As the global K-pop scene is more competitive than ever, aespa has made sure to double down on the details that make their experimental music and complex worldview stand out from their rivals, audiences around the world are enjoying themselves. hanging in a major way.

The girl group kicked off their musical history in late 2020 with their booming debut electro-pop single “Black Mamba” (which broke YouTube records for new K-pop groups) and quickly rose to prominence for their hybrids. experimental but addictive. hip-hop and pop trends of today, like the impressive “Next Level” that jumps on genre and tempo and their latest booming “Savage”.

This sound became the backdrop to unveil aespa’s larger story as part of SM Culture Universe (SMCU), which represents a shared space and universe produced by SM Entertainment.

AMC
which incorporates elements of the artists of the Korean superlabel and other creative IPs. So far, the world of aespa includes the four band members (Karina, Winter, Giselle and Ningning), their virtual avatars known as æ (who made an appearance on American television during a performance. by “Savage” on Kelly Clarkson’s Show), and the antagonist Black Mamba (a threat to the entire aespa world that can disrupt the connection between the real world and virtual reality).

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“One of the biggest things that characterizes our music and makes it unique and experimental is our worldview and the SMCU concept,” the group says while reflecting on how they are preparing for these multi-faceted releases. “Our previous singles ‘Black Mamba’ and ‘Next Level’, as well as the new ‘Savage’, are all tied to a story surrounding our view of the world as a series of films … through our music and performances, l The story continues and new characters are introduced, further expanding our view of the world.

From cinematic sound effects to tempo changes representing changes in storytelling, the quartet claim that the atypical song structures and styles in their tracks also come into play when telling the story of the espa.

“Our music contains this story not only in the lyrics but also in the structure of the song,” they add. “The structure is different because it shows the scenario of the aespa worldview and musically expresses its dramatic elements. So before we record and perform a song, we think about the characters, the stories and the general atmosphere, as if we were making a movie. Our title track ‘Savage’ is about facing the ‘Black Mamba’ so we thought it was important to show a strong and powerful side of us in a nonchalant way that comes from our confidence in facing ‘Black Mamba. ‘.

And while aespa aims to highlight the aspects that make them a new generation girl group, women also can’t deny the importance of TikTok-ready dance moves to better hold onto the minds of girls. viewers.

“Apart from the concept of worldview, we think it’s important to have that special element, a one-off choreography or sound, that catches people’s attention, so we spend a lot of time thinking about what it could be, “shares aespa. “With our title track” Savage “our executive producer Soo-Man Lee came up with the idea of ​​adding” tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk ” [finger wagging] in the chorus and reflecting it in the lyrics as well as in the choreography. You say “tsk, tsk” when you try to say something like “what a shame” or “you are no match for me” and we tried to sing that as a message to “Black Mamba” saying: “You are no match for aespa! ‘ As you can see, we have paid attention to every little detail of the song and the performance to create one of a kind music that gives us our own identity and color as artists.

Without any aspect of their music being overlooked, aespa quickly established itself not only in their home country of Korea, where “Next Level” has slowly grown into one of the greatest songs of 2021 and has remained. at the top of the charts for months, but also in America where their Savage The EP debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 chart to score the best position on record for a female K-pop group’s debut album, beating groups that have been signed to major US labels. By keeping the ambitious vision of this real and virtual world, aespa is undoubtedly on its way to carving out a new path that can push the boundaries not only of K-pop but of musicians in general.