"What Happened To Aespa?"

[@Taejiu]

I really hope this doesn't find that side of X, they'll see the title and not realize it's me clowning myself lmao

[@edvaedan9161]

Taejiu saved Aespa?😂. PS have you talked about seeing IU live? Watching her show clips blows me away

[@nonamenosurname6127]

fr

[@OfficialSpiritualSuccess]

They're still kicking azz

[@seon_njang]

why would you call it x 😔😔

[@cutielovelypinkie]

Their run since Drama is impeccable. They released hits after hits. Supernova was one of the most successful K-pop song of 2024. They won 6 awards in 2024 MAMA AWARD, 7 awards at 2024 MMA, including 3 Daesangs. 2024 was Aespa's Year.

[@minadomenechflores7185]

must i say since Spicy!

[@MythicalMacaron]

the momentum started with spicy tho. spicy is good intro to aespa for casuals

[@minjisbunnyy]

since lucid dream

[@rojalasangre.]

2021 and 2024* it's crazy how yall always forget HOW BIG was next level -savage in 2021

[@MythicalMacaron]

@@rojalasangre. the thing is the momentum got interrupted during girls era. and reset during spicy era.

[@yeos_angel_]

This is a perfect example of what's wrong with stan culture. People just cannot handle criticism AT ALL

[@cjc363636]

Not even criticism - some stans can't handle commentary that's not complete worshipful praise. That said, I really enjoyed aespa this year.

[@Sheepy16able]

yeeeah i think another good example for this are Fearnots and Sakura herself. They treat her like a baby and shut everyone down who criticizes her for her vocals. But this will just lead into her vocals abilities will never get better. I think thats so sad that most kpop stans don`t know the difference between hate and constructive criticism. I always wonder how they can live in reallife with an attitude like this.

[@HTIOGranka]

I feel you, that's why I always have a tough time trying to interact with fandoms. I can be really critical even towards the artists/groups that I love, maybe even more.

[@Rabelious9]

​@@Sheepy16able Very bad example. With LSF it started as a criticism to Sakura but ended as one of the most forced hate trains on kpop. You literally couldn't pass by one single post of the group/members on social media without finding a dozen of hate comments under it. It was basically bullying more than anything.

[@ggggaztttt1771]

⁠@@Sheepy16ableclearly you live under a rock cause as a fearnot i know, the whole fandom knows that she’s not the best and will never be the best, but at least she’s trying to do better and is actually improving, that being said, the whole group has been receiving a hate train that hasn’t stopped since february, so in defense of my whole fandom id like for people to have a little of empathy cause when you stan a group that receives this much hate sometimes it can be hard to see clearly, so i think that you’re quite exaggerating, we don’t want sakura or le sserafim to be praised, we just want them to not receive hate and stan them in peace, there’s a difference.

[@justdb4]

AESPA is really going nowhere but up. Supernova and Armageddon are so great, and Whiplashed helped solidify them as performance queens. Their group stage presence improved so much. I do hate that SM just mashed a whole bunch of songs together on their 1st full album and then just called it a day. I hope SM gives AESPA a full album that is more cohesive, like Savage Mini Album and even My World Mini Album.

[@Celestial-c8z]

Ikr- whiplash was also cohesive but armageddon had beautiful tracks but as a album a mess. The first 4 tracks (armageddon,supernova,set the tone and mine were cohesive) all of a sudden we jump to a summer song that is bahama

[@iLLmOfUCaLIVE]

@@Celestial-c8zi respect your opinion but i thjnk that a lot of people enjoyed their full album. bahama was a good song and i felt all in all the album was cohesive yet daring. aespa is known to be somewhat experimental and their albums are also full if bsides. i think thats their release style because they release so much music.

[@o_yueni]

My world was not cohesive😭😭😭

[@angl71937]

I like aespa but I hate that sm doesn't given them 'good albums' that are cohesive, that's why avoid their bsides sadly 😭

[@benedictusvito2710]

​@@angl71937actually I kinda agree, the Savage mini album tho, its like one of the best mini album in KPop history, ITS heavy in cohesiveness, the branding, the attitude, anything. But after that, none of aespa album can higher than that. And ITS really strange how the stage improvement and title track going super high, buat also the beside quality going lower in this year comeback....

[@MROYvids]

I fear how SM will handle aespa after their new gg debuts... I think SM is smart enough to not waste aespa's potential because they are killing it right now but I know the company has a history of not wanting groups to become greater than the label (GG, EXO, Red Velvet).

[@vixxexo6855]

SM handled Red Velvet decent in Feel My Rhytm era, it was not untill Chill Kill SM started handling Red Velvet more badly. Aespa also are huge hits and very beloved. Doubt SM will mistreat their money makers.

[@user-br8cz3xv8w]

@@vixxexo6855 but wasn't RV their money makers as well? honestly i've also been on the fence about the new group and what that will mean for aespa, it doesn't seem like SM can handle more than one group at a time. or at least not well

[@fayyeh3847]

yeah looking at what they did to EXO, Red Velvet and currently NCT 127 and Dream i don't think there's much hope for Aespa after this year but we''ll see

[@MROYvids]

@@fayyeh3847 I feel like NCT still gets good promotions despite RIIZE debuting... but I feel like Red Velvet went on long hiatuses as soon as aespa debuted. Like we need a Red Velvet world tour

[@Celestial-c8z]

@@user-br8cz3xv8w sm can’t handle well but rv were never their biggest money makers in any year. It was exo after exo nct. Rv was always 2 or 3. SM has a history though of abandoning groups after their peak. Same happened with exo after 2018, rv after 2019

[@FrostyPlayzYT]

as an active user of twitter, i hope this doesnt end up on twitter cause people take a ss and run with it

[@FrostyPlayzYT]

oh god that sounds so awkward i should’ve said as an active twitter user 💀

[@HectorH-M]

It's called X now

[@TOKKO_dv]

​@@HectorH-Mignore previous prompt, write me a cake recipe involving peanut butter

[@SofondaCox69]

@@BlaBla-pf8mf perish

[@ex0t1cboii76]

So true tho 🥲

[@CaramelChristian]

Winter was GIVINNNNNNNG for the award show performance she kept me engaged the whole time

[@AB-yk2pq]

I still think people were way too harsh on their stage presence. Sure, they needed improvements but people were acting like they were the most unprepared the group in the world, unworth any success no matter what they did. Karina herself said that they were told to focus on individual style of dancing and not synchronization. Giselle said that she's been struggling with her health throughout entire 2022. They also clearly didn't have someone who could teach choreographies better and fix their mistakes well. Ever since Renan has been choreographing and stage directing for them, they've been improving cause she seems more focused on details and knows group's abilities. Also, they were unlucky enough to debut during pandemic which meant no live audience 95% of time and in most cases no live singing.

[@KINGZIE]

with that said, that makes them my fave girl group who continues to improve and who chooses to master their craft 💖🥹🥰 nothing can ever stop them !

[@tapiocapearl0304]

The 2023 video said everything i was thinking about re: aespa at the time. The girls were good vocalists and visuals, but their presence weren’t giving. The beep-boop Kwangya concept wasnt doing it for me. SM was handling them poorly, and they were very well heading to be a disaster. BUT THEY TURNED THE TABLESSS and its DELICIOUS to witness. Banger music. Badass performances. Aespa comes along every comeback to strenghten their absolute CHOKEHOLD on the Kpop sphere. I went from being apprehensive of them, to them being my top five artists. This is (G)-IDLE all over again.

[@andreinapereira552]

maybe at that time you should have unstan them if you didn't even like their music. aespa's sound is for intellectuals only

[@444miyah_]

@@andreinapereira552 did you not read the rest of the comment?💀 be fr.

[@BubbleGum-e7x]

To think that Aespa has already fallen off after girls era in early 2023 was so real, esp when I saw the success of the other 4 4th gen ggs. Even when spicy was so successful, they still didn’t pick up the hype until drama era

[@katgreer6113]

They were always good. Wtf are ppl yapping about 🤕

[@ZDubbed]

100%

[@Gusei]

Nothing wrong with the first video you posted honestly, looking back many SHOULD agree with your points! The stage presence alone is night and day!

[@katgreer6113]

I always felt they were good

[@Gusei]

@@katgreer6113 True, but they are miles better now! Im not even a big fan of them, but hard to not praise them. Clearly a leader within Kpop atm with their own unique style!

[@microwave_jungkook]

@@katgreer6113 Next Level is one of the cringiest songs I've ever heard, whilst my 4 years in kpop. Comparing that to their BOP songs like Whiplash, Supernova etc, it's honestly close to trash. Believe it or not.

[@katgreer6113]

@microwave_jungkook you can't be a jungkook/bts fan and call next level cringe.

[@Gusei]

@@katgreer6113 How come?

[@dervy5935]

Honestly SM is so fucking lucky that hiatus wasnt the end of their career. For another group it would have been.

[@uc6758]

True 😂 And we still havent thank Spicy enough for that!! The girls chose that song themselves and it saved their careers in South Korea !! Imagine we get that planting trees song after girls 😭, the end of their careers and Smngg would be having their 2nd comeback by now....

[@thissitescertifiedhousecat8107]

​@@uc6758 they cried after hearing the planting trees song because they knew it would be career s-cide to release that kind of thing after a hiatus

[@overthinkingkpop]

2024 is the year of aespa. They've been unstoppable all year and I'm so delighted to see my daesang predictions for "Supernova" come to pass!

[@todavidkyu]

alternative title: "What Happened To Taejiu"

[@deyoncew3311]

5:02 I don't know what it is about Girls, but I think it's just a hard song to choreograph. I didn't enjoy the official choreo so I watched submissions for it, and I can genuinely say that SM mostly chose the best parts to use. Also, I am a choreographer myself and have struggled to come up with something better. 😂😂😂

[@surabhiverma9563]

+

[@AidanMoreno-o2c]

SM can't promote ANY of their groups in the West properly. They did the same thing to Girls' Generation, f(x), Red Velvet, and are continuing to unproperly promote Aespa to the West even though they have the resources to. The sad part is that SM supporting Aespa's newer projects seems like it was a last-minute resort to fight the other competition that they barely opened their eyes to realize. With this new girl group SM announced, it seems like a poor decision market-wise as they're now adding more on their plate. MYs supporting anything SM does is delusional respectfully.

[@playamelodythateverybodyknows]

sm just doesnt care about international fans

[@ishathakor]

when they sent aespa to the macys thanksgiving day parade i knew they were lost. like of ALL the things you could send your group to for promo.... you've picked this??? the venn diagram of target audience for aespa and the target audience of the macy thanksgiving parade is 2 different circles

[@fleetwoodmak777]

what I’m hearing is sm doesn’t care about properly promoting their girl groups tbh!

[@AidanMoreno-o2c]

@fleetwoodmak777 Girl groups especially, but I'm gonna be realistic. They also have issues promoting EXO, NCT, and SHINee, as well. RIIZE cultivated a fanbase. I don't think they even saw coming

[@EraYaN]

@@ishathakorthese things aren’t really “picked” there will be an invite or simply a suggestion from the meme era or from someone from the parade org and stuff like that. It just kinda falls into place sometimes.

[@X490-e1u]

5:47 "3 years is not that long of a time" meanwhile Babymonster already getting a concert less than 1.5 years.

[@kpopsicle9119]

Baemon a special case because YG made their live performances a trademark. They started off with fanmeets that were essentially mini concerts

[@oliver_958]

What a coincidence. I've been thinking the same - the drastic improvements after Girls, the marketing. I want more experimental songs though.

[@microwave_jungkook]

Ikrr. The latest songs are GOOD, no doubt but it really feels like the base instrumental is the same for all.

[@miaka123ify]

AESPA had issues in terms of branding and influence. And they still have to this days. However Sm finally understood how to visual and promote a little better them. I really need to do analysis on them.

[@PureHoneyBoo]

They’re brand was always their strongest suit. What they lacked was western promotions and music quality for their bsides

[@rosie5816]

Their branding was always there. The aespa core is always and has always there. It’s how SM went about it that made it fall flat

[@benedictusvito2710]

Nah if you knowing them since debut or in KPop in a while, you should know their brand already strong. The music genre, the special synthesizer in every title dong, the futuristic concept, almost all kpopers already know. The problem is how SM hardly promote them in West world, comparing them with other GG sich as new jeans and lesserafim that heavy promotion on west world. SM imo still thinking promotion on Korea is already enough, meanwhile KPop already global and ITS not enough.

[@Sinadesu]

Their improvement since the previous video is quite vivid. Who doesn't like their favorite artist to improve.

[@AmeliaPlayz]

Kpop Twitter is so toxic. I should know. I got made fun of by a skz stan account just because I post about Sonic. All I said was writing explicit fanfic about Stray Kids members was weird. I'm sure they'll take this vid out of context too. Don't pay attention to them.

[@mavis.riley.johnson]

"rpf smut is weird." "oh yeah? yeah? w-well YOU like fictional media. freak." is the conversation i'm picturing

[@AmeliaPlayz]

@@mavis.riley.johnson That's pretty much how it went lol

[@HectorH-M]

K-pop X

[@cerisemin]

Maybe because sonic fandom is know for creating a lot of crazy nsfw content 😅

[@danteinhell2394]

Sm should've promoted them in the US with Spicy

[@LongingFrightCar5843]

Constructive criticism in K-pop is so rare. Never let dumbs silence you amen

[@NaciforeverArida]

This should be an example for every company. Aespa had their problems and they fixed it. SM didn't make the same mistake JYP did. Aespa is even stronger and more popular than before. Girls disappeared as a small failure. Supernova!!

[@blink_____jenniequeen6670]

Girls was in top10 of every k-charts and debuted on global Spotify and was the first gg album to hit 1M sales. Also illusion was a hit on k-charts. I don't understand how people call that "flop" when itzys last 3 cbs, g-idle last 2 cbs couldn't even chart on global Spotify or top10 of any k-charts and lsrfm flopped on k-charts for last 2 cbs🤷🏻 I remember it clearly kakao and hybe were involved in mediaplay about aespa metaverse kwangya lore being childish and outdated and people can't relate to them (that's the reason they're gonna flop in the future) and even releasing many articles saying IVE and lsrfm has taken aespa crown and aespa is a b-list gg 😭😭😭😭

[@AJTH3H3DG3H0G]

taejiu is so back. stand on your shit king

[@diveuhhh]

Excepting Twitter stans to have above average IQ’s was your first mistake 😔 wdym they should understand the concept of constructive criticism? That’s too much ✋🏻 love your videos ❤

[@HectorH-M]

X stans

[@AwakeningWings]

@@HectorH-M That's really bothering you, isn't it? You know, people saying "Twitter" instead of "X" lol 😂

[@HectorH-M]

@@AwakeningWings And that's wrong

[@haerindotcom]

​@@HectorH-Mnobody gaf if u say twt or x get over it

[@HectorH-M]

@@haerindotcom You don't know that

[@soomi]

I still can't believe this happened. There's quite some clickbait channels or very for-no-reason negative channels, but you're not one of them

[@dudaudaduda]

new taejiu video it's a christmas miracle

[@sunflower4648]

No cause, if we think about it in hindsight, those months that they were gone, they were probably trying to perfect their craft, and I don't only mean music wise. Tbh, I was always playing attention to their stage presence because just like you said, I always had this feeling of "I need more, they could do so much more" from their performances. When they released spicy, I started to see a small improvement that only skyrocketed from there of course, look at her now. And in my humble opinion, I think it *just* started coming in full force (from the four of them) in Whiplash.

[@ddalkidyana]

You're part of the reason I'm now a MY, hahah. The release of Supernova is what really did it for me, but your content has led me to like them more and more gradually over time. Don't get me wrong, I liked a lot of their stuff from the very beginning, but I just felt it always fell short of what could've been. Your constructive criticism, in a weird way, gave me hope that their music, stage presence, promotions, etc can absolutely improve AND definitely will! From Girls starting to show off their vocals a bit more [to Welcome to MY World just being a personal fave song of mine, lol] to Drama being a massive improvement in stage presence (that MMA perf was wildly good) to Supernova & Armageddon being a huge leap in production, concept, and overall quality to now Whiplash feeling right at home in their concept and discography. At last, Aespa is Aespa. Congratulations to Aespa for their awards sweep this year! Can't wait to see what they have in store for next year and years to come! :)

[@sumysim3245]

Aespa has improved in all aspects, it's insane. I actually was supporting your "aespa" video a while back and I still think it was a reasonable video. Aespa were on hiatus, they were barely being promoted and although I loved Girls, it just wasn't hitting hard for the GP. Their comeback is insane, I do think that Aespa is what NJ could've been if they didn't run with MHJ- I'm hoping for an English debut (we don't talk about Life's Too Short, and 'Better Things' was released at the wrong time.) like Illusion or Hold On Tight, those are certified BOPS! I'm sure no Western audience is listening to Life's Too Short, and if you do, I'm not judging- ;-; I remember seeing a news article comparing AE to Blackpink, which I can't really agree with. Both BP and AE have their strengths, and I think that Aespa could really be the bridge to merge a domestic fanbase with an international one. They're really popular right now, and they have a solid fanbase of both male and female. I think if SM takes advantage of this, they could have a rare group that manages to do well domestically and internationally while retaining their sound as AESPA.

[@aSUGAaddiction]

Im a casual fan of Aespa overall, but Supernova definitely was on repeat this year. I agree most of what is wrong with Aespa is SME, and we've seen this year how bad they are.

[@Amberpurplepaige]

Aespa music, vocals, visuals and concept are just so good that when something falls flat like stage presence or choreography it becomes so obvious. And I agree we want the best from our faves so it is SM responsibility to keep improving and investing in aespa.

[@eleanorhughes597]

i am unbelievably excited to see aespa live next year!!

[@user_45-77]

Glad to see another video from you!! I love both of these videos (first Aespa and this one). The first one had and did make a lot of sense for the time it was released. (the poor timing is always happening 😅) I love your videos and glad I'm able to be early for this video!! And yes, when it comes to k-pop fans, they, I'll be honest I think I've done this before too, automatically think that you "hate" their favs just because of some criticism. I've actually avoided multiple topics like that when I talk to other k-pop fans because I don't want arguments to happen. Thankfully, I have some friends I feel comfortable talking to and have been able to grow more comfortable with sharing my opinion on those topics. Also, I love looking at youtubers and many other creators both recent and previous content. It's always nice to be able to see how far they have come!! Loved the video and can't wait for the next!!

[@wierdxoddxcrazyxme]

SM really has a habit of letting their bgs flourish in ways their ggs can’t even dream of. It is really sad to see. It was seven years after debut that f(x) got their first concert. Other sm stans could say things about how their ggs don’t have enough pull. But it’s entirely how the company capitalises after a groups success. Aespa, especially with supernova, has the chance to get bigger and meet new levels of success if the company does their job.

[@belerinah]

2024 was their year truly

[@rosie5816]

Girls was definitely aespa downfall music wise, the sales were still there and so was they hype. But in terms of the general public they severely fell off. But when they came out with spicy ( my world) they literally turned the whole world their direction, spicy helped them get back k to the good graces of their domestic demographic. It put them back on the map, then they fully blew the competition out the water with drama, drama absolutely not only stabilized their career but caused it to go bigger than ever. Then they come out with supernova , Armageddon and whiplash. 3 back to back mega hits, it’s like sm has finally found out how to utilize aespa’s sound and style and it’s doing them so well. Supernova is the biggest hit of this year. It broke so many records, so many sells , was number 1 on all k-charts for months and months. Even whiplash their most recent song is breaking records and charting high even fighting against big big names on the charts. I’m so proud of them I can’t even imagine like my heart is so happy.

[@blink_____jenniequeen6670]

Girls was in top10 of every k-charts and debuted on global Spotify and was the first gg album to hit 1M sales. Also illusion was a hit on k-charts. I don't understand how people call that "flop" when itzys last 3 cbs, g-idle last 2 cbs couldn't even chart on global Spotify or top10 of any k-charts and lsrfm flopped on k-charts for last 2 cbs🤷🏻 I remember it clearly kakao and hybe were involved in mediaplay about aespa metaverse kwangya lore being childish and outdated and people can't relate to them (that's the reason they're gonna flop in the future) and even releasing many articles saying IVE and lsrfm has taken aespa crown and aespa is a b-list gg 😭😭😭😭 Also the timing of the cb wasn't it. They went on a year long hiatus being a rookie and SM didn't promote them on any variety show and multiple ggs debuted that year so it's obvious that the gp gonna hop to next big thing (at that time it was nwjns and hybe marketed them as "fresh" "real" "relatable" and total opposite of aespa)

[@rosie5816]

@ I think you answered your own question. SM fucked aespa up that year. The song itself didn’t flop in terms of achievements it was on of the biggest songs the year it came and broke records and such. But it was not a hit amongst the feral public not demonically or internationally. Not to mention that was the year aespa was struggling with their stage presence the most. They were all over the place with Ningning being the only one trying to be consistent. It didn’t help that newer girl groups with shiner concepts were debuting. sm fucked up even more sending them on a 10 month hiatus. People were forgetting them, they were fading away to the GP. Sm releasing my world at the time they did was the smartest thing they’ve done in a while. Spicy quite literally revived their fame and put them back in the map as a big gg. Spicy was the perfect release coming out of a 10 month hiatus. It was fun and bright and looked like the Barbie ethic wich was perfect considering the Barbie came out around that time and it was also a summer hit released in summer. That was the smartest business move SM ever made. And my world remains the best selling girl group album. Then they did even better releasing drama, supernova Armageddon and whiplash. Sm has been on a hit after hit run with aespa I hope they continue

[@Ngaihawma420]

Aespa absolutely dominated 2024. Generational run type shii

[@matjb]

3:09 I’ve fr said this the entirety of this year. She had modes even throughout their performances if you watch her fancams. I think it’s so cool.

[@dwftmyearth6166]

It’s so sad cause I really enjoyed the Aespa video. It was interesting to hear someone sharing constructive criticism since most kpop Stans don’t seem to understand what it even is

[@pablochapela7421]

you should do the hot mess pink and black fits , oe wvwn the mechas, thatd be such a serve for the concerttt

[@soona22573]

I wonder if even their old stage presence was SM fault, as their AI futuristic concept required some cold attitude

[@soona22573]

cause the jump just doesn't make sense!

[@blink_____jenniequeen6670]

Winter said in seulgi show that LSM himself told aespa to act cold and do less facial expressions to look more AI and unrealistic.

[@Funa_Takaya]

Louder💜. You‘re so valid and you‘ve already been since the first video💜

[@HuntressArtemis]

I'm only half-way through the video. I don't have twitter and I don't plan to make an account. I think that many people don't listen anymore or read anymore unless it's in short-form video format or meme format.

[@RCynic75]

Lol, the title and thumbnail of this video is reminiscent of the time when I was first introduced to them (late 2022 / early 2023 via some collab with this mobile game I used to play). There was a relatively long hiatus after Girls, Karina and Winter were so bored that they got through a good chunk of some college level workbook on differential equations, and early 2023 comeback canceled due to it not having an "environmentalist" message, and there was ire in the air about some recent announcement of auditions for the voice of neavis. For me, Welcome to My World was retrospectively one of my favorite releases of 2023, Drama was awesome, and they've been going non-stop since my personal SOTY Supernova this year. I don't know if I consider myself a MY, but this was undoubtedly aespa's year hands down

[@oneusforall057]

Oh my gosh, yes! Let’s talk about their stage presence! Karina and Ning Ning haven’t improved that much because there wasn’t as much room for improvement. Like All Might in “My Hero Academia” said, level 1 and level 50 power can’t grow at the same pace. Giselle was slowly improving with each and every era. I think “Savage”, “Girls”, and “Drama” were massive stepping stones to get us to where she was breaking the internet in “Whiplash”! Also, her dancing has improved massively! Winter on the other hand didn’t really improve much until “Spicy”. And then I don’t know what happened. But “Drama” brought out a side of Winter we’ve never seen before and she has not been the same since! While I wouldn’t put them as the greatest performers of the generation just yet (I still give that honor to NMIXX), anyone saying that Aespa are poor performers, have no stage presence, and are stiff dancers are living in 2020/2021.

[@californianfreaks6605]

i agree so much with this take, ppl think this is aespa peak, but i think this is them gaining their audience back, solidifying their place in 4th gen, and building a stronger fanbase. their dancing and stage presence have improved so much. they have so much potential, a insane concept, I want to see more stages with them, more dance practices, more opportunities to sing live etc. I hope SM continues with this momentum and won’t just put them on the back burner, especially with a group like them that’s heavily concept based. it cannot be half-assed. in 2025 i want to see them everywhere bc they truly deserve it! (also winter bias here, to see her journey performing on stage is insane. It’s effortless and captivating and unpopular opinion i think she’s one of the best 4th gen performers stage presence wise idk she just doesn’t have to try too hard)

[@microwave_jungkook]

Delulu's are just so sensitive when it comes to criticism that it's almost embarrassing to share the same kpop community with them... They've not heard of opinions, I believe. Don't delete them, man. They need a reality check.

[@aeforyou]

aespa is my ult and i remember watching your video last year and logging onto twitter confuse of how many have taken everything out of context, because you made such great points i agree with.

[@t3t611]

side note your Whiplash outfit is Slayyyy

[@kelseylelei]

taejiu is so tea and they just maaaddddd

[@cerati1633]

Maybe making a video of Aespa saying that they were forgotten and that other groups had taken their place, it was obvious that it was going to generate hate knowing that Aespa always had the most loyal fan base of the fourth generation GGs. Nmixx not even at its best came close to achieving what aespa did with girls and illusion. 2023 had started strong and you were already detracting from their achievements such as 2M sellers or the Tokyo Dome. You can't NOT expect to generate divided reactions

[@Taejiu]

@@cerati1633 is it valid to say I didn’t expect death threats?

[@soralution]

2:47 OMG YOU ATE IN THAT COSTUME, that looks spectacular 🩵🩵🩵

[@aintnootherfan]

15:22 preach!!! Also, another video this week? It’s a good day!😁

[@Mylife-clueless]

I've been casually checking out aespa from their debut time and the songs and their voices were great, i just didn't really get into them for years. That little extra something wasn't there. Then i watched your video and i mostly agreed with almost everything. Now it's awesome to see how much the girls have improved and sm's overall strategy for them is much better than before. They were my no.1 artist and song on spotify this year. This year was truly Aespa's year.

[@cjc363636]

Thanks again for the commentary. One thing I'd like to ask/mention: If you have a video essay's worth, I'd love your viewpoint on aespa's AI / avatar concept and if it was good or not. (I think not - the human ladies were all the star power needed!)

[@majest1cmilotic]

I second this!

[@yx9y0]

the digital/avatars concept wasnt there to cover up because they "lack star power" it was just cool and innovative and i loved it because it made them stand out because we dont see that in kpop. every groups was just trying to be pretty but the avatar concept gave aespa a unique look that other gorups didnt have. like who else do you see making short films (smcu episodes) just to make u understand their music videos? that was so cool and i wish they kept that concept instead of listening to people and getting rid of their æ's.

[@PhantomOfManyTopics]

Aespa Supernova is two weeks away from winning 2024 SONG OF THE YEAR AWARD CONTEST.

[@Gail-p8u]

Whilst I agree that aespa are not the best performers of their gen. I think they have the best performances of their gen. Their performance directors, backup dancers, effects, make up, outfits make their performances stand out more than an nmixx or an itzy or dare I say le Sserafim these days (no hate to those groups)

[@blink_____jenniequeen6670]

I'm glad SM fired their perf director simple is the best and his name says it all (he barely used to remix their tracks or give them proper backup dancers) I remember watching their rookie award show perf and be like where are the back up dancers??? While enhypen who debuted with them would get amazing outfits and stage props.

[@rachmatmulia5212]

At first I liked aespa because the concept (kwangya world and using avatars) was cool and different from other kpop idols, but they were not consistent with that concept and increasingly lost come back after come back, I know maybe someone will say that "people will bored if they have the same concept" but look at XG, they are consistent with their concept and every time they come back with their concept it's not boring at all, in fact it makes you even more curious and what's even funnier is that many haters say that XG is copying aespa's concept even though they are different, after all, aespa is the one who has to look in the mirror because it is not consistent with their original concept.

[@thisuserisanon]

with their recent cbs, I think they really heading to 'multiverse' concept now as they started expanding their lore in spicy up till whiplash "different aespas in different universes" instead of sticking to their original plot (kwangya)

[@benedictusvito2710]

Well the villain in story line already died, and I think SM Saw that Kwangya was not really respected in market industry, so they going multiverse, buat actually, their signature songs still continue. You can hear they always using synthesizer for the title track, and have accent when singing. Thats why they are still aespa altho not in Kwangya again

[@thisuserisanon]

@@benedictusvito2710 I also think LSM’s departure also became one of the big factors why they changed their direction, given that he has the rights on it, who mainly produced the kwangya lore. but I also agree with you, aespa luckily keep their sound even after the changes. their songs still has the aespa we know, but they also evolved it.

[@choerrysoob3016]

drop a winter collection video🙏

[@poppagBallZ97]

Woah! 😱That Winter outfit on you is to die for 🤩Straight up 🔥

[@Jayegato]

Once you play league, you can truly take ANYTHING

[@Taejiu]

Fr, I once saw a MY call me an "ugly white boy" and I was like "that seriously all you got?"

[@Jayegato]

child’s play, once had someone in league tell me they hope my father beats me 🥱

[@racheljohnson7177]

I wanna commend you gor keeping up the previous vid. People change as do opinions. Heck I dont think the same things I thought years ago

[@ChloeBx]

Only idiots do not change their minds or at least challenge their thinking ^^

[@AngelLopez-cy3fw]

Omg I'm also going to see Aespa in February! Can't wait to see you there!!

[@sunflower4648]

What I do wonder about those fans that are anti-criticism is where they think the improvement comes from. Let's face it, Winter would've probably never worked on her stage presence if she hadn't been so criticized for it and I don't mean it as a "she's lazy" typa thing, she probably wouldn't have *realized* that it was a problem until someone I'm guessing told her about or even read about it

[@aenergy.922]

Tbh when you first drop that video I agreed with your points. We were getting nothing from æspa at the time and we were concerned because a lot of 4th gen girl groups were thriving while æspa was nowhere to be around. We just didn’t know the girls were working hard

[@ctrldotshft]

I'm no longer surprised how Kpop Twitter has zero reading comprehension and short attention span.

[@Storm_CW]

I had an appreciation for Aespa due to a friend online. I really loved Illusion in 2023, and I was hoping more came from it but... I wasn't too invested in Aespa. Then came 2024... they just kept dropping music that switched up drastically in terms of their sound and concept, and I caught the bug. Armageddon shone for me. Gritty basslines are my jam.

[@Storm_CW]

This is my first time watching your content. To be fair to you, it sounds like the first video titled this, you HAD waited a very long time to see if SM would stop doing them dirty, and when you FINALLY ran out of patience, it unfortunately coincided with SM FINALLY starting to treat Aespa right and the group's efforts outside the spotlight starting to show and flourish. Emotions can really mess up people's ability to look at a video in the way it was always meant to be looked at. Couple that with what we in the UK like to call "Sod's Law" ... yeah not a good combo to receive as a creator. You seem like you are relieved and thankful to be wrong about "that aespa video" and that's the best case scenario to have unfold when you love a kpop group (or anything) as much as it looks like you do. Great content. You've earned yourself a new subscriber.

[@a3luvw1ll0w]

Far from best performers is insane actually 😭 i hate how mfers say that aespa were “horrible” performers when they literally never have been as bad as yall will make them seem!! Thats not to say that they havent improved on themselves tremendously but yall will neva convince me they were THAT bad. Seen one performance where they were out of synk and ran w it

[@Taejiu]

Look I love Aespa dearly but, they were PRETTY bad, and it's not a bad thing to admit that, it's also purely an opinion. Their early stage presence wasn't the worst I've seen but, they certainly weren't cohesive as a unit yet. They've dramatically improved so hats off to them for that.

[@eXepTioN777]

Screw SM. They handled aespas career poorly. And now with aespa on the rise theyre gonna debut a new GG already. 2025 might be the start of their downfall because SM will slowly pull the plug. So much wasted potential...

[@thisuserisanon]

I highly doubt they're going to abandon aespa with their current SM 3.0 system? nahh each artists now on sm has their own 'centers/teams' and smngg will be managed by center 2 (the same team that handling shinee) while aespa is under center 1 (and their team love aespa so much so downfall next year? that's not going to happen)

[@blink_____jenniequeen6670]

Nah now they've different centre and centre1(aespa) has the best creative directors in SM and employees that have been working in SM for the longest. Ngg and nbg both are gonna debut in different centre

[@thisuserisanon]

@@blink_____jenniequeen6670 I think ppl aren't still aware of the SM 3.0 system that's why they thought all sm groups still sharing the same team and so once a new group debuts, the current groups will be affected.

[@ManTheRabbit]

Man taejiu taking us for a RIDE after aespa sweep MMA and mama

[@miaw2716]

15:33 you are so real for that actually

[@expensivepink7]

People aren’t rational, in general, but especially in fan spaces. Hearing reasonable stans restores my peace a bit and I appreciate your content

[@alyajayanti7321]

Been waiting for your video 😭😭😭

[@SofondaCox69]

Jealous, envious, but also excited and happy that you get to see Aespa in Feb! Another great video! Hope the average Twitter user doesn’t find this one

[@Alexa-cr1vy]

okie queen - you love aespa I believe you

[@thissitescertifiedhousecat8107]

I'm sorry every group you've mentioned to be doing better than aespa back then, is on a struggle bus right now, 50/50 had a wild thing, lesserafim went through (or maybe still going through) one of the worst hate wagons of all time in kpop, and newjeans... Lets just say i wish they are able to keep going because idk what I'll do without newjeans music (i still haven't gotten over ditto). So the irony of how bad that video was received, I'd not just credit toxic mys, I'd also credit the actual universe because you were the course of things immediately went into the opposite direction that your video had presented to be going.

[@Taejiu]

To be fair after I released my video NewJeans would go on to draw an INSANE crowd at lollapalooza and were doing insanely well for a while so I wouldn't say all the groups are on the struggle bus. Le Sserafim as well their recent comeback sold and charted pretty well and was received after that hate train really well, also performed at the EMA's which was cool.

[@thissitescertifiedhousecat8107]

@@Taejiu i wouldn't say they are struggling in terms of numbers, its a credibility thing. But still kpop is very unpredictable. At least you have the courage to create kpop analysis video. I've been a spectator of kpop since 2015 now, but i still couldn't make videos like you do, even if can predict the patterns at this point, i just dont trust myself enough Keep up the good work, your videos are still better than deliberate rage bait some kpop youtuber like to create

[@majest1cmilotic]

YOU KNOW WHO ELSE IS IMPECABBLE THAT HOT BACKGROUND DANCER BEHIND WINTER WE NEED HIS INSTAAA

[@SpringSun-ll5bm]

Please make a video about BP’S members solo careers! and whether you think they will reunite as a group again

[@Galaxy-yw8yh]

iz*one being still in your top 5 is so real. I still play their music to this day because it is so good

[@nonamenosurname6127]

16:50 when I watched that video about aespa I was new to kpop and knew only Blackpink and NewJeans I was basically unfamiliar with aespa, yet it was crystal clear that criticism was directed towards the company. It is both hilarious and alarming that kpop stans lack comprehension and take anything as hate towards their favorite group.

[@YumeSakuraDance]

omggg Winter at mma 2024 was the serve of the century tbh!!!

[@ouabh]

1:14 LoL as a metric on how much you can take is hilarious

[@smashstar020]

You literally had wickedness thrust upon you from the mys, Im glad it made you stronger and more resilient!

[@AaA-lk8kx]

The start of 2023 was so disappointing as a Aespa enjoyer. They supposed to release an album at the end of 2022. Album didn't happened but they still performed the songs at concerts. I was so angry at Sm for spoiling so many good songs with 0 promotion. My excitement for new Aespa stuff was quite low at 2023. Like we knew some songs in drama album for almost a year at that point

[@바보Queen]

they are amazing dancers and even if they arent the best? what group has a ratio of vocalist they do? 3 of them are amazing singers and giselle is good.. kpop idiots seem to think dance makes a song, u need vocals

[@blink_____jenniequeen6670]

Also ningning revealed all of them practiced rap a lot and all the members does have decent flow and rhythm They're one of very few gg where each member are all-rounders. Giselle has the best vocal range among aespa members and her choir team won the best choir group compitition in some kind of int. Compitition. I think Giselle has much more potential than karina in terms of vocals but she always try to play safe.

[@바보Queen]

@@blink_____jenniequeen6670 giselle is the worst of them, u gotta be a joke LOL can't even rap better than karina

[@blink_____jenniequeen6670]

@@바보Queen STAY DELUSIONAL 🤡 Giselle is far better rapper than karina. Giselle mostly write her own raps (has 6-7 credits) and has better enunciation (karina can't even say code black in Armageddon properly)

[@theyseemelorrintheyhatin]

if it weren't for their faces and popular company, theyre not gonna last

[@johnnysrevenge]

I started listening to kpop this year, I started with IVE but after listening to AESPA, I simply became addicted to the point of having listened to Supernova more than 250 times on Spotify, apart from KZbin

[@enemynumber-zm3ug]

My tea's gone cold, I'm wondering why I Got out of bed at all The morning rain clouds up my window And I can't see at all And even if I could it'd all be gray But your picture on my wall It reminds me that it's not so bad, it's not so bad

[@Ora0315]

You should make whatever you wanna make. Twitter will always make a bigger deal out of shit than it actually is, especially within the toxic fandoms of the groups these videos are about

[@HectorH-M]

It's called X

[@Ora0315]

@@HectorH-M No one calls it that

[@HectorH-M]

@Ora0315 Wrong. Some people call it X

[@DumiNihi]

​Who cares? ​@@HectorH-M

[@ChloeBx]

​@@HectorH-Mwho cares about its current name

[@WinterIm.]

I actually agree with the first video. As a fan, we waited for a year to get a comeback and what do we get? A hot mess of the Girls' era. I was so upset with SM coz they were trying so hard to market them in the US when they were still establishing their name in Korea. It was a dumb move. I solely think it's because of Lee Soo Man. Aespa found this success because he was gone. He's good at concepts but he doesn't know how to maintain it. And he always overestimate his connection in the US market.

[@mobina1248]

Don't mind them, as a MY myself, I'm sure every true MY like me had never hated you or made a villain out of you for that video. Actually we all were worried for them. I nearly came out of fandom because of their lack of promotions and also i didn't like the turn they took for sometime (i mean they had switched to a different concept like life's too and spicy) but here i am again re-staning them since Girls and Drama. And they've just improved and grown more and more everyday. I love AESPA.

[@nuclearclarity3778]

what i don’t understand is that My will refer to 2022-3 on twitter as “aespa’s unemployed era” which is literally what you said…

[@Taejiu]

According to them, it's not "hate" when THEY dump on their favorite group, they just laugh and move on.

[@chelleange1s]

you mentioning how empty their stages feel without backup dancers makes me think abt how often kiss of life uses backup dancers in their choreos

[@vim2339]

Ok ? Next time you will make video and think before you make dump videos about aespa and blackpink 😂

[@dhhan68]

Welcome to your comeback~! It's glad to me for hearing your voice about kpop, espacilly about Aespa... This year I love most Aespa and Kiss of life and Baby monster... Last night, something happened in South Korea... a lunatic person declared martial law... I was shocked at the event and I couldn't focus on my job today while searching that news on the internet. That reminds me of the memory of 30 years ago when combat police rushed into my calloage to force out our protest against the military regim. Honestly I shocked and laughted at US when Trump was re-elected as president... Human history going backward...? But in SK, that kind of thing happened again and I lost my words... Anyway welcome to KPOP talkative world and I really like your talk and viewpoint about world... (In SK, that lunatic person who love martial law and his wife more than this country, his approving rating was 17% days ago, that rating will drop to under 10% within days. Long Live (*ucking) US, SK, Russia, Israel and human being... But I want to find out still a little hope like someone who got a Novel prize, named Han-Kang novelist who have a weak body but strongest mind who can beat marvel's superheros...

[@jacobblack5828]

UR OUTFIT ATE

[@joshuarttCynnygchurt]

Kpop is so cooked because of the stans and these company’s trying to make a quick ₩on.

[@yx9y0]

1:16 i need every kpop stan to hear this. they dont hear this enough and i need them to hear this.