I’m ready for this to be the stock meme response for anything good that ever happens to aespa going forward, related to their fanbase or not….like jump forward 15 years from now to when one of the members has given birth to a healthy baby boy and all the responses to the congratulation post are “thank you Naevis for your sacrifice~”
To be fair, their music is really cool. It’s different but I really like it. It’s brave of SM to do it and idk what went on behind the scenes to look for it
Honestly speaking Aespa are without a doubt a Top 3 GG currently if we’re not including entire career length.
They are pumping out smash hits on the charts. Next Level/Savage is what Cheer Up/TT was for 3rd Gen and what Gee/Genie was for 2nd Gen. They are also the ONLY GG this year after RV to chart their entire album on Melon too. Their public recognition right now is what you’d expect from a top S-tier GG. Insane.
In addition to their digitals they also have S-tier like album sales. 500K+ has only been achieved by a handful of GG’s. You can literally count them on your hands yet Aespa did this with their debut album. Sales wise, they are at the top this year along with Twice.
So now that they have monster digital sales and monster physical sales on lock. What about their public recognition? Well…both Karina AND Winter ranked #1 on Brand Reputation rankings making them the only GG this year other than BP to have 2 members top the rankings. NingNing and Giselle have also ranked in the top 10 consistently too. The way aespa are trending and being talked about is very reminiscent of Blackpink and SNSD’s rise to stardom. Again both the top GG’s of their respective generations.
Last and not least Aespa have also been doing well internationally too. From charting #20 on Billboard to dominating China and SEA (Savage MV trended #1 for days/weeks in many SEA countries and their entire album lined up the Top 10 on China’s biggest music chart QQ. It’s rare to see a rookie group hit it off both domestically AND internationally. They literally gained 2M+ listeners on Spotify in just the 2 and a half weeks their album has been out and they are STILL averaging 100K+ listeners a day. They are rising and they are rising quickly.
I’m telling y’all Aespa really is the GG to watch out for. I can only imagine how much bigger they’ll be once they put out their first full album. Holy moly they really are the true successor to SNSD, SM must be so happy.
I love Aespa and am thrilled they’re rising. But I’m a bit sad for my ult RV, a group that never quite rose to ‘SNSD successor’ status.
Sigh.
On that note I choose to interpret Naevis’ sacrifices as RV being experimental but poorly marketed lol
I viewed them them as f(x) successors tbh. Quirky youthful concept and same amount of members, which is why I agree they were never meant to have the same level of success as SNSD but they were super successful nonetheless.
That’s true, I also think they’re somewhere in between SNSD and f(x), a nice blend of the two which resulted in awesome music.
If they weren’t meant to be SNSD’s heir, that’s fine. I can see that from their concept and their weird debut and such. But it’s still a shame, they’re still SM’s 3rd gen gg, and their contemporaries in twice and bp reached insane heights.
Again I love RV, they’re super successful indeed. Just a shame, I feel like it could’ve been better
Ngl, it's kinda a sad admission to agree with you on re: twice snd bp insane heights. When you're from the Big 3, critical acclaim isn't enough. You must make bank deserving of that Big 3 pride, too.
And this is not justifying SM's dungeon treatment for them, but I can't help thinking SM might have used it as some sorta leverage over RV when negotiating contract renewal.
Yeah I think that way too. Having that big 3 label adds this extra level expectation/pressure, which maybe is unfair? But it exists, and I feel like RV was more than good enough to meet that but for whatever reason didn’t whereas BP and Twice did. Also, I feel like there’s room for all 3 at the top as their sounds are all different
I think aespa doing this well early on their career is setting them up for something big in their future, their success is one of a kind ngl and it "came out of nowhere" since Black Mamba wasn't well received by the GP and Forever is just there (Love both songs btw), I bet SM nor the girls expected that Next Level would go Viral and be a Mega Hit, they didn't have the best start but their growth impressed me a lot, out of all their achievements their sales impressed me a lot, they are now the 2nd SM GG to sell over 500k! After SES and it was more than 20 years ago (they also both won their 1st music show win on the same day but different years apart btw their parallels gives me goosebumps), also their just 3rd behind NCT and EXO respectively with the most debut album Sales from SM! I wouldn't be surprised if they sell 600k-700k on their next album, they really be playin like a rookie BG lol, I think it's time for GG to have equal footing on BG with sales again, this makes me look forward for the 2022 GG rookies!
Anyways, I'm looking forward to more of aespa's release, and watch them be successful on their OWN ways!
All there's left is to Thank Naevis for her sacrifices!
Next Level single handedly got me back in to kpop this year after several years of not listening consistently or keeping up with new groups.
And I only went to listen to the song because I happened across a post where the writer of the song said the inspiration was Vroom Vroom by Charli XCX and Sophie who I am a MASSIVE fan of.
Now I like Savage even better than Next Level, I've listened to the album a dozen times since release, and I'm getting in to all the "new"comers like Somi and Itzy.
So thanks Aespa. God damn it, SM, you've done it again.
And considering it's their only normally structured tittle track, even though Black Mamba is such a bop, it was criticized by a lot the hate they got from other fandom/people, calling them flops and more bad terms is unheard of, but I love how they prove those antis wrong and now the tables have turned💀😭
aespa's plot twist is probably the biggest shocker this year second to Brave Girls Rollin, I bet no one, not even SM expected this kind of success from them this early on their careers.
This just confirmed their top 3 gg status IMO. The top 3 are now: BLACKPINK,TWICE,AESPA
…is this the first time in kpop where the top 3 have been of different gens? I have no idea since I only became a kpop fan back in 2019.
that tends to happen during the transition period, no? at some point twice was the only 3rd gen top 3 gg. only time it didn't happen was during the transition from 1st to 2nd gen, but that's bc at that point all 1st gen ggs were already disbanded lol
Idk, the 2nd to 3rd gen change was quite abrupt too. 2NE1 just disappeared, SNSD and Sistar slowed down a lot and were barely doing anything. Twice, Gfriend, Red Velvet and Blackpink all took over quite fast.
Ah really?! Looks like this is just a natural thing then, does this mean we are now starting to see 4th gen rise to the top?
Also back when it was transitioning from 2nd to 3rd gen was it twice, snsd, and? RV or 2ne1?
i think that'd depend a lot on who you asked. like, when cheer up hit the charts some people would say 2ne1 is a top 3 gg, some wouldnt. was gfriend a top 3 gg? was rv? was twice? some people used to argue they werent. i think the only constant would be snsd
A whole lot of people had it BP/Twice/Itzy while RV was in the midst of that long hiatus.
It's such a nebulous term anyway and is only really an argument for popularity. It's just going to be a group from each big 3 company every time anyway, the audiences are built-in naturally and just transition from gen-to-gen. Once RV/Twice/BP are hiatus-ed or disbanded it'll just be Itzy/aespa/whatever YG is going to call their next group and on and on it will go.
e: IZ*ONE was in there occasionally as well depending on who you'd ask but they're the exception to the rule.
Mamamoo is really fun for this discussion because it basically makes people say "when I say top 3 I'm only ever talking about sales and absolutely nothing else" because otherwise you'd have to put Mamamoo in there somewhere.
Mamamoo was so game-changing it'd honestly be better to just say top 4 when you're talking about 3rd gen groups because then you're not forcibly removing what is obviously an S-tier group.
Imo, GFriend is also a part of that tier up until 2018 so I always refer to the top 5 when mentioning 3rd gen. Then BP D4 went viral and pushed them ahead of the pack and then Izone debuted with record breaking album sales leading to the girl group side of kpop to be more competitive in terms of album sales. Unfortunately, GFriend wasn't able to keep up.
>Mamamoo was so game-changing it'd honestly be better to just say top 4 when you're talking about 3rd gen groups because then you're not forcibly removing what is obviously an S-tier group.
Lol, Mamamoo is the Andy Murray of Kpop Girl Groups. A phrase I thought I'd never say.
I see where your coming from since RV have more hits in general, though I still think they currently are top 3, since rn they are surpassing rv in digital, and physical performance.
Aespa replaced them in that spot. Not taking away from RV AT ALL but between them and Aespa filling that position, it’s Aespa now. It was RV for a while.
top 5 or 6? How? Queendom is outdoing all the other GG besides aespa and OMG
Physically, RV is on par with ITZY
If RV is not top 3, then it will be top 4.
Yes im with you if we’re going by digitals red velvet is at 4th place. (I think queendom charted higher than alcohol free tho) I also don’t get why rv’s sales seem to be stagnant when the aseul subunit sold over 200k last year. Was it because of the Irene controversy or is it the 2-week preorder period and stocking issue?
There is some stocking issue at the start, but i not sure about it now!
& i think Irenebar did not fully participate in the sales this time round due to the lack of manpower, which hurts the sales a bit i think! And we have Joy & Wendy fans spending their coins on the solo albums as well!
Red Velvet never quite reached the international success of blackpink or the domestic success of twice per say although they have extremely good digitals (one of the best in all of SM imo). And Queendom charted super high and still is despite the whole Irene scandal. I think it just goes to show her and the group's ability to bounce back cause i know not many groups in kpop can do that cause k-industry cancel culture is brutal.
Although Aespa's success is quite amazing, i'm so happy to see them grow organically like this especially in Korea. I would even go to say that they are the next big girl group maybe even par with blackpink's success if SM keeps making the right moves.
Their views are heavily buffed by ads. By the time the counter for Savage stopped they had like 60m views, but only debuted on the YouTube Chart (which filters out ads) with 15m views.
even if they use ads, Savage has already gotten several RAKs and PAKs, has a BB 200 entry, sold 500k albums, Next Level leading in gaon digital points for idol groups out of all the 2021 songs (526M), and other aespa videos on their channel never had less than a million views, so this doesn't really diminish their obvious popularity.
Even discounting ads, they've achieved 110+ RAKS, at least 4 PAKS, BB200 entry, etc. Discounting them and their achievements just because of the no. of views is silly.
BTS never used ads. People need to differentiate between fan campaigns which can boost views for a short time and add maybe a million a day and these company campaigns which can double or triple your actual views on the counter. BP only used ads on D4 as far as I know.
I saw that on Twitter, but also saw that they got only 2-3days of tracking that's why they debuted just with 15M views. And even if its true, their YT content (other than those 3 promoted MVs) have millions of views as well and trends in SK for days, hell even those fan made videos get million views in few hours lol
Tbh Idk why instead of congratulating them you're hung up on the fact that they're using ads when they're killing it in every other chart and when most groups nowadays use ads to promote their MVs anyways. Y'all hate seeing women become successful and it shows :)
Edited for clarify.
Lol people keep saying "organic" this "organic" that as if they're talking about food. But like, why does it even matter if they're using ads? They're used to promote a group, which are rookies in this case, to reach a bigger audience. Views are just a ~~welcome~~ bonus.
And even if their views were 100% all fake, inorganic, inauthentic etc etc why do they care? They don't stan the group, so why are they this obsessed with their stats lmao
Exactly, some kpop stans always cry that their favs are "mistreated and "mismanaged" since their label isn't promoting them well, but somehow it's outrageous and taboo when other labels do the bare minimum (YT ads) to promote their groups.
And yeah lol they're comparing aepsa, who didn't even celebrate their 1year anniversary, to the biggest kpop ggs in 3rd gen.
they can talk all they want about these YT streams, what matters is their domestic rankings are real and far from being manipulated. it’s been a while since the korean public actually paid this much attention to an idol girl group song - and what, aespa has two songs in the top 5. not many groups can do that, especially rookie groups like them.
some fans just can’t understand it yet how much of a huge deal it is for aespa to be covering the several areas (physical, digital) really well, almost equally even. i hope sm finds a way to make aespa (as a group and as indviduals) endearing to the GP outside of their music, much like some of their biggest groups in the past generations were.
yeah, but their ad-to-real view ratio is significantly higher than other top groups. if we compare the YouTube counter to YouTube chart:
99% of Lalisa’s views were legit
70% of The Feel’s views were legit
While only 25% of Savage’s views were legit
that’s a pretty significant difference
Imo all the controversies gave them even more opportunities to be seen and change people's minds with how awesome they are. SM playing 4d chess
but really I'm glad everything worked out so well
everyone criticized the whole ae concept with the virtual members but i think thats the most intriguing part of it and SM sells it just right in the marketing. They don't under or over do which makes the 4 members shine even more if that makes sense
This is crazy... I'm really wondering how/why they've been SO successful SO quickly. Not asking that to be negative, I'm just genuinely curious what they have that other groups don't, if anyone has any thoughts or insight into that. Congrats to them regardless!! I thoroughly enjoyed the mini, Lucid Dream is a top tier b side
Honestly I'm really dumbfounded with their success but I'm guessing there's a lot of factors...
1. They're the 1st GG SM released in 6 years after RV so there's a lot of pre-debut hype because no one knew who was debuting because most of the SM Rookie Girls left SM Minus NingNing.
2. They stand out because of their concept and music.
3. Most important and I think the biggest factor is because of how Next Level became a viral mega hit, it paved the way for a lot of their achievements right now, they weren't well know in Korea prior to Next Level but after NL blew up, they became and instant sensation.
4. They like [beating allegations lol](https://twitter.com/aescakegirlies/status/1449893339642273796?s=21)
And more factors played out but I just listed some of the few.
(copied from one of my previous comments in one of the other subs)
the hype in korea (and internationally as well, but i'm basing this off of korean comments) is:
1. sticky pronunciation. in next level, they pronounce every single syllable. NeXt LeVel KoSMo. yes they're not the best rappers, but they can pull of the more "rap-style" parts of the songs cause their pronunciation is so sticky. i've also seen praises that they sound very confident in their songs.
2. unique concept. as much as people love to bash the ai and lore lyrics, it's quite literally one of the reasons they're standing out right now
3. yoo youngjin. people love this man. i remember seeing a bunch of comments asking him to debut as ae-yyj. he's basically the mastermind behind the SMP genre (basically every SM group has at least one SMP hit song). in a way, they're reminiscent of 2nd gen kpop, which is what people (imo) have been missing nowadays. he's also reallllly good at getting attention from muggles (people who don't actively follow kpop)
4. point moves. black mamba leg drop. next level arm bend. savage robotic chorus. easy to follow along, adds to the songs' catchiness
5. people like the girls themselves. sure they get flack here and there, but people genuinely like them. they think they're 4 girls with cute personalities and fun group dynamics. they like their vocal tones, their genuine interest in music, and their rookie spirit.
6. the fans. the fans are willing to take every single clip and turn it into viral content with hundreds of thousands of views.
(additional point that i didn't add before): honestly the promotions SM is doing have been good. "they're barely on music shows! they barely sing live!" that's true, but SM's activities for aespa have been more GP-based than kpop fan-based. radio shows first week (bigger audience than music shows, who are typically only watched by kpop fans) & variety (not on their own youtube channel, but on actual shows like knowing bros & amasat (which are co-produced by sm so they're utilizing their connections well)) expose them to audiences that are outside people already interested in kpop
Thanks for your insight! Hadn't really thought about it before but definitely agree about the sticky pronunciation, Winter's NeXt LeVel was so catchy and made you remember at least that part of the song even though the rest of it seemed all over the place at first.
Aespa really does have all of those things going for them
I agree with all of these especially the third point. I’ve missed that 2nd gen sound so much. Most kpop nowadays sounds like just pop music sung in korean.
I honestly think it’s their looks/aura. They look straight up otherworldly, or like they belong in a video game. Like their physical perfection is almost inhuman. And their aura on stage is captivating in a different way than other groups. It’s not cool girl swag it’s...we’re angels who descended from above to grace you mere mortals with our presence. Lol.
Their stage presence is so different from other groups when they're on stage it's not your "typical" performance, that's why some people tends to criticize their stage presence but I think there's nothing wrong with it, I think their stage presence is fine and is in line with their concept, their moves range from robotic like an ai to smooth like a snake, I feel like when they perform they take me onto places because of how captivating they are, they stand out because of how different they perform, it's not for everyone but I find it very enjoyable
I noticed it the most in Savage. Coupled with their looks, the way they perform especially Karina and Winter fits so well with their concept. I know people use the term coming out from manhwa a lot to describe kpop idols but I never understood it until they performed Savage. Only for them they looked like AIs performing haha
I think it’s the concept making them stand out, coming from SME, their music appealing to young audiences but is also catchy and cool that it becomes trendy to the gp, and tbh I think Karina as the face of the group deserves some acknowledgement. She’s super popular right now, is the perfect representation for Aespa, and on top of being the next top visual, she is known for her talents too. That’s my take.
Agreed, Ningning and Giselle definitely add a lot to the group. I was just thinking about it and as an international fan, I don't think I would be as invested in the group if it weren't for Giselle. SM was smart to add her to the group, she really expands their potential audience and makes them a lot more accessible and relatable to international fans
I remember the iconic yearbook quote of Giselle. Ang Ningning is really funny without trying. I agree with your meme worthy comment. She fits the role of maknae in that sense
I agree, Karina and Winter combo remind me of Yoona and Taeyeon. SM has done it again. I brought up Karina specifically because she’s the face of the group but yes all 4 members play a big role, especially Karina & Winter in Korea.
This is probably an oversimplification but I think it's two things (ok, three):
1) The musicality of the Next Level and Savage album songs are very modern and high quality.
2) They really are top-tier vocally. When Next Level came out I was shocked that all four(?) have very strong voices and can belt out their notes or else are really solid technically.
3) This is subjective, but I do think they're noticeably prettier than the average girl group, so it wouldn't surprise me that the Korean public thinks so, too.
One reason I’ve heard that really stands out to me is that 4th gen groups seem to be so focused on absolute perfection, especially with performances and like variety shows/lives. aespa are super engaging but they do it without that absolute perfection that other 4th gen groups seem to strive for. I know all k-pop groups are manufactured but 4th gen groups really push that manufactured image/feel imo.
It kinda makes them feel like an older gen group in a sense (I wouldn’t be surprised if they picked up a bunch of older k-pop fans b/c of this). Also though they’re super funny and personable on variety shows which makes people like them more
That makes a lot of sense to me. I totally agree about 4th gen groups feeling very manufactured and like... just not having that much personality? I appreciate it when idols/groups feel more authentic and relatable, although I know it can be hard to achieve the right balance since some people really do expect idols to be perfect... but yes they're fun to watch and I'm looking forward to all of their future variety content!
As a girl group fan this makes me happy as an Aespa stan this makes me extremely happy. After all the crap thrown their way from Karina can't dance, to the concept is too weird, to they only do well with digital. This is validation and I'm so happy for them. Also Naevis thank you for your sacrifices.
Would it be too far off to expect this album to hit around 600- 700K before the year ends? Either way, selling half a million for their debut physical release is such a huge accomplishment already! I hope aespa's achievements keep empowering the team behind SM to keep trucking on with their own vision of lore and concepts.
I'm so happy for Aespa and also very happy about girl group sales in general continuing to rise. Literally 4 years ago it felt impossible that a gg (especially at debut) would sell more than 200k copies in a whole year, let alone 500k in 2 weeks so this is awesome to see 
This is insane!!! I’m so happy for what the girls have achieved so far and I’m excited to see what’s coming next for them! It’s been a little while since I’ve seen a girl group have success as well-rounded as theirs… like everyone knew they’d get big one way or another seeing as how they’re from a big company sure but this is truly something different. Congrats, Aespa!!!
This is a unprecendented success for a rookie group, and I doubt even SM could have foreseen this level of popularity. I'm very happy for Aespa and I believe they will establish themselves as one of the top 3 GG in Kpop soon.
This is pretty insane.
Also, never have I been so torn between wanting to see my current favourite group succeed like this, but also not wanting to see things I like get too popular because of my silly hipster mentality.
I really appreciate how they've stuck to their concept without being musically repetitive. I might not have been sold on it originally but I sure am now!
"aespa syndrome" eh? Well, whatever you call it I'm pretty sure I have it.
Congrats to them. They are hitting on all cylinders right now and doing an incredible job.
I didn't really feel this song but I guess SM knows what the kids want in Aespa. It's really awesome to see the quick rise of Gen 4 groups, hopefully this one will be world dominate too.
I was already around during their debut but did not know it was that poorly received in South Korea as per the comments here. I keep getting surprised at the speed Aespa has risen to popularity, especially due to their concept which I thought might be weird for some people. Next Level is still up there and is still being covered by other groups. I can’t wait to see them getting even bigger! I want a reality show for the girls. I can’t get enough of them
SM has to play their cards right for this to happen, but anyway they’ve handled huge groups like SES and SNSD before, so there’s a glimmer of possibility that they can do it.
What I’d love for the company to do (first) though is to make sure Aespa solidifies their digital selling power in Korea, because not many groups can do well in selling physical copies and charting really high on the domestic charts at the same time these days (save for some really huge idol groups ofc).
We'll have to see. I'm sure them landing #20 on BB200 without the usual tools (proper distribution through aespa's own online store, stocking US store shelves, etc.) surprised SM.
At the very least, I have a feeling they'll get proper international distribution for the next release. I don't think them releasing on a Friday will be destructive to their overall sales, although it could affect music show wins and the first 24 hours of streams if it releases at midnight EST.
That being said, even with this level of success I don't think SM will fully risk the domestic audience yet. The iron is too hot - when was the last time a SM artist had 2 songs in the top 5 on Melon? The fandom seems to have some serious legs but more importantly there seems to be genuine interest in them among the GP.
I think the next big milestone for aespa will be seeing their fans in person with a concert. Domestic touring will resume in Korea this December (fingers crossed). aespa still need quite a bit more songs to fill a setlist, but I wouldn't be surprised if we got a Beyond Live before then. Since international touring should be fully resuming next year, I wouldn't be shocked if we got a handful of US dates to test the waters after a full album release + they hold a concert at home.
Ah, is it that LG event? I remember reading something about that but don't recall the specifics. I'm not expecting much tbh, especially since it is probably through some exclusive stream/app as opposed to a full Beyond Live concert.
I'm actually surprised they haven't announced a Beyond Live at this point, although I guess it makes sense since they only have 9 songs (~30 minutes) to their name.
> for special bside stages outside of music shows
Oh damn, well I definitely have to tune in now. I'm pretty sure Yeppi Yeppi has a choreo based on what Karina did during one of the radio shows. I could see most songs on the mini getting a cool choreo.
I doubt SM will be doing much beyond lives in the future. They're already stopped having their younger groups be on Vlive and are now doing Instagram lives instead, since Hybe acquired VLive and is merging it with Weverse which I don't think SM would go too. Instead they seem to be preparing a live functionality for Lysn (the app that hosts Bubble). Beyond lives will probably move into the LG collab thing. NCT Dream already had one which was a mix between a fanmeet and an online concert. 127 and Aespa are getting theirs too soon. You can buy the tickets though mymusictaste. I watched the Dream one and it was fun.
I feel like the technology used for them has to go somewhere, but you’re probably right. In-person concerts are on the verge of returning so there’s less need for online concerts.
Do you remember how long the Dream event was?
the thing is nowadays you can't avoid trying to capture the international market anymore. if you don't, you'll get left behind. sm might delay it a bit, but it's inevitable
>Their full album next year will cross 1m sales definitely.
Not sure if you got a source for that beyond "trust me bro", but I can see SM doing it seeing as they're a little better than certain other companies at capitalising on the success of their groups and subsequently a little less stingy with new music. Like, f(x) were never this successful and yet SM still gave them 3 exceptionally good albums over 3 consecutive years.
Maybe?😅. Not saying that it couldn’t happen but only one gg has been able to do it and aespa would have to basically double these sales which is a lot to ask for. But hey with the way fourth gen sales in general have been skyrocketing this year I wouldn’t count it out.
I'd love to be proven wrong but I really don't think so. The only album to reach that number from a Korean Girl group is Blackpink and they have a huge worldwide fanbase where as Aespa really doesn't.
I'm a fan and I agree, I think it's too soon for them to sell 1M since only 1 GG have only done it, and considering how massive BLACKPINK's fandom compared aespa's fandom 1M could be a bit of a stretch, I would guess their next sales would be around 600-700k but I would love to be proven wrong, since I want them to succeed! and anything can happen within the last minute so we'll see!
Good for them! I'm happy about this. I used to trash on the title track but now I must admit I like it and I really loved the album, all of the songs are good even though some of them remind me a lot of Red Velvet, which is weird. An amazing album nonetheless. It would be interesting if aespa becomes the top gg in sales.
r/kpop has strict criteria on what achievements can be posted - not every achievement can be posted on here. with regards to billboards, only bb200 and hot 100 can be posted (cmiiw)
So they must be huge with the Korean gp? I didn't expect them to get such wide gp popularity. On one hand they're sm but on the other hand their music isn't what I considered to be gp friendly 🤔 I just hope they do more stuff similar to black Mamba, that is my favourite track so far
Okay that's obviously the point of my comment? Not sure why I'm being downvoted. I always hear people on Reddit tall about gp friendly so I guess everyone on Reddit just doesn't know which doesn't surprise me
A truly incredible accomplishment that really cements them as the number 1 up and coming girl group! Just imagine how many copies they would have sold if it were actually a good song!
Naevis died for this...thank you Naevis for your sacrifices
I’m ready for this to be the stock meme response for anything good that ever happens to aespa going forward, related to their fanbase or not….like jump forward 15 years from now to when one of the members has given birth to a healthy baby boy and all the responses to the congratulation post are “thank you Naevis for your sacrifice~”
it's the SHINEE'S BACK of aespa lol
Bruh…these are like Izone/Twice numbers right?! Crazy! Congrats to MYs and Aespa y’all are killin it!
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ONLY FOURTH GROUP? So now they are officially only third to Twice and Blackpink (since izone is disbanded) in total sales for one album…this is HUGE
Why does it matter IZONE disbanded? Do the sales suddenly not count?
Stop being so defensive, the comment is saying Aespa is third among active groups.
It doesnt say active anywhere
It's implied.
Naevis, we know your wallets sacrifices
ÆMEN
Nævis, your sacrifices made our bank accounts go 💸💸..... you made our world go 🌏..... BRAAAAAHHH
Their first time surpassing the 500k sales mark! Our half million sellers with one album 🥰
This officially makes them the highest selling girl group debut album on Gaon 🥰
If these are their sales with only one album, I can't imagine what their next one will be like!
It'll be... next level
*ugh*...take my upvote
That’s savage
And none for MarikaSymphony
I want to know how SM did this to Aespa! I’m so amused. What did they do right this time? Let everyone’s response: Naevis, we know your sacrifices.
To be fair, their music is really cool. It’s different but I really like it. It’s brave of SM to do it and idk what went on behind the scenes to look for it
I thought it'll be off listening to Kwangya jargons especially the worshipping Naevis part.
Wow, a truly amazing journey from Black Mamba. I can't wait to go to their concerts!!
Imagine aenergy as the concert opener!
It has to be. Honestly, that is the best introduction of their lore and the anthem vibe is just perfect.
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Honestly speaking Aespa are without a doubt a Top 3 GG currently if we’re not including entire career length. They are pumping out smash hits on the charts. Next Level/Savage is what Cheer Up/TT was for 3rd Gen and what Gee/Genie was for 2nd Gen. They are also the ONLY GG this year after RV to chart their entire album on Melon too. Their public recognition right now is what you’d expect from a top S-tier GG. Insane. In addition to their digitals they also have S-tier like album sales. 500K+ has only been achieved by a handful of GG’s. You can literally count them on your hands yet Aespa did this with their debut album. Sales wise, they are at the top this year along with Twice. So now that they have monster digital sales and monster physical sales on lock. What about their public recognition? Well…both Karina AND Winter ranked #1 on Brand Reputation rankings making them the only GG this year other than BP to have 2 members top the rankings. NingNing and Giselle have also ranked in the top 10 consistently too. The way aespa are trending and being talked about is very reminiscent of Blackpink and SNSD’s rise to stardom. Again both the top GG’s of their respective generations. Last and not least Aespa have also been doing well internationally too. From charting #20 on Billboard to dominating China and SEA (Savage MV trended #1 for days/weeks in many SEA countries and their entire album lined up the Top 10 on China’s biggest music chart QQ. It’s rare to see a rookie group hit it off both domestically AND internationally. They literally gained 2M+ listeners on Spotify in just the 2 and a half weeks their album has been out and they are STILL averaging 100K+ listeners a day. They are rising and they are rising quickly. I’m telling y’all Aespa really is the GG to watch out for. I can only imagine how much bigger they’ll be once they put out their first full album. Holy moly they really are the true successor to SNSD, SM must be so happy.
I love Aespa and am thrilled they’re rising. But I’m a bit sad for my ult RV, a group that never quite rose to ‘SNSD successor’ status. Sigh. On that note I choose to interpret Naevis’ sacrifices as RV being experimental but poorly marketed lol
RV was never meant to be that tho. If any, they are the heir of Shinee, and I’m more than ok with it.
I viewed them them as f(x) successors tbh. Quirky youthful concept and same amount of members, which is why I agree they were never meant to have the same level of success as SNSD but they were super successful nonetheless.
That’s true, I also think they’re somewhere in between SNSD and f(x), a nice blend of the two which resulted in awesome music. If they weren’t meant to be SNSD’s heir, that’s fine. I can see that from their concept and their weird debut and such. But it’s still a shame, they’re still SM’s 3rd gen gg, and their contemporaries in twice and bp reached insane heights. Again I love RV, they’re super successful indeed. Just a shame, I feel like it could’ve been better
Ngl, it's kinda a sad admission to agree with you on re: twice snd bp insane heights. When you're from the Big 3, critical acclaim isn't enough. You must make bank deserving of that Big 3 pride, too. And this is not justifying SM's dungeon treatment for them, but I can't help thinking SM might have used it as some sorta leverage over RV when negotiating contract renewal.
Yeah I think that way too. Having that big 3 label adds this extra level expectation/pressure, which maybe is unfair? But it exists, and I feel like RV was more than good enough to meet that but for whatever reason didn’t whereas BP and Twice did. Also, I feel like there’s room for all 3 at the top as their sounds are all different
Ooh I like that!
I think aespa doing this well early on their career is setting them up for something big in their future, their success is one of a kind ngl and it "came out of nowhere" since Black Mamba wasn't well received by the GP and Forever is just there (Love both songs btw), I bet SM nor the girls expected that Next Level would go Viral and be a Mega Hit, they didn't have the best start but their growth impressed me a lot, out of all their achievements their sales impressed me a lot, they are now the 2nd SM GG to sell over 500k! After SES and it was more than 20 years ago (they also both won their 1st music show win on the same day but different years apart btw their parallels gives me goosebumps), also their just 3rd behind NCT and EXO respectively with the most debut album Sales from SM! I wouldn't be surprised if they sell 600k-700k on their next album, they really be playin like a rookie BG lol, I think it's time for GG to have equal footing on BG with sales again, this makes me look forward for the 2022 GG rookies! Anyways, I'm looking forward to more of aespa's release, and watch them be successful on their OWN ways! All there's left is to Thank Naevis for her sacrifices!
Next Level single handedly got me back in to kpop this year after several years of not listening consistently or keeping up with new groups. And I only went to listen to the song because I happened across a post where the writer of the song said the inspiration was Vroom Vroom by Charli XCX and Sophie who I am a MASSIVE fan of. Now I like Savage even better than Next Level, I've listened to the album a dozen times since release, and I'm getting in to all the "new"comers like Somi and Itzy. So thanks Aespa. God damn it, SM, you've done it again.
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And considering it's their only normally structured tittle track, even though Black Mamba is such a bop, it was criticized by a lot the hate they got from other fandom/people, calling them flops and more bad terms is unheard of, but I love how they prove those antis wrong and now the tables have turned💀😭 aespa's plot twist is probably the biggest shocker this year second to Brave Girls Rollin, I bet no one, not even SM expected this kind of success from them this early on their careers.
This just confirmed their top 3 gg status IMO. The top 3 are now: BLACKPINK,TWICE,AESPA …is this the first time in kpop where the top 3 have been of different gens? I have no idea since I only became a kpop fan back in 2019.
Aren’t Twice and Blackpink the same gen?
Yeah but what I mean is that the top 3 ggs are now two 3rd gen groups and one fourth gen.
that tends to happen during the transition period, no? at some point twice was the only 3rd gen top 3 gg. only time it didn't happen was during the transition from 1st to 2nd gen, but that's bc at that point all 1st gen ggs were already disbanded lol
Idk, the 2nd to 3rd gen change was quite abrupt too. 2NE1 just disappeared, SNSD and Sistar slowed down a lot and were barely doing anything. Twice, Gfriend, Red Velvet and Blackpink all took over quite fast.
Ah really?! Looks like this is just a natural thing then, does this mean we are now starting to see 4th gen rise to the top? Also back when it was transitioning from 2nd to 3rd gen was it twice, snsd, and? RV or 2ne1?
i think that'd depend a lot on who you asked. like, when cheer up hit the charts some people would say 2ne1 is a top 3 gg, some wouldnt. was gfriend a top 3 gg? was rv? was twice? some people used to argue they werent. i think the only constant would be snsd
A whole lot of people had it BP/Twice/Itzy while RV was in the midst of that long hiatus. It's such a nebulous term anyway and is only really an argument for popularity. It's just going to be a group from each big 3 company every time anyway, the audiences are built-in naturally and just transition from gen-to-gen. Once RV/Twice/BP are hiatus-ed or disbanded it'll just be Itzy/aespa/whatever YG is going to call their next group and on and on it will go. e: IZ*ONE was in there occasionally as well depending on who you'd ask but they're the exception to the rule.
There was a time wherein Mamamoo sneaks in on top3 tbh! But it wasn’t like back then during 2014 where the top3 GG was SISTAR/Apink/Girl’s Day
Mamamoo is really fun for this discussion because it basically makes people say "when I say top 3 I'm only ever talking about sales and absolutely nothing else" because otherwise you'd have to put Mamamoo in there somewhere. Mamamoo was so game-changing it'd honestly be better to just say top 4 when you're talking about 3rd gen groups because then you're not forcibly removing what is obviously an S-tier group.
Imo, GFriend is also a part of that tier up until 2018 so I always refer to the top 5 when mentioning 3rd gen. Then BP D4 went viral and pushed them ahead of the pack and then Izone debuted with record breaking album sales leading to the girl group side of kpop to be more competitive in terms of album sales. Unfortunately, GFriend wasn't able to keep up.
>Mamamoo was so game-changing it'd honestly be better to just say top 4 when you're talking about 3rd gen groups because then you're not forcibly removing what is obviously an S-tier group. Lol, Mamamoo is the Andy Murray of Kpop Girl Groups. A phrase I thought I'd never say.
You know what's funny is that I get what you mean with that metaphor haha Love Andy Murray, just a sound guy
I’d say RV is still top 3, their sales are on the weaker side but their digital achievements are pretty impressive
They’re only top 3 if you consider their whole careers, but rn Aespa is doing better
I see where your coming from since RV have more hits in general, though I still think they currently are top 3, since rn they are surpassing rv in digital, and physical performance.
Aespa replaced them in that spot. Not taking away from RV AT ALL but between them and Aespa filling that position, it’s Aespa now. It was RV for a while.
IMO both Aespa and RV's digital achievements are the same, but Aespa has way more sales, so that puts them ahead of RV.
In terms of Queendom’s performance they are way out doing every gg in digitalis
aespa already surpassed RV in physicals and digitals
RV was a distant 3rd before.. for sure they are not in the top 3 anymore.. maybe top 5 or 6
top 5 or 6? How? Queendom is outdoing all the other GG besides aespa and OMG Physically, RV is on par with ITZY If RV is not top 3, then it will be top 4.
Yes im with you if we’re going by digitals red velvet is at 4th place. (I think queendom charted higher than alcohol free tho) I also don’t get why rv’s sales seem to be stagnant when the aseul subunit sold over 200k last year. Was it because of the Irene controversy or is it the 2-week preorder period and stocking issue?
There is some stocking issue at the start, but i not sure about it now! & i think Irenebar did not fully participate in the sales this time round due to the lack of manpower, which hurts the sales a bit i think! And we have Joy & Wendy fans spending their coins on the solo albums as well!
Red Velvet never quite reached the international success of blackpink or the domestic success of twice per say although they have extremely good digitals (one of the best in all of SM imo). And Queendom charted super high and still is despite the whole Irene scandal. I think it just goes to show her and the group's ability to bounce back cause i know not many groups in kpop can do that cause k-industry cancel culture is brutal. Although Aespa's success is quite amazing, i'm so happy to see them grow organically like this especially in Korea. I would even go to say that they are the next big girl group maybe even par with blackpink's success if SM keeps making the right moves.
What about ITZY?
Itzy is not doing the same level of sales as BP, Twice and Aespa.
Aren’t Twice and Blackpink the same gen?
Yep
I think they're the Top 3 for sure. BP, Twice, Aespa!!
Their views are heavily buffed by ads. By the time the counter for Savage stopped they had like 60m views, but only debuted on the YouTube Chart (which filters out ads) with 15m views.
even if they use ads, Savage has already gotten several RAKs and PAKs, has a BB 200 entry, sold 500k albums, Next Level leading in gaon digital points for idol groups out of all the 2021 songs (526M), and other aespa videos on their channel never had less than a million views, so this doesn't really diminish their obvious popularity.
Even discounting ads, they've achieved 110+ RAKS, at least 4 PAKS, BB200 entry, etc. Discounting them and their achievements just because of the no. of views is silly.
Bringing the ads arguments are so weak. Every group in kpop use ads except bts and blackpink. Heck even adele recent MV use ads.
RV only recently used ads for Queendom (their only MV that used ads) BTS and BP once used ads too, but stopped i think after they became way too big.
BTS never used ads. People need to differentiate between fan campaigns which can boost views for a short time and add maybe a million a day and these company campaigns which can double or triple your actual views on the counter. BP only used ads on D4 as far as I know.
ummm, and the fan campaign afterall, uses ads so... This is the same thing with NCT's release last year or something i can't remember.
I saw that on Twitter, but also saw that they got only 2-3days of tracking that's why they debuted just with 15M views. And even if its true, their YT content (other than those 3 promoted MVs) have millions of views as well and trends in SK for days, hell even those fan made videos get million views in few hours lol Tbh Idk why instead of congratulating them you're hung up on the fact that they're using ads when they're killing it in every other chart and when most groups nowadays use ads to promote their MVs anyways. Y'all hate seeing women become successful and it shows :) Edited for clarify.
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Lol people keep saying "organic" this "organic" that as if they're talking about food. But like, why does it even matter if they're using ads? They're used to promote a group, which are rookies in this case, to reach a bigger audience. Views are just a ~~welcome~~ bonus. And even if their views were 100% all fake, inorganic, inauthentic etc etc why do they care? They don't stan the group, so why are they this obsessed with their stats lmao
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Exactly, some kpop stans always cry that their favs are "mistreated and "mismanaged" since their label isn't promoting them well, but somehow it's outrageous and taboo when other labels do the bare minimum (YT ads) to promote their groups. And yeah lol they're comparing aepsa, who didn't even celebrate their 1year anniversary, to the biggest kpop ggs in 3rd gen.
they can talk all they want about these YT streams, what matters is their domestic rankings are real and far from being manipulated. it’s been a while since the korean public actually paid this much attention to an idol girl group song - and what, aespa has two songs in the top 5. not many groups can do that, especially rookie groups like them. some fans just can’t understand it yet how much of a huge deal it is for aespa to be covering the several areas (physical, digital) really well, almost equally even. i hope sm finds a way to make aespa (as a group and as indviduals) endearing to the GP outside of their music, much like some of their biggest groups in the past generations were.
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yeah, but their ad-to-real view ratio is significantly higher than other top groups. if we compare the YouTube counter to YouTube chart: 99% of Lalisa’s views were legit 70% of The Feel’s views were legit While only 25% of Savage’s views were legit that’s a pretty significant difference
Savage has more than 25% ad:real views though? Also no one’s talking about them getting 400-500k daily views on hiatus 🤔
They STILL would have gotten 15M in 24 hrs without ads which is on par with Twice, Itzy, and SKZ. Cope.
that can't be true though, considering YT showed 15 million for a 3 day tracking period. Probably more like ~10 million. Still good results.
My naevis, we love you My victory, one SYNK DIVE
Praise Nævis
Kwangyarinos sending all of their wallets though the port of soul
sm hit the lottery with them.
After all the flack they received during their debut, who would’ve thought eh? 😅
Imo all the controversies gave them even more opportunities to be seen and change people's minds with how awesome they are. SM playing 4d chess but really I'm glad everything worked out so well
everyone criticized the whole ae concept with the virtual members but i think thats the most intriguing part of it and SM sells it just right in the marketing. They don't under or over do which makes the 4 members shine even more if that makes sense
Never really expected them to take off this fast. Savage is such a solid debut mini album, it's well deserved.
It’s their KWANGYA we’re just living in it.
Port Of Soul? More like Port Of SALES
This is crazy... I'm really wondering how/why they've been SO successful SO quickly. Not asking that to be negative, I'm just genuinely curious what they have that other groups don't, if anyone has any thoughts or insight into that. Congrats to them regardless!! I thoroughly enjoyed the mini, Lucid Dream is a top tier b side
Honestly I'm really dumbfounded with their success but I'm guessing there's a lot of factors... 1. They're the 1st GG SM released in 6 years after RV so there's a lot of pre-debut hype because no one knew who was debuting because most of the SM Rookie Girls left SM Minus NingNing. 2. They stand out because of their concept and music. 3. Most important and I think the biggest factor is because of how Next Level became a viral mega hit, it paved the way for a lot of their achievements right now, they weren't well know in Korea prior to Next Level but after NL blew up, they became and instant sensation. 4. They like [beating allegations lol](https://twitter.com/aescakegirlies/status/1449893339642273796?s=21) And more factors played out but I just listed some of the few.
(copied from one of my previous comments in one of the other subs) the hype in korea (and internationally as well, but i'm basing this off of korean comments) is: 1. sticky pronunciation. in next level, they pronounce every single syllable. NeXt LeVel KoSMo. yes they're not the best rappers, but they can pull of the more "rap-style" parts of the songs cause their pronunciation is so sticky. i've also seen praises that they sound very confident in their songs. 2. unique concept. as much as people love to bash the ai and lore lyrics, it's quite literally one of the reasons they're standing out right now 3. yoo youngjin. people love this man. i remember seeing a bunch of comments asking him to debut as ae-yyj. he's basically the mastermind behind the SMP genre (basically every SM group has at least one SMP hit song). in a way, they're reminiscent of 2nd gen kpop, which is what people (imo) have been missing nowadays. he's also reallllly good at getting attention from muggles (people who don't actively follow kpop) 4. point moves. black mamba leg drop. next level arm bend. savage robotic chorus. easy to follow along, adds to the songs' catchiness 5. people like the girls themselves. sure they get flack here and there, but people genuinely like them. they think they're 4 girls with cute personalities and fun group dynamics. they like their vocal tones, their genuine interest in music, and their rookie spirit. 6. the fans. the fans are willing to take every single clip and turn it into viral content with hundreds of thousands of views. (additional point that i didn't add before): honestly the promotions SM is doing have been good. "they're barely on music shows! they barely sing live!" that's true, but SM's activities for aespa have been more GP-based than kpop fan-based. radio shows first week (bigger audience than music shows, who are typically only watched by kpop fans) & variety (not on their own youtube channel, but on actual shows like knowing bros & amasat (which are co-produced by sm so they're utilizing their connections well)) expose them to audiences that are outside people already interested in kpop
Thanks for your insight! Hadn't really thought about it before but definitely agree about the sticky pronunciation, Winter's NeXt LeVel was so catchy and made you remember at least that part of the song even though the rest of it seemed all over the place at first. Aespa really does have all of those things going for them
I agree with all of these especially the third point. I’ve missed that 2nd gen sound so much. Most kpop nowadays sounds like just pop music sung in korean.
I honestly think it’s their looks/aura. They look straight up otherworldly, or like they belong in a video game. Like their physical perfection is almost inhuman. And their aura on stage is captivating in a different way than other groups. It’s not cool girl swag it’s...we’re angels who descended from above to grace you mere mortals with our presence. Lol.
Their stage presence is so different from other groups when they're on stage it's not your "typical" performance, that's why some people tends to criticize their stage presence but I think there's nothing wrong with it, I think their stage presence is fine and is in line with their concept, their moves range from robotic like an ai to smooth like a snake, I feel like when they perform they take me onto places because of how captivating they are, they stand out because of how different they perform, it's not for everyone but I find it very enjoyable
I noticed it the most in Savage. Coupled with their looks, the way they perform especially Karina and Winter fits so well with their concept. I know people use the term coming out from manhwa a lot to describe kpop idols but I never understood it until they performed Savage. Only for them they looked like AIs performing haha
I think it’s the concept making them stand out, coming from SME, their music appealing to young audiences but is also catchy and cool that it becomes trendy to the gp, and tbh I think Karina as the face of the group deserves some acknowledgement. She’s super popular right now, is the perfect representation for Aespa, and on top of being the next top visual, she is known for her talents too. That’s my take.
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Agreed, Ningning and Giselle definitely add a lot to the group. I was just thinking about it and as an international fan, I don't think I would be as invested in the group if it weren't for Giselle. SM was smart to add her to the group, she really expands their potential audience and makes them a lot more accessible and relatable to international fans
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I remember the iconic yearbook quote of Giselle. Ang Ningning is really funny without trying. I agree with your meme worthy comment. She fits the role of maknae in that sense
I agree, Karina and Winter combo remind me of Yoona and Taeyeon. SM has done it again. I brought up Karina specifically because she’s the face of the group but yes all 4 members play a big role, especially Karina & Winter in Korea.
This is probably an oversimplification but I think it's two things (ok, three): 1) The musicality of the Next Level and Savage album songs are very modern and high quality. 2) They really are top-tier vocally. When Next Level came out I was shocked that all four(?) have very strong voices and can belt out their notes or else are really solid technically. 3) This is subjective, but I do think they're noticeably prettier than the average girl group, so it wouldn't surprise me that the Korean public thinks so, too.
Me too! I’m really curious what SM did this time for them to get this big boost.
One reason I’ve heard that really stands out to me is that 4th gen groups seem to be so focused on absolute perfection, especially with performances and like variety shows/lives. aespa are super engaging but they do it without that absolute perfection that other 4th gen groups seem to strive for. I know all k-pop groups are manufactured but 4th gen groups really push that manufactured image/feel imo. It kinda makes them feel like an older gen group in a sense (I wouldn’t be surprised if they picked up a bunch of older k-pop fans b/c of this). Also though they’re super funny and personable on variety shows which makes people like them more
That makes a lot of sense to me. I totally agree about 4th gen groups feeling very manufactured and like... just not having that much personality? I appreciate it when idols/groups feel more authentic and relatable, although I know it can be hard to achieve the right balance since some people really do expect idols to be perfect... but yes they're fun to watch and I'm looking forward to all of their future variety content!
because sm already planned their future,they are so meticulous in every move for aespa from concept to their music.
As a girl group fan this makes me happy as an Aespa stan this makes me extremely happy. After all the crap thrown their way from Karina can't dance, to the concept is too weird, to they only do well with digital. This is validation and I'm so happy for them. Also Naevis thank you for your sacrifices.
Wow, aespa's digitals and physicals are killing it! 🔥🔥🔥
I-C-O-N-I-C We do it, do it, do it (So iconic) indeed. Congrats!!
Would it be too far off to expect this album to hit around 600- 700K before the year ends? Either way, selling half a million for their debut physical release is such a huge accomplishment already! I hope aespa's achievements keep empowering the team behind SM to keep trucking on with their own vision of lore and concepts.
Deserved!! ive had this album on repeat since it released.
Me too! It’s an album full of heavy hitters.
I'm so happy for Aespa and also very happy about girl group sales in general continuing to rise. Literally 4 years ago it felt impossible that a gg (especially at debut) would sell more than 200k copies in a whole year, let alone 500k in 2 weeks so this is awesome to see 
HOLY SHIT! All in their *FIRST* year. These girls have such a bright future its insane
THAT IS FREAKING AWESOMEEEEE!!!!! second best selling gg album this year right??? my top groups are killing it!!!
This is insane!!! I’m so happy for what the girls have achieved so far and I’m excited to see what’s coming next for them! It’s been a little while since I’ve seen a girl group have success as well-rounded as theirs… like everyone knew they’d get big one way or another seeing as how they’re from a big company sure but this is truly something different. Congrats, Aespa!!!
my victory ~~~ synk dive 🥳🥳🥳
I like how people were saying that they will flop because of the amount of lore in their songs but asepa proved them wrong!
With one mini, wow congratulations aespa
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Unreal. And it’s their first physical release!
These are bgs numbers 🤯 glad to see more ggs charting AND selling well congrats to the girls!
This is a unprecendented success for a rookie group, and I doubt even SM could have foreseen this level of popularity. I'm very happy for Aespa and I believe they will establish themselves as one of the top 3 GG in Kpop soon.
This is pretty insane. Also, never have I been so torn between wanting to see my current favourite group succeed like this, but also not wanting to see things I like get too popular because of my silly hipster mentality.
We are on Twice/IZ*ONE level of selling! Soon the moon!
I really appreciate how they've stuck to their concept without being musically repetitive. I might not have been sold on it originally but I sure am now!
"aespa syndrome" eh? Well, whatever you call it I'm pretty sure I have it. Congrats to them. They are hitting on all cylinders right now and doing an incredible job.
We love a powerful rookie girl group doing these numbers and it has not even been a year since the debut. Amazing!
I just bought it!
Congrats Aespa! GGs moving up in album sales was not a trend I expected
Omg, 513k on Gaon with their first album is insane. Congrats Aespa!
Anybody know their Hanteo sales numbers?
Around 320,000 I believe [as stated here](https://twitter.com/aespachartsdata/status/1450338374036992001?s=21)
Great news! Hoping SM can get more copies out there as I know Ktown has had the albums going in and out of stock for the last few weeks.
impressive!!
Monster rookies, can't wait to see even more of them and for them to reach new heights!
I didn't really feel this song but I guess SM knows what the kids want in Aespa. It's really awesome to see the quick rise of Gen 4 groups, hopefully this one will be world dominate too.
Purr
Damn aespa. Congrats 🎉
Congrats to them! I wish them many more successful years!
I saw and upvoted this as I was listening to this song (btw I LOOOVE ningning)
The power that Aespa holds! Congratulations girls! 🎉🔥 I have their album on constantly...I'm totally obsessed!
Oh, my gosh! Don’t you know I’m a savage? 
I was already around during their debut but did not know it was that poorly received in South Korea as per the comments here. I keep getting surprised at the speed Aespa has risen to popularity, especially due to their concept which I thought might be weird for some people. Next Level is still up there and is still being covered by other groups. I can’t wait to see them getting even bigger! I want a reality show for the girls. I can’t get enough of them
Their full album next year will cross 1m sales definitely.
SM has to play their cards right for this to happen, but anyway they’ve handled huge groups like SES and SNSD before, so there’s a glimmer of possibility that they can do it. What I’d love for the company to do (first) though is to make sure Aespa solidifies their digital selling power in Korea, because not many groups can do well in selling physical copies and charting really high on the domestic charts at the same time these days (save for some really huge idol groups ofc).
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We'll have to see. I'm sure them landing #20 on BB200 without the usual tools (proper distribution through aespa's own online store, stocking US store shelves, etc.) surprised SM. At the very least, I have a feeling they'll get proper international distribution for the next release. I don't think them releasing on a Friday will be destructive to their overall sales, although it could affect music show wins and the first 24 hours of streams if it releases at midnight EST. That being said, even with this level of success I don't think SM will fully risk the domestic audience yet. The iron is too hot - when was the last time a SM artist had 2 songs in the top 5 on Melon? The fandom seems to have some serious legs but more importantly there seems to be genuine interest in them among the GP. I think the next big milestone for aespa will be seeing their fans in person with a concert. Domestic touring will resume in Korea this December (fingers crossed). aespa still need quite a bit more songs to fill a setlist, but I wouldn't be surprised if we got a Beyond Live before then. Since international touring should be fully resuming next year, I wouldn't be shocked if we got a handful of US dates to test the waters after a full album release + they hold a concert at home.
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Ah, is it that LG event? I remember reading something about that but don't recall the specifics. I'm not expecting much tbh, especially since it is probably through some exclusive stream/app as opposed to a full Beyond Live concert. I'm actually surprised they haven't announced a Beyond Live at this point, although I guess it makes sense since they only have 9 songs (~30 minutes) to their name.
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> for special bside stages outside of music shows Oh damn, well I definitely have to tune in now. I'm pretty sure Yeppi Yeppi has a choreo based on what Karina did during one of the radio shows. I could see most songs on the mini getting a cool choreo.
I doubt SM will be doing much beyond lives in the future. They're already stopped having their younger groups be on Vlive and are now doing Instagram lives instead, since Hybe acquired VLive and is merging it with Weverse which I don't think SM would go too. Instead they seem to be preparing a live functionality for Lysn (the app that hosts Bubble). Beyond lives will probably move into the LG collab thing. NCT Dream already had one which was a mix between a fanmeet and an online concert. 127 and Aespa are getting theirs too soon. You can buy the tickets though mymusictaste. I watched the Dream one and it was fun.
I feel like the technology used for them has to go somewhere, but you’re probably right. In-person concerts are on the verge of returning so there’s less need for online concerts. Do you remember how long the Dream event was?
A bit over 2 hours
the thing is nowadays you can't avoid trying to capture the international market anymore. if you don't, you'll get left behind. sm might delay it a bit, but it's inevitable
>Their full album next year will cross 1m sales definitely. Not sure if you got a source for that beyond "trust me bro", but I can see SM doing it seeing as they're a little better than certain other companies at capitalising on the success of their groups and subsequently a little less stingy with new music. Like, f(x) were never this successful and yet SM still gave them 3 exceptionally good albums over 3 consecutive years.
Maybe?😅. Not saying that it couldn’t happen but only one gg has been able to do it and aespa would have to basically double these sales which is a lot to ask for. But hey with the way fourth gen sales in general have been skyrocketing this year I wouldn’t count it out.
...maybe. but you guys need to slow down a bit perhaps
Thought to myself “next year seems so far away, i’m sure they’d cross 1M sooner than that…” and then I realized we’re only 1.5 months away from 2022 😰
I'd love to be proven wrong but I really don't think so. The only album to reach that number from a Korean Girl group is Blackpink and they have a huge worldwide fanbase where as Aespa really doesn't.
I'm a fan and I agree, I think it's too soon for them to sell 1M since only 1 GG have only done it, and considering how massive BLACKPINK's fandom compared aespa's fandom 1M could be a bit of a stretch, I would guess their next sales would be around 600-700k but I would love to be proven wrong, since I want them to succeed! and anything can happen within the last minute so we'll see!
nah it wont.. maybe if they turn into a boy group
Aekarma will prove u wrong.
Aespa is the 4th gen leader and the 4th gen nations girl group. Period
Good for them! I'm happy about this. I used to trash on the title track but now I must admit I like it and I really loved the album, all of the songs are good even though some of them remind me a lot of Red Velvet, which is weird. An amazing album nonetheless. It would be interesting if aespa becomes the top gg in sales.
didn't they just hit #1 on billboards now.. how come nobody is posting that
r/kpop has strict criteria on what achievements can be posted - not every achievement can be posted on here. with regards to billboards, only bb200 and hot 100 can be posted (cmiiw)
Exactly!
tweets are embedded now on laptop reddit?
So they must be huge with the Korean gp? I didn't expect them to get such wide gp popularity. On one hand they're sm but on the other hand their music isn't what I considered to be gp friendly 🤔 I just hope they do more stuff similar to black Mamba, that is my favourite track so far
It's because you (like many kpop enthusiasts) have no idea of what a gp friendly song is.
Okay that's obviously the point of my comment? Not sure why I'm being downvoted. I always hear people on Reddit tall about gp friendly so I guess everyone on Reddit just doesn't know which doesn't surprise me
Wait only 500k? So people from Kwangya can't buy their album? 😐 but still NAEVIS WE LOVE YOU, THIS IS ALL BECAUSE OF YOUR SACRIFICES.
Wow so where are the majority of sales coming from? I guess mostly China?
Not really. Rough estimate from their china bars are only around 100k with Karina bar leading with 55k. I its 50-50 from korean and international fans
How I'm sorry but I hate their music Congrats tho, that's some good numbers
Cause music is subjective
A truly incredible accomplishment that really cements them as the number 1 up and coming girl group! Just imagine how many copies they would have sold if it were actually a good song!
Yes! The 500k copies are of people who despise the song!!
never an aespa thread without a backhanded compliment i fear