Photo = SM Entertainment

 

This time, it’s “sour taste.” aespa is taking aim at this summer with a new flavor instead of its signature steel taste.

 

aespa held a press conference for the release of its second full-length album ‘LEMONADE’ at the Grand Ballroom of Sofitel Ambassador Seoul on the 28th.

 

aespa, which debuted in November 2020, has led the K-pop scene with its unique worldview and musical spectrum. After winning the Bonsang at the Hanteo Music Awards for four consecutive years from 2022, the group also took home the Grand Prize in 2024, establishing itself as a true representative K-pop artist. With its third mini album ‘MY WORLD’ in 2023, aespa recorded 1,698,784 copies in initial chodong sales, the highest initial chodong sales for a girl group at the time, and with its first full-length album ‘Armageddon’ in 2024, the group also achieved 1,154,742 copies in initial chodong sales, confirming the strong support of its global fandom.

 

This second full-length album, ‘LEMONADE,’ opens a new season of aespa’s worldview and contains a total of 11 tracks across diverse genres, including the title track ‘LEMONADE,’ the pre-release track ‘WDA (Whole Different Animal),’ and ‘Switchblade,’ featuring Ty Dolla $ign.

 

Regarding the title track ‘LEMONADE,’ WINTER said, “It’s the song that best captures our own wit,” adding, “Like the saying, ‘When life gives me lemons, I’ll make lemonade,’ it contains the ambition that no matter what trials and crises come my way, I’ll grind them up and drink them.” She added, “Rather than steel taste, I think it’s closer to a sour taste, and fans called it ‘steel-sour-sweet,’” adding, “I really like that modifier as well.” GISELLE shared, “I think the biggest charm of LEMONADE is its message,” adding, “It’s a mindset I personally pursue as well, and the hook is very catchy and memorable.”

 

NINGNING revealed, “LEMONADE is a very sour drink, but to aespa it’s just a cheerful drink, so I recorded the part after the verse playfully to bring out that feeling,” adding, “There’s a Spanish part this time, and I kept using a translator to check the pronunciation while recording.” KARINA said, “We refer to the various trials and crises people face as lemons, and we came back with the motto of turning them into delicious lemonade and drinking them,” adding, “Our ultimate goal is for many people to gain energy from this song.”

 

The members also talked about the pre-release track ‘WDA.’ KARINA introduced it by saying, “It’s a song about a transcendent being from a different dimension,” adding, “We tried to express a strong and solid aespa, and it’s a song that signals Season 3 of a new chapter in our worldview.” Regarding G-DRAGON’s featuring, she said, “It was a song that had a featuring artist in mind from the moment we received the demo,” adding, “He gladly agreed to join us and brought the part to life in his own cool style, which made the song even cooler.” NINGNING said, “I was shocked by how much I liked the music video the moment I saw it,” adding, “We attempted a dramatic transformation through WDA.”

 

The members continued by discussing the album tracks. KARINA introduced the B-side ‘SHAKIN’ by saying, “It’s one of the steel-taste B-sides we’re confident in, with an addictive hook melody,” adding, “It’s a song with the bold ambition of shaking up someone’s world.” WINTER said of ‘Switchblade,’ “It metaphorically expresses changing into many different forms regardless of the situation,” adding, “It contains both flexibility and strength, so it suits aespa’s steel-taste charm very well.” NINGNING introduced ‘Roll’ as “a bouncy, cute song with a slight summer feel,” adding, “It cleverly captures cute yet fierce emotions toward an ex-lover.”

 

The members also elaborated on the group’s worldview. GISELLE revealed, “The lyrics of ‘Next Level’ are all connected right up to ‘LEMONADE.’” KARINA explained, “We originally had a worldview where we traveled between the virtual world and the real world through P.O.S., and in the second chapter that expanded into a multiverse,” adding, “This time, because we’ve gone back and forth so much, a crack has formed.” She continued, “A crack has appeared in the real world, and everyone is confused and panicking, but for us it’s nothing because we already caught Black Mamba in Kwangya and met Naevis,” adding, “The third chapter is about turning that crisis into an opportunity.”

 

The members also shared their thoughts on performing at Gocheok Sky Dome. WINTER said, “I had only watched concerts at Gocheok Dome before, and even then I thought it was incredible to fill such a large venue, so it’s hard to believe we’re entering it while releasing our second full-length album,” adding, “I think it’s all thanks to our fans.” Regarding their upcoming Lollapalooza stage, NINGNING teased, “I think we’ll perform a lot of new songs, and they’ll likely be stages Chicago fans have never seen before.”

 

aespa’s second full-length album ‘LEMONADE’ will be released through various online music platforms at 1 p.m. on the 29th. Attention is focused on what new chapter aespa, which aims to turn any trial into an opportunity, will open with this album.