Aespa give K-pop new dimension with their single Next Level that takes listeners into the alternative virtual universe of SMCU

The K-pop girl group’s third single draws listeners into their label’s alternative universe, the SMCU

At the single’s launch Aespa’s flesh-and-blood performers, who each have virtual counterparts, spoke about their avatars and the storyline behind the song

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K-pop girl group Aespa have released a new single, Next Level. Photo: The Sports Seoul via Getty Images

Published: 6:15pm, 20 May 2021Updated: 11:01am, 25 May 2021

Aespa want to take K-pop to the next level with their latest single, which they released on Monday.

The song, the girl group’s third since forming last year, is the latest move by the quartet and their management company SM Entertainment to delve into an alternate, fictional universe.

The hip-pop track Next Level is a remake of a song on the 2019 soundtrack of the Fast & Furious franchise film Hobbs & Shaw.

Aespa, the latest act from a company that has produced many of K-pop’s biggest hits, are the central players in the “SM Culture Universe” or SMCU, which it likens to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU.

World building is more typically associated with fantasy and sci-fi series than pop music, but the SMCU’s launch is an attempt to incorporate broad storytelling in the girl group’s work by incorporating multimedia narratives. Other K-pop groups, such as BTS, EXO, TXT, Loona and Everglow, incorporate similar plots in their musical productions, but this is the first cross-roster one to date.

Aespa, who stylise their name as aespa, gained a lot of attention before their debut because the band includes avatars of its members, known as “ae”, which feature heavily in their storyline.

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