aespa, one of K-pop’s most exciting acts, is coming back with new music. Judging by their comeback teaser, we’re going to the ‘next level.’
Last year, aespa’s debut was easily one of the most exciting things to happen in K-pop. After all, not everyday you get to see a K-pop with virtual members. The young quartet broke through with their explosive, luxurious debut, ‘Black Mamba’, achieving the highest views for a K-pop debut.
Naturally, we’re expecting a lot from their comeback this month. And the group is promising to deliver. aespa have just kicked off their new era with a mysterious teaser: a 10-second clip featuring the words ‘Next Level.’
aespa 에스파 〖Next Level〗#aespa #æspa #에스파 pic.twitter.com/MF1zZFScHn
— aespa (@aespa_official) May 5, 2021
While there has been no other information on the release yet, theories have already started taking root. While the teaser is right in tandem with aespa’s larger concept, which brings together reality and virtual reality in a digital world, many think it may go deeper.
Many are speculating that this may finally give us more clues into the cryptic Easter egg that they gave us in ‘Black Mamba’. At the end of the video for ‘Black Mamba’, we got a glimpse of K-pop veteran and aespa’s senior, BoA. Despite appearing only for a few seconds, the clip made fans think that this may be the start of a larger cultural universe for SM Entertainment and may eventually introduce other acts from the agency.
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With their 2020 debut, aespa sent ripples through the industry with their truly unique concept. The group’s four members — Karina, Giselle, Ningning, and Winter — also have virtual avatars. The avatars — whose names are prefixed with the letter æ — are presented as individual entities, meant to support and befriend fans and the members themselves. While the concept received mixed reactions, getting glimpses of the æ-members in ‘Black Mamba’ sure piqued our interest.
Where are we going next?
You can read more about this topic over at the Asia Pop Observer.
Check out ‘Black Mamba’ by aespa:
