After 3 years since their debut, Aespa is still maintaining their popularity and position
as one of the top girlgroups of the 4th generation.
However, it seems like SM is wasting the talents of the 4 girls by continuously delaying their
comeback, lacking investment in their concept, music style, and more as recently, Aespa doesn’t
seem to be as explosive as they were a year ago
Aespa's struggling career despite their stable talent and achievements
Debuting in 2020, Aespa was one of Lee Soo Man's most dedicated projects with a concept
that was never seen before in K-pop, related to digital entities.
To lay the foundation for Aespa, the renowned producer even built a unique worldview for
the entire SMTown, called "Kwangya".
In the beginning, the new girlgroup faced unfavorable and skeptical views about their
future as there were many people who thought the group's concept is ridiculous and silly.
However, with talent, attraction, and reasonable direction from the company, Aespa gradually
established themselves as one of the leading Gen4 girlgroups.
As evidence, the girls had an explosive debut with "Black Mamba" in November 2020.
With their unique worldview, the group has continuously released hits like "Next Level"
and "Savage''.
In addition, Aespa has won several rookie awards at year-end music award shows and they
were also the first Gen4 group to achieve a Realtime All-kill on the digital charts
with "Savage".
Last year, they set several new records, such as selling over 1.6 million pre-order copies,
becoming the girlgroup with the second highest pre-orders in Kpop history, and topping many
iTunes charts around the world.
Overall, Aespa have shown their ability to succeed in both physical album and digital
streaming markets.
However, from July 2022 to now, the four girls have not released any full-albums.
Although Karina and Winter cameback with "GOT the Beat," that has not eased public concerns
about Aespa's uncertain future.
Disadvantage due to SM Entertainment's internal dispute
When the group was in the stage of being able to win and move forward, SM Entertainment
fell into an internal dispute that raged throughout the Korean music industry.
In early 2023, SM's leadership team headed by CEO Lee Sung Soo had a conflict with former
CEO and producer Lee Soo Man.
The artists under the company suddenly became entangled in a dispute, facing many disadvantages.
Aespa is probably the one that has suffered the most.
The current CEO of SM affirmed that Lee Soo Man “used" Aespa as a means to conduct a
"Smart music city" business, making it difficult for the girls' comeback.
Specifically, CEO Lee Sung Soo said, "The release of Aespa's new album was planned to
be launched around February 20, and the concert would be held about a week later.
However, the comeback was postponed because Lee Soo Man said that the lyrics were not
suitable for the group."
To implement that business, Lee Soo Man also requested that messages related to ESG (Environment
- Social - Governance) and some…business management terms be included in the company’s
groups’ songs.
This can be clearly seen in NCT127's recent lyrics and GOT The Beat.
Lee Sung Soo said that Lee Soo Man is trying to "stuff" messages about planting trees,
sustainability, ESG, calling for new market development and cultural exchange in order
to have the right to operate casinos and real estate.
In response Lee Soo Man's excessive interference, CEO Lee Sung Soo decided to cancel the songs
for Aespa's benefit.
And that is also the reason why the group's comeback was postponed.
Fierce competition with Gen4 girlgroups
The coverage that Aespa has had in the Korean music industry since their debut obviously
can't be denied.
However, their 6-month hiatus period and the delayed comeback schedule made the girls find
it difficult to maintain their appeal, especially in the context of many gen4 girlgroups mushrooming
like crazy.
Many netizens pointed out that Aespa's music is showing signs of stagnation because they
cannot freely express their own style.
Meanwhile, competing rivals such as NewJeans, IVE, LE SSERAFIM, etc. constantly create hit
songs, set trends, and are recognized both domestically and internationally.
Along with music, these 3 girlgroups continue to increase their influence in other fields
such as fashion, advertising, variety shows, etc.
If Aespa wants to gain a competitive advantage and consolidate their position in all aspects,
the first thing they need to do is to release new music products as soon as possible.
Aespa's unique concept is difficult for the majority of the public to access
As previously mentioned, their concept is 2 intertwined real-virtual worlds, opening
up the Metaverse era and contributing to the birth of "Kwangya."
However, this concept has faced strong opposition since their debut.
SM has not been able to help the girls fully exploit the unique and innovative elements
of this concept as the quality of the avatar graphics still only reaches a "decent" level,
if not outdated and worse compared to other avatars in the market.
Especially in their comeback with "Savage," the strange movements of the four ae-Aespa
members made fans feel uncomfortable and cringy.
Thus, many believe that SM is wasting Aespa's talent by having them pursue the AI concept
while the company has not been able to upgrade the quality and create a more distinctive
version.
SM’s plan of debuting a new girlgroup in 2023 will possibly kick Aespa to the curb
At the beginning of this year, SM announced important plans for its artists and the direction
for the year 2023.
With the schedule being revealed, fans of SM's idol groups were excited and couldn't
sit still with anticipation for the return of their idols.
However, lots of Aespa’s fans voiced opposing opinions about this plan.
Specifically, SM introduced the upcoming debut of a new girlgroup, a virtual solo artist,
a new boygroup, and NCT Tokyo in 2023.
Contrary to expectations of thrilling fans, the announcement of a new girlgroup launch
this year caused a big controversy as fans believe that the company is neglecting Aespa
and is likely to abandon them.
They argue that the fact that SM is launching a new girlgroup while Aespa is performing
well as a pioneering girlgroup of Gen4, leading the trend of the Metaverse and is still relevant
is a clear demonstration of the company’s greed and unfaithfulness.
Is there hope for a brighter future for Aespa?
After the storms, the sky will clear up, and the activities of the four girls lately also
show positive signs.
After more than 2 years since their debut, Aespa recently met with fans through their
first concert "SYNK: HYPER LINE", which was held on February 25th and 26th at Jamsil Arena
(Seoul, South Korea).
At the concert, the girls performed a total of 25 songs on a sophisticatedly designed
stage with explosive effects.
The girls also expressed their gratitude for the warm support of fans and hoped that everyone
would look forward to their upcoming activities.
After Seoul, the girls will continue to bring the "SYNK: HYPER LINE '' concert to Japan,
with the first performance in Osaka on March 15th.
In addition, through the 4th quarter of the 2022 earnings report, SMTown announced the
expected comeback lineup for the first half of 2023, and Aespa's name is included in the
comeback plan scheduled for April.
Despite the difficult situation, fans still have high hopes for SM's innovation and trust
in the talent and courage of all four Aespa members, especially when they have received
overwhelming support from loyal fan communities around the world.
So, do you think SM is really wasting Aespa?
Or are they just having a little trouble and will have more activities for the group in
the future?