In an interview, aespa explained their metaverse concept as well as their connection to SMCU. On top of that, the quartet also clarified the role of "Naevis" and "Black Mamba," who were first introduced through their previous releases.
On January 14, Korean news outlet E-Daily released an interview with "Rookie Monster" aespa. During the talk, the four-member group composed of Karina, Giselle, Winter and NingNing actively answered questions related to their metaverse concept and explained frequently-asked-questions related to terms such as "KWANGYA," "Naevis" and "Black Mamba."
Who are 'Naevis and 'Black Mamba'? aespa Unveils Metaverse Storyline Initially Hinted at Their Previous Songs
ALSO READ: From aespa to EXO to NCT Dream: What is the Connection of 'KWANGYA' and These Groups in SM Culture Universe?
During the interview, aespa introduced the various characters in their metaverse worldview. First of all, there are Karina, Winter, Ningning, and Giselle in the real world, and their virtual counterparts, avatar members ae-Karina, ae-Winter, ae-Giselle and ae-NingNing.
aespa's debut song "Black Mamba" deals with the adventures that unfold as aespa members learned that Black Mamba, the villain of the story, is the one who interferes with their connection with their avatar (ae-aespa) and threatens the real world.
Their hit track, "Next Level," then depicts the quartet's journey to KWANGYA to find Black Mamba, which has confused the world. KWANGYA is where ae-aespa resides in the background of SM Culture Universe (SMCU), the worldview of SM Entertainment.
Lastly, the third song, "Savage," introduced "naevis," who is the "assistant" of aespa that connects avatar to the real world. The track tells the story of aespa and ae-aespa going out to KWANGYA, thanks to the help of naevis, to confront the Black Mamba who exists in the parallel world along with ae.
aespa Hints at Connection of SM Artists to SMCU
Based on previous releases of SM artists, such as NCT and EXO in 2021, their connection to aespa drew the attention of K-pop fans particularly Pink Bloods (fandom of SM Artists) for mentioning the word "KWANGYA" in their songs.
In the "SMTOWN LIVE 2022" concert then held on January 1, 2022, all groups under SM Entertainment gathered and arrived at KWANGYA station, hinting at the start of SMCU with other artists.
While there are groups, such as Super Junior, SHINee and SNSD who are still confused of the concept, aespa attested that every SM group will have their respective roles.
READ MORE: Super Junior Donghae & Eunhyuk Clueless about 'KWANGYA' + Confused if They are Part of SMCU
"aespa opened the door of SM Culture Universe (SMCU), a worldview of SM Entertainment. It will be like the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), where Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America gathered to build a worldview."
"aespa laid the foundation for implementing an SMCU that crosses virtual and reality by bringing together the IPs of artists belonging to SM Entertainment. The connection and scalability with other SM artists as well as aespa seem to be interesting, so please look forward to aespa's performance in SMCU," Karina added.
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Written by Eunice Dawson
