Aespa ( ES-pah; Korean: 에스파; RR: Eseupa; stylized in all lowercase or as æspa) is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of four members: Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning. The group is known for popularizing the metaverse concept and hyperpop music in K-pop.
Aespa debuted on November 17, 2020, with the single "Black Mamba", which achieved the highest number of views in 24 hours for a K-pop group's debut video. Their third single, "Next Level", was released in May 2021 to widespread commercial and critical success, peaking at number two on the Circle Digital Chart and earning the daesang for Song of the Year at the 19th Korean Music Awards. In October of the same year, Aespa released their first extended play (EP) Savage, which became the highest-charting debut album by a K-pop girl group on the US Billboard 200 chart at number 20, while its lead single peaked at number two in South Korea.
In July 2022, Aespa released their second EP Girls, which broke the record for the best-selling album by a K-pop girl group in history and became the first to sell one million copies in the first week of release. It also debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, marking their first top-ten album in the US. Their third EP, My World, was released in May 2023, achieving over two million sales and becoming their second top-ten album on the Billboard 200. The group released their first studio album, Armageddon, in May 2024. It was preceded by the commercially successful lead single "Supernova", which topped the Circle Digital Chart for eleven weeks and won Song of the Year at the 2024 MAMA Awards and 2024 Melon Music Awards. In October 2024, the lead single of Aespa's fifth EP Whiplash became their first top-ten hit on the Billboard Global 200 at number eight, while their 2025 single "Dirty Work" entered the top five of the chart.
Career
2016–2019: Pre-debut activities
Ningning was introduced as a member of pre-debut training team SM Rookies on September 19, 2016. As part of the team, she appeared on the Rookies Princess: Who's the Best? segment of the program My SMT that year and recorded several covers for the Korean animated TV program Shining Star in 2017.
Karina appeared in labelmate Taemin's music video for the song "Want" in February 2019 and performed with him on several music programs in the following weeks. Karina also appeared alongside labelmate Kai for a performance in Hyundai and SM Entertainment's collaboration virtual showcase — The All-New Tucson, Beyond DRIVE.
Aespa's logo was also teased at the end of SuperM's "One (Monster & Infinity)" music video.
2020–2021: Introduction, debut, "Next Level", and Savage
On October 26, 2020, SM Entertainment announced that it would debut a new girl group, its first since Red Velvet in 2014 and its first overall idol group since NCT in 2016. The group's name and members were revealed individually starting on October 27 (in order: Winter, Karina, Ningning, and Giselle). The group's name, Aespa, combines the English initials for "avatar" and "experience" (Avatar X Experience) with the English word "aspect", meaning "two sides", to symbolize the idea of "meeting another self and experiencing the new world". SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man explained the group's concept at the 2020 World Cultural Industry Forum on October 28. A video trailer featuring all four members was revealed on November 2, alongside the announcement of the release of Aespa's debut single, "Black Mamba", on November 17. Upon release, the song's music video achieved the highest number of views for a K-pop group's debut video in 24 hours, with 21.4 million views. The group made their broadcast debut on KBS2's Music Bank on November 20 to perform "Black Mamba", and earned their first music show win on SBS's Inkigayo on January 17, 2021.
On January 29, 2021, SM Entertainment announced Aespa would release a remake of "Forever", the single originally by Yoo Young-jin for SM Entertainment's 2000 holiday album Winter Vacation in SMTOWN.com. Aespa's version of the song, a "mid-tempo ballad characterized by acoustic guitar sound" with "warm lyrics about promising forever to a loved one", was released on February 5.
On May 4, SM Entertainment announced Aespa would release a new single titled "Next Level", a dance and hip-hop track with a "groovy" rap, "energetic" bass, and "powerful vocals". It was released on May 17. It debuted at number nine on the Gaon Digital Chart and peaked at number two, becoming their first top five hit in South Korea. It also peaked at number two on the Billboard K-pop Hot 100 chart. "Next Level" became Aespa's third song to chart on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, peaking at number three. On July 22, it was announced that Aespa had signed with Creative Artists Agency for their future activities in the United States. On September 10, it was announced that remix versions of "Next Level" will be released on September 14, along with a music video and a visualizer video for "Next Level (IMLAY Remix)".
On September 14, SM Entertainment announced Aespa would release their first extended play, Savage. The extended play contains six tracks, including the lead single of the same name. It was released on October 5 to critical acclaim and commercial success, with media outlets praising "Savage" for its "addictive" hooks, refrains, and "masterfully layered" production. The song was included in multiple year-end lists such as NME and Time magazine's top 10 best K-pop songs of 2021, calling "Savage" an "explosive" track. Commercially, the song peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart and became their second top-five single in South Korea. On October 15, ten days after release, at 1:30 p.m. KST, Instiz's iChart, announced Aespa's first perfect all-kill, as "Savage" had reached number one on the real-time, daily, and weekly components of the domestic charts — iChart, Melon, Genie, FLO, Bugs!, and Vibe — becoming the first "fourth generation" K-pop act to do so. The song won eight music show awards including three non-consecutive wins on Inkigayo that led to receiving the "triple crown" award. Savage debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart and also marked Aespa's first entry on the US Billboard 200 at number 20, making Aespa the highest charting K-pop rookie girl group to appear on the latter chart. Savage has sold a total of 788,959 copies and held the record for the highest-selling debut album by an SM Entertainment act, until it was surpassed by NCT DoJaeJung's Perfume in May 2023.
On October 13, Aespa was included in People magazine's Ones to Watch 2021 list as a "Rising Star". On November 25, the group performed on a float, celebrating women in STEM, at the 95th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, making them the first Korean girl group to perform at the parade. On December 2, they won their first Daesang (Stage of the Year) at the Asia Artist Awards. Two days later, on December 4, the group won their second Daesang (Record of the Year) at the 2021 Melon Music Awards.
On November 4, it was announced that Aespa would be releasing a remake of S.E.S.'s "Dreams Come True" on December 20 for SM's Remastering Project and as the lead single of the SM Town album, 2021 Winter SM Town: SMCU Express. The music video for the song was directed by Lucid Colour and choreographed and visually directed by BoA. The song peaked at number eight on the Gaon Digital Chart and at number seven on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart.
On December 26, Karina and Winter were revealed as members of the supergroup Got the Beat. The supergroup debuted with the single "Step Back" on January 3, 2022.
2022: Coachella, international expansion, and Girls
On January 8, 2022, Aespa became the inaugural winner of the Artist of the Year award at the 36th Golden Disc Awards. On March 1, they won the Song of the Year award for "Next Level" at the 19th Korean Music Awards. On April 19, it was announced…