aespa Addresses 'Rivalry' With 4th-Gen Groups Like NewJeans: 'Rather Than Competing...'
During a press interview, aespa was lauded for their professionalism after giving a smart response regarding their rivalry with fellow 4th-gen groups like NewJeans.
On May 27 the quartet (Karina, Giselle, Winter, and NingNing) held a showcase for their first full-length album "Armageddon," held at the Blue Square Mastercard Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
In the event, questions unrelated to their new music were thrown their way. Among the irrelevant subjects brought up by the press were the issue of ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin and HYBE, NewJeans' label.
During Min's revelation, she exposed HYBE as wanting to "step on aespa" by making NewJeans have an "album pushback" in an attempt to break the SM Entertainment girl group's record of having the highest first-week sales.
But fortunately, the aespa members remained calm and composed through it all.
Karina responded to the inquiry:
"We are aware of the issue. Anyway, since this is our first full-length album, we were concentrating on practicing."
Winter, who couldn't hold back a chuckle, lightly commented:
"Rather than thinking about it too deeply, we just accepted it with the hope that everything would go well for our first full-length album."
ALSO READ: aespa Winter's Hilarious Reaction to Bang Si Hyuk's Question Goes Viral — Here's Why
The media also asked about their "rivalry" with other fourth-gen girl groups including NewJeans.
However, Karina implied that they don't have any bad blood with the group, and shared an anecdote with the ADOR team.
"Recently, we met with (NewJeans) during a music show and we exchanged hearts in the waiting room. We love each other! They are so cute and we are looking at each other very well, so there is no reason to be concerned at all about doing this to each other. We are all good and getting along well as colleagues."
The maknae line also refuted that they are competing with other K-pop groups. Winter explained:
"I never thought of it as a competition. It's good to promote K-pop all together, and we have our own strengths. Rather than competing, we want to show MYs and the public how we are growing on our own."
NingNing agreed and added:
"Music is actually objective, so if you like this kind of music, you look at this artist’s music. Rather than competing (with other girl groups), we always continue to compete with ourselves and develop our previous appearances.
Every artist is different. Because they have their different colors and each has its own charm, I think they cannot be compared or replaced.”
Meanwhile, amid their popularity with "Supernova," aespa dropped their first full-length album, "Armageddon," on May 27, which comprised a double title track with the same name.
The physical album and MV were also released simultaneously, introducing the 8 b-sidetracks "Set the Tone," "Mine," "Licorice," "BAHAMA," "Long Chat," "Prologue," "Live My Life," and "Melody."
ICYMI, here's aespa's "Armageddon" MV!
Which among aespa's "Armageddon" tracks is your favorite? Tell us in the comments!
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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz