Aespa Have Flourished Online, But They Miss the Real World

In the 11 months since Aespa debuted in November 2020, the quartet of Karina, Winter, Giselle, and Ningning have made quick work of establishing themselves as one of South Korea’s most

exciting new pop acts. Their label, SM Entertainment, has built out an ambitious virtual universe of avatars and villains to accompany real-life releases like their recent debut EP, Savage.

Ask the group, though, and they credit the human element for their success. “I’d say we have no secrets and share almost everything with each other,” Karina tells Rolling Stone. “We’re like

a small tight-knit family, so our teamwork has been great.”

Savage was released on October 5th and features a title track of the same name. The record showcases futuristic elements in its visuals and sound, and further expands on the virtual world of

Aespa.

Winter calls out “Yeppi Yeppi,” the fourth track on the EP, as her personal favorite. “The mood is very different from the songs that we’ve showcased so far. It shows a different side of

Aespa, but most of all, it’s a great song to perform live in front of the fans with its bright and happy energy. I can’t wait to feel the excitement of this song live.”

Aespa’s concepts and styling thus far have had a dark, futuristic feel to match the theme of their digital world and universe, so the girls are excited to show another side to their

personalities. Behind the scenes, Karina shares that she’s been watching K-dramas these days — as well as Friends, to help her study English. She also calls out Kehlani and Ella Mai as

artists she’s currently into.

Aespa’s members have been enjoying the love they’ve received in their first year, and they are hungry for the opportunities that the future holds. The girls still have a lot of firsts to

experience in their careers, and Karina points out the shows she’s appeared on as a highlight. “To promote ‘Savage,’ we made an appearance on a popular Korean TV show called Amazing Saturday

as well as a YouTube series, MMTG,” she says. “These are some of my favorite shows personally, so I was excited to be invited as a guest. Being able to meet some of the amazing artists who

I’ve looked up to since I was young was really special. I hope there will be more opportunities where all four of us will be invited to appear on these shows together!”