aespa Responds to Bang Si-hyuk’s Controversial Message

On May 27th, aespa hosted a showcase at Blue Square in Yongsan-gu, Seoul to celebrate the release of their first full-length album “ARMAGEDDON.”

aespa’s first full-length album release in 4 years since their debut, this album showcases the narrative of season 2, expanding their world view beyond just the real and digital worlds to the multiverse. The group’s unique concept and identity are encapsulated in the album’s slogan “I define myself”, promising to reveal a new side of aespa.

Winter clarified, “Our focus was on staying true to the aespa identity. We carefully considered our defining characteristics and prepared with that in mind.”

Karina stated that their music should not be labeled as either “easy listening”or “hard listening”. Instead, they want it to be recognized as “aespa’s music”. The group maintained their distinct sound for the title track, while also showcasing a range of different styles and colors in their other songs.

Despite facing some concerns due to recent issues, aespa’s highly anticipated comeback has received over 1 million pre-orders for their album, indicating a promising start. However, this success was marred by controversy when HYBE’s Chairman Bang Si-hyuk made controversial remarks about the group last month. ADOR’s CEO Min Hee-jin, who is currently in a dispute with Chairman Bang, revealed in a press conference that he had asked her to “step on aespa.”

Karina expressed gratitude to her fellow members and the company, stating, “As this is our debut full-length album, we were dedicated to rehearsing.”

“She acknowledged, “We have received Chairman Bang’s message, but the public’s affection is a result of our efforts and commitment. Thank you for supporting the song ‘Supernova’.”

Karina stated that there are no problems between them and their colleagues at NewJeans. She mentioned that they recently shared expressions of love and appreciation in the waiting room, exchanging hearts and expressing their enjoyment of NewJeans’ work. She reassured that their relationship with NewJeans is that of good colleagues.

According to Ningning, each artist possesses their own distinct color and charm, hence, making comparisons or substitutions irrelevant.