REVIEW 'Metaverse group' aespa takes stage with digital avatars, electrifies 5,000 fans
Members of K-pop girl group aespa perform with their digital avatars during their “SYNK: HYPER LINE” concert at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in eastern Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of SM Entertainment
Aespa premieres 7 new songs in first solo concert
By Dong Sun-hwa
Reputed as the first metaverse group in the K-pop universe, aespa consists of four human members ― Karina, Winter, Giselle and Ningning ― and four digital avatars representing each one of them. To make use of this unique characteristic, its management company SM Entertainment pulled out a trump card for its first-ever solo concert last weekend: bringing virtual avatars to the center stage and having them dance in sync with their human counterparts.
The digital entities stole the scene from the very beginning of the 120-minute show, Sunday. Before the four human members burst onto stage, the hyper-realistic virtual characters performed “Girls” ― the lead single off the group's second EP that dropped last July ― on the transparent LED screen, welcoming some 5,000 spectators at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in eastern Seoul. They later formed a perfect team with their human counterparts, commanding the show with their overflowing energy and inundating the stage with visual splendor.
Aespa performs during its “SYNK: HYPER LINE” concert at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in eastern Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of SM Entertainment
The virtual avatars could only perform a few songs, including “Illusion” (2022), “Menagerie” (2023) and “Black Mamba” (2020), presumably due to the high cost of bringing them to the stage. Nonetheless, they clearly demonstrated how aespa is distinctive from any other K-pop group and how it will use state-of-the-art technologies in the future to elevate its performance to the next level.
“Featuring our avatars on the LED screen is very expensive,” Winter said during the SYNK: HYPER LINE concert. “We will work hard and make more money so that they can don new outfits next time.”
During the concert, aespa premiered seven new tracks: “Thirsty,” “I'm Unhappy,” “Don't Blink,” “Hot Air Balloon,” “Yolo,” “Salty & Sweet” and “Till We Meet Again.” It is rare for a K-pop act to perform so many yet-to-be-released songs during its concert, but this was inevitable for aespa.
Aespa members during their “SYNK: HYPER LINE” concert at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in eastern Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of SM Entertainment
The group was initially scheduled to roll out its first full-length album on Feb. 20, but the plan was postponed following SM's management dispute with its founder, Lee Soo-man. The 70-year-old founder recently terminated his contract as a chief producer with SM and sold his 14.8 percent stake in the company to its rival, HYBE ― home to K-pop juggernaut BTS ― for 422.8 billion won ($335.8 million).
According to SM's co-CEO Lee Sung-soo, it decided to push back the date of aespa's album release to give it some changes. He claimed that the original version, which was helmed by Lee, included lyrics about tree-planting ― a personal project that Lee has been promoting, but has no link to aespa.
“We are currently gearing up for our fresh album,” Winter said, without elaborating on the specific date.
Karina added, “We have always taken responsibility for our words. Please look forward to our comeback and upcoming activities.”
Aespa member Winter sings “Lips” during the group's “SYNK: HYPER LINE” concert at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in eastern Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of SM Entertainment
The crown jewel of Sunday's gig was Winter's solo take on “Lips,” a slow ballad highlighting the 22-year-old's crystal-clear voice and vocal bravura. Crooning the song against the backdrop of the starry night sky, Winter made her fans grow sentimental before shifting to a festive mood with a series of upbeat tunes including, “Hot Air Balloon,” “YEPPI YEPPI” and “YOLO.” All audience members stood up and danced along with the members. The stage, which reminded people of a spring wonderland, was also occupied by adorable inflatable dolls that resembled different animals.
A host of SM artists attended the gig to cheer up the members of aespa, the youngest group in the company that debuted in 2020. TVXQ's Max Changmin, Super Junior's Leeteuk and Eunhyuk, Girls' Generation's Taeyeon, SHINee's Minho and Key, Red Velvet's Wendy and Seulgi and NCT's Haechan, Renjun and Jisung were among those who attended the concert.
“I am so thankful to our fans, SM artists and our staff,” Ningning said. “I am so happy to have held this concert. I will also do my best in our upcoming concerts.”
Giselle added, “We feel like we have performed in a more comfortable manner today compared to yesterday. It was so fun. See you all next time!”