limit them to just K-pop. In fact, AESPA is a girl group at the forefront of pioneering not only K-pop, but what's next for pop.