Aespa
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 four members: Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning. The group is known for popularizing the metaverse concept and hyperpop music in K-pop.[1][2][3]
For other uses, see Aespa (disambiguation).Aespa debuted on November 17, 2020, with the single "Black Mamba". 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.[4] 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.[5] It earned multiple accolades and Daesang[a] awards, including Song of the Year at the 19th Korean Music Awards and 2021 Melon Music Awards.[6][7] In October 2021, Aespa released their first extended play (EP) Savage and its lead single of the same name. The EP sold 787,600 copies and became the best-selling debut album by an SM Entertainment act at the time;[8] the latter marked Aespa's second top-five song in South Korea and their first top-40 entry on the Billboard Global 200.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11]
Endorsements[edit]
On February 10, 2021, Aespa became ambassador for Givenchy, the first K-pop artist chosen as such by the French fashion house.[108] Later that year in August, Aespa inked endorsement deals with Korean cosmetics brand Clio,[109] Korean skincare brand Mediheal,[110] French sportswear brand Eider,[111] and in September for KB Kookmin Bank.[112] On November 23, Aespa was selected as muse for Italian fragrance brand Acqua di Parma.[113]
On April 8, 2022, Aespa became the model for Korean beverage brand Lotte Chilsung's Tamz Zero.[114] In August, Aespa became the global ambassador for the Korean sportswear brand MLB.[115] On September 1, Aespa became the global ambassador for Swiss watch and jewelry brand Chopard.[116] In December, Aespa became promotional models for mobile game Epic Seven[117] and duty-free store Lotte Duty Free.[118]