Tara FinleyThey’ve already broken records
Their debut music video for recent single “Black Mamba” surpassed 21 million views in the first 24 hours of its release, making the most-viewed debut music video by a K-pop group in that period of time. It soon broke another record as the fastest debut music video to surpass 100 million views in the history of K-pop.
There is a deeper meaning behind their artist name: aespa
The “ae” is derived from the words “avatar and experience” and combined with the word “aspect” (meaning two sides) to get “aespa.” This symbolizes “meeting another self and experiencing the new world.”
Courtesy SM Entertainment
Each member has a virtual avatar counterpart
The girls all have their own digital avatars, which they call “ae,” created from each member’s personal data in the virtual world and that can be “recalled” into the real world. The group consists of four members: KARINA, WINTER, GISELLE and NINGNING, and their four respective avatars (referred to as ae-KARINA, ae-WINTER, ae-GISELLE and ae-NINGNING).
They have been climbing the global music charts
“Black Mamba” charted in 95 countries around the world, reaching No. 5 on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart and No. 1 on China’s QQ Music Charts—a testimony to the group’s international influence.
They have dipped their toes into the fashion world
Earlier this year, the group became the first K-pop artist to be named global brand ambassadors for Givenchy. This honor also marks the first time an entire group, not an individual, has been chosen as brand ambassadors for a fashion label.
