Aespa is all about reinvention.
The four-piece girl group, hailing from Korean label SM Entertainment, have been ahead of the curve since their 2020 debut. The group debuted with at-the-time revolutionary concept tied to the metaverse, where every member had a corresponding avatar. But now, approaching five years as a group, Karina, Giselle, Winter and Ningning seemingly feel they’ve found the Aespa they’ve always wanted to be.
“I think what people think of Aespa, right now, since maybe 2024-ish, I think that’s where the image that we were thinking from the beginning started to be shown to the people who see us,” Giselle tells The Hollywood Reporter on a Zoom from SM’s Seoul headquarters.
Building off the success of their 2024 hits “Supernova” and “Whiplash,” Aespa’s latest single, “Dirty Work (Feat. Flo Milli),” is primed to become the group’s latest chart-topping hit. “Dirty Work,” which racked up over 1 million pre-orders ahead of its Friday debut, keeps the sound and soul of Aespa alive but with an added groove that the group hasn’t fully explored before.
Below, the “Next Level” singers speak with THR about “Dirty Work,” their collaboration with Flo Milli and how they’ve evolved into the group they always saw themselves as.
Let’s start with “Dirty Work.” Can you tell me about the release?
GISELLE It’ll be a single, so we’ll have the Korean version, the English version and then we have a featuring version with Flo Milli, which is something we’re very excited about. This is one of those songs where when we heard the demo, from the start, we were all just like, “Wow.” It’s a song that we all really, really like, so we’re very excited to show you guys, and it’s a little more minimal than what we have done recently.
It does have a bit of a different feel than some of the music (like “Whiplash”, “Supernova” or “Armageddon”) that you’ve been putting out lately. How do you feel it still fits into the sound that you have created for yourselves over the years?
GISELLE Well, we’re always trying to do something new. With “Supernova” and “Armageddon,” the instrumentals in general, not only our vocals, but everything is the opposite of minimalistic, I think. There’s a lot of sounds. Same with “Whiplash,” different genre but similar with a lot of sounds, but more techno. We think “Dirty Work” is a lot less than that. The teasers that have come out so far, it doesn’t really sound like that, but once you hear the actual full song, I think a lot of people will feel the different sounds and how it’s a lot more simple. But it has that kind of cool feel to it.
What was it like collaborating with Flo Milli?
KARINA First of all, we’re really happy to collab with a very big artist like Flo Milli. This is our first official collab with another artist, but we’d love to work with artists who inspire us and create something unique together, which made this collaboration with Flo Milli so special. She was able to bring a very fiery edge to the vibe of the song.
You’ve had plenty of success over the last year with your recent releases. Does that add pressure onto you with every release? Or does it motivate you to try new things?
WINTER Of course, as much as we receive love from the public, I really do think that I need to feel pressure in a positive way. Rather than feeling pressure in a negative way, feeling it more heavily and [with] more weight, I think this should go in a positive way where we can give positive influence to our fans and to the public and give our messages that we want to send.
What was your experience like growing alongside your fans?
NINGNING From our debut until now, we kept trying new music. We challenged ourself with new music and concerts; We did a lot of concerts meeting our lovely fans out there. I think we really actually grew up and actually really got better. I’m really happy that when people think of Aespa, we have this distinct color and we keep working to find new colors. Finding our color and specificity in this music scene is making us grow. We are really thankful for our fans who loved [us along] this journey and who grew up with us.
How do you feel you’ve all evolved from when you debuted until now, and how you’ve been able to do that together as a team? How has that dynamic changed for you guys?
KARINA Both as a team and myself, I think with the recent albums, I really got to talk with our company more about music and the album we’re making. Also, as a team, we talk with each other, we discuss a lot about music and the color we actually want to show to the public. We constantly try to find and study and offer feedback to each other about what is best on this journey. With these insightful discussions going on, we think the more we talk and discuss, we grow up faster. Our company actually gives us a lot of help as well, so as a team and a person myself, I think communicating would be the best way to grow up.
How do you want the world to see Asepa?
GISELLE From the start, we had a concept that was just very [specifically] a certain thing. Very AI, very cyber, which was cool, but at the same time, It didn’t mesh perfectly well at the start because obviously because we’re human. [Laughs]. But as time went by, we released more music, tried new concepts and merged that together. I think what people think of Aespa, right now, since maybe 2024-ish, I think that’s where the image that we were thinking from the beginning started to be shown to the people who see us. I can speak for all four of us when I say we did feel that, little by little, as time went by. It’s still very new. It’s still 2025, and it’s going to start now with each member as an individual. From now, we can show people what we think our ideal thing is, but I think that’s kind of up to us to be able to show that and be that too.
Do you feel the shift just happened over time or did it come from working together for a few years now?
GISELLE I think every reason put together made that outcome. I mean, everything that we’re saying right now is an opinion, so someone could think completely differently. But I think it was us getting to know each other more as well. Even just being together for a couple of years, that definitely did play a big role. Knowing this kind of vibe suits you and me and blah, blah, blah. And how we portray that on screen as well.
Is there a genre or concept you haven’t tried yet that you’d like to?
NINGNING Since our debut [we’ve] wanted to try a cute or fresh or cleaner concept.
What do you hope for Aespa as a whole or yourselves as performers?
GISELLE As a group, obviously we [all started this career] for different reasons, but it’s all because of music and [that] we loved performing and all of that. We all wish the best for each other as well, as in our own individual careers as well. I think each member has something in mind, of course, and that would’ve been what got us started here in the first place. I think our fans haven’t seen anything like that yet, obviously, no one has done a big solo project yet, but it will be coming someday we hope.