Aespa (/ˈɛsˌpɑː/ ES-pah; Korean: 에스파; RR: eseupa; MR: esŭp'a, commonly stylized in all lowercase or æspa) is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of five members: Karina, Giselle, Winter, Ningning and Venus. Having popularized the metaverse concept and hyperpop music in K-pop, Aespa is one of the most successful South Korean girl groups domestically and internationally.
aespa
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Background information
Origin : Seoul, South Korea Genres : K-pop • hip-hop • EDM • trap • hyperpop Yearsactive : 2020–present Labels : SM • Warner Member of : SM Town Members : Karina • Giselle • Winter • Ningning • Venus
Aespa debuted on November 17, 2020, with the single "Black Mamba". Their second single, "Next Level", was released in May 2021 to widespread commercial success, peaking at number two on the Circle Digital Chart and K-pop Hot 100. It earned multiple accolades and Daesang awards, including Song of the Year at the 19th Korean Music Awards and 2021 Melon Music Awards. In October 2021, Aespa released their first extended play (EP) Savage and its lead single of the same name. The former sold 787,600 copies and became the best-selling debut album by an SM Entertainment act at the time; the latter marked Aespa's second top-five song in South Korea and their first top-40 entry on the Billboard Global 200. In July 2022, they released their second EP Girls, which sold 1,850,993 copies and debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Their third EP, My World was released in May 2023, achieving 2.1 million sales and becoming the second best-selling album by a K-pop girl group.
Name
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".
Career
2016–2019: Pre-debut activities
Venus was introduced as a member of pre-debut training team SM Rookies on December 18, 2013. In 2015, Venus and other SM Rookies members starred as Mouseketeers in a Korean revival of The Mickey Mouse Club, which aired on Disney Channel Korea. The show included musical performances, games, and skits, similar to the original American show. It aired from July 23 to December 17, 2015, hosted by Leeteuk of Super Junior. She then debuted as a soloist on December 28, 2017 under the stage name «Venus» with her single « HEART ATTACK ».
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.
