In online communities, aespa's popularity sparked heated debate among fans and internet users after OP claimed the quartet is "no longer an A-list group."

aespa Invites MYs To Their Worldview With Pre-Released Track 'Welcome to My World'

On May 2, "fourth-gen representative" girl group aespa amplified fans' excitement to their much-awaited comeback by dropping its pre-released b-sidetrack, "Welcome to My World."

On this day, the sound source was posted on various music sites, while its official music video was simultaneously uploaded on SMTOWN's YouTube channel.

In particular, "Welcome to My World" is based on the alternative pop genre which is comprised of a combination of dreamy guitar riffs and grand orchestration.

ALSO READ: People Are Joking SM Used THIS 'Cheat Key' To Attract Male Listeners To Stream aespa's New Song

The MV then depicts the story of naevis, the helper in aespa's worldview being invited to the real world after defeating the villain black Mamba. It can also be interpreted that aespa is inviting MYs (fandom) and listeners to enter their world through their unique worldview storytelling using music.

Meanwhile, including this song, aespa will officially return to the music scene with its third mini-album, "MY WORLD," on May 8, which will feature five more other songs. Earlier, the track video versions for "Salty & Sweet" and "I'm Unhappy" were also released.

aespa Is Not A-List 4th-Gen Group Anymore? Discussion Arises After 'Welcome to My World' Poor Chart Performance

As soon as the pre-released track, "Welcome to My World" was dropped, fans and netters are closely monitoring their performance, as they were known to be "fourth-gen leaders" with three consecutive hits, "Black Mamba," "Next Level" and "Savage."

However, people were disappointed after the song failed to maintain its rankings inside MelOn Top 100, one of the top streaming charts in Korea, let alone gain 10M YouTube views upon its release.

In online communities, it then became a hot topic if aespa is still considered an A-list group.

The OP said:

"Now, they can't even compare with NewJeans, IVE and LE SSERAFIM."

This statement particularly sparked a heated argument, some are agreeing with OP, saying:

• "Even if you categorize it as a pre-release, IVE and NewJeans' pre-release ate all the charts."
• "When I first came across with aespa, I thought they looked really good, but after IVE and NewJeans came out, it felt like they are not standing out anymore."
• "Eh? aespa had a comeback?"
• "What are the criteria for being the #1 team? Only the fans know that they went to Tokyo Dome or something, but if you talk about Korean singers, I thought the first group (NewJeans) was popular in Korea."

On the flip side, there are more fans especially MYs who took the side of the quartet and commented:

• "Yes, I'm sorry, but among fourth-generation, aespa is the first group to enter Tokyo Dome."
• "You're the only ones who insist that aespa is not in the first division when they got the daesang (grand prize) and have a mega-hit song, oh if you're jealous, say you're jealous."
• "It's a pre-release track and it's going to go up slowly, just wait."

READ MORE: aespa's Upcoming Comeback Is Receiving High Anticipation For THESE 3 Reasons

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Written by Eunice Dawson.