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

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
Tamar Herman

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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At the launch of Next Level on Monday, Aespa members shared some insights into what they’re hoping to achieve through such multifaceted releases. “Our story is about ‘meeting the other self, an avatar, and experiencing a new world’ ,” said Winter. “This is a concept that’s never been seen anywhere before so it gives us our own unique colour and style.”

As for the music, Karina said Next Level “is groovy and energetic with a dynamic musical arrangement”, adding: “We tried to bring out more power through our voices.”

Ahead of the release of Next Level, SM released the first episode of Aespa’s story, which explores their “ae” counterparts as creations brought about by social media postings, and shows how they’ll be facing off against a villain known as “Black Mamba”, which was the title of their first single.

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According to the band, Next Level is the sequel to that song, during which the connection to their ae was cut off. In Next Level, they head to the virtual world, known as Kwangya, to try to fix things.

Other acts, such as NCT, have also released songs with references to the current storyline SM Entertainment is promoting. The company reportedly plans to incorporate it in other artists’ releases.
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