The Financial Times has released its highly-anticipated Most Influential Women of 2023 list, spotlighting remarkable individuals making a difference globally, and aespa secures a coveted spot on the prestigious list. The group joins a roster of accomplished women, including global icons like Beyonce and Margot Robbie. This recognition celebrates aespa’s meteoric rise in the music industry.
Good morning, Asia. While you were sleeping, this was our most read story https://t.co/waoLUe5OCr
— Financial Times (@FT) December 1, 2023
YooJin Choi, co-curator of the “Hallyu! The Korean Wave” exhibition at the V&A, reflects on aespa’s influence, highlighting their instrumental role in propelling K-Pop into the international spotlight.
Growing up in the late 1990s in South Korea, I would spend hours listening to SES, part of the first generation of Korean pop music. When I moved to the UK, my classmates barely knew Korea existed. Little did I expect that by 2023, K-Pop would have blazed into the mainstream, becoming one of the most popular musical genres in the world. While the top tiers of the Korean charts have been dominated by boy bands, a new wave of girl groups has been climbing the ranks. In the two years since they released their first album, aespa have set and then broken a series of records for K-Pop girl groups, becoming the first to pass one million first-week sales with three consecutive albums, as well as playing Coachella and launching a world tour. With their experimentally layered instrumentation and fiery vocals accompanied by their sci-fi punk AI avatar counterparts (the “ae” in aespa refers to “avatar” and “experience”), aespa have pushed the boundaries of K-Pop.
YooJin Choi
This achievement marks a significant milestone for aespa and underscores their indelible impact on the global music scene.
aespa Karina And Giselle’s Charms As Told By Each OtherKPOP STORIESOct 27, 2023
aespa Members’ Height, From Tallest To ShortestOct 26, 2023
