Photo = SM Entertainment

 

With one week left until the release of aespa’s 2nd studio album ‘LEMONADE,’ the strategy behind its release time is drawing attention.

 

aespa’s release times have gradually changed since their debut. Their 2020 debut song ‘Black Mamba’ was released on a Tuesday at 6 PM, while ‘Next Level’ was released on a Monday at 6 PM. At the time, the Monday 6 PM release strategy, which was the standard in the K-POP industry, was advantageous for domestic chart reflection and music show score calculations. This is because releasing on Monday allows an artist to make full use of the entire tracking week without losing any days in various domestic weekly album and music charts, as well as music show score calculations.

 

The full-fledged attempt at change dates back to 2022. With their second mini album ‘Girls,’ aespa first introduced a new strategy by releasing it on a Friday at 1 PM, and the album responded with the achievement of reaching No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. However, their third mini album ‘MY WORLD’ returned to Monday 6 PM, and while they tried Friday releases again with the English single ‘Life's Too Short,’ their fourth mini album ‘Drama,’ and the English single ‘Better Things,’ they once again chose Monday 6 PM for their 1st studio album ‘Armageddon’ and fifth mini album ‘Whiplash.’

 

Although it may seem like repeated steps forward and backward, during this period, aespa was building a global foundation with a careful attitude of not wanting to miss either the Korean or U.S. markets. This was also the period when they steadily took to major U.S. stages such as Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2022, Governors Ball in June 2023, and Good Morning America in September 2023, strengthening their local fanbase. They also achieved remarkable results in Korea. ‘Girls’ achieved 1,125,792 copies in initial chodong sales, making aespa the first girl group million-seller, and in February 2023, they held their first solo concert ‘SYNK: Hyper Line’ in Seoul. ‘MY WORLD,’ released in May of the same year, recorded 1,698,784 copies in initial chodong sales, breaking the record at the time for the highest initial chodong sales by a girl group album.

 

Then why specifically Friday at 1 PM? The U.S. Billboard chart uses Friday through the following Thursday as one tracking week. Releasing music at 1 PM on Friday in Korean time means releasing it in line with the first day of Billboard tracking, allowing the first full week of streaming and sales after release to be reflected in one tracking week. On the other hand, releasing on Monday means losing three days from Friday to Sunday. It is a structure where a single release time directly affects Billboard performance.

 

The full-fledged route change began in 2025. Starting with the single ‘Dirty Work,’ aespa unified all releases, including their sixth mini album ‘Rich Man’ and the English version of ‘Rich Man,’ to Friday at 1 PM. This made clear the direction of prioritizing Billboard tracking over domestic charts. With this 2nd studio album ‘LEMONADE,’ they have gone one step further. They chose a dual strategy in which the pre-release single ‘WDA’ was released on Monday at 6 PM, while the full album will be released on Friday at 1 PM. It is a calculated move to maintain the existing method for the pre-release aimed at the domestic fandom, while maximizing the Billboard performance of the full album.

 

Their steps toward the global stage continue beyond music as well. Following Coachella, Governors Ball, and Outside Lands, aespa will also take the stage at Lollapalooza Chicago this August. Joining a lineup with Charli XCX, Olivia Dean, The Chainsmokers, and others once again confirms aespa’s global status. Following their Group of the Year win at ‘Billboard Women in Music 2025,’ they were also nominated for Favorite K-POP Female Artist at the American Music Awards. Their world tour, which begins in Seoul this August and spans North America, South America, and Europe, includes a total of 25 regions, including São Paulo, Brazil, Los Angeles, U.S., and Washington, D.C., U.S.

 

A single release time compresses a team’s strategy. aespa’s choice is a declaration that they are aiming directly at the global market.