Aespa: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

aespa were built as SM Entertainment's thesis on the virtual: four members, four AI counterparts, one 'KWANGYA' mythology grafted onto some of the most aggressive hyperpop ever pushed into mainstream K-pop. This mix traces the SM house lineage they inherit, the Western club-mutant production that gives 'Next Level' and 'Savage' their teeth, and the cyberpunk fiction that supplied their world-building.

The Kynda mix for Aespa

• Key Influence · 4 Walls by f(x) (2015). f(x) were SM's experimental girl-group laboratory, the act that proved odd time-feels, deep house and sci-fi styling could chart in Korea. aespa inherit that template wholesale: the same label, the same in-house writing rooms, the same tolerance for a hook that refuses to resolve. '4 Walls' is the clearest bridge — a future-house record built on atmosphere rather than a chorus payoff, which is precisely the risk 'Next Level' takes five years later.
• Influencia Obscura · Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides by SOPHIE (2018). The metallic, latex-textured synthesis SOPHIE pioneered is the sound aespa's producers import into idol pop: pitch-warped vocal shards, bass that behaves like rubber, drops built from impact noise rather than melody. Critics writing about 'Next Level' and 'Savage' repeatedly traced the lineage to this hyperpop vocabulary, making SOPHIE the uncredited architect of what K-pop audiences heard as entirely new.
• Local Roots · Psycho by Red Velvet (2019). Labelmates in the same Seongsu-dong SM building, sharing vocal directors, choreographers and the same writing camps. Red Velvet's dual 'Red/Velvet' concept — two sonic identities under one group — is the direct conceptual ancestor of aespa's real-self/ae-self split. 'Psycho' also set the bar for layered SM harmony stacking that aespa's vocal line, particularly Winter and Ningning, were trained against.
• Beyond the Medium · Ghost in the Shell by Mamoru Oshii (1995). aespa's entire premise — a human self and a digital counterpart separated by a network, threatened by a corrupting entity — is cyberpunk's central anxiety about where identity lives when consciousness becomes data. Oshii's film is the canonical visual and philosophical statement of that question, and its imagery of avatars, dives into virtual space and synthetic bodies maps almost directly onto the KWANGYA mythology SM built around the group.
• Peer · Wannabe by Itzy (2020). Debuting a year before aespa from JYP, Itzy defined the fourth-generation girl-group posture of confrontational self-assertion over romance, paired with hard EDM drops and attitude-heavy choreography. The two groups competed directly on the same music shows and year-end awards through 2021 and 2022, and 'Wannabe' is the record 'Next Level' was constantly benchmarked against in that rivalry.
• From the Canon · Next Level by Aespa (2021). A reworking of a song from the Fast & Furious franchise soundtrack turned into the group's defining statement: three or four distinct sections, a trap verse, a near-orchestral breakdown, and a chant that became inescapable in Korea that summer. It converted the KWANGYA storyline from marketing copy into actual lyric content and established aespa's method of treating a single as a compressed suite rather than a pop song.
• Key Collaborator · Sorry, Sorry by Super Junior (2009). Yoo Young-jin is SM's longest-serving in-house composer and vocal director, the man behind the label's signature 'SMP' style and the person who has shaped how generations of its artists actually sing. His fingerprints run through aespa's early catalogue and vocal arrangement. 'Sorry, Sorry' remains his most globally consequential production and the clearest demonstration of the house sound aespa were raised inside.
• Legacy · O.O by NMIXX (2022). NMIXX debuted with 'mixxpop,' an explicit strategy of welding incompatible genres and tempos into a single track — the structural gambit aespa had just made commercially viable with 'Next Level.' The abrupt mid-song pivot from gentle melody into clattering hard-hitting production is unthinkable as a debut single without aespa having proved that audiences would follow a song that refuses to behave.

What influenced Aespa

• I Got a Boy by Girls' Generation (2013). I Got a Boy (Girls' Generation) — titan for Aespa “The group's lasting success has inspired or influenced various female K-pop singers such as Twice's Momo, Sana, and Mina, Mamamoo's Moonbyul, Itzy's Chaeryeong, Aespa's Karina, Le Sserafim's Sakura, Billlie's Tsuki, Choi Ye-na, and Fifty…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Girls on Top by BoA (2005). Girls on Top (BoA) — titan for Aespa “The music video for the song was directed by Lucid Colour and choreographed and visually directed by BoA.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Ghost in the Shell. Ghost in the Shell (Mamoru Oshii) — culture for Aespa (themoviedb.org)
• 4 Walls by f(x) (2015). 4 Walls (f(x)) — titan for Aespa (musicbrainz.org)
• Neuromancer by William Gibson (1984). Neuromancer (William Gibson) — culture for Aespa (openlibrary.org)
• The Matrix by The Wachowskis (1999). The Matrix (The Wachowskis) — culture for Aespa
• Year of the Glad by A. G. Cook (2020). Year of the Glad (A. G. Cook) — ghost for Aespa
• Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides by SOPHIE (2018). Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides (SOPHIE) — ghost for Aespa

Peers and kindred spirits

• Sorry, Sorry by Super Junior (2009). Sorry, Sorry (Super Junior) — collaborator for Aespa “He has produced and written songs for H.O.T., S.E.S, BoA, Shinhwa, TVXQ, CSJH The Grace, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, Shinee, f(x), EXO, Red Velvet, NCT and aespa.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Red Velvet. Aespa and Red Velvet released “Beautiful Christmas” together. (also via Psycho) “On December 14, the group released a collaborative single, " Beautiful Christmas ", with labelmates Red Velvet for SM Town 's album, 2022 Winter SM Town: SMCU Palace .” (Wikipedia)
• Dreams Come True by S.E.S. (1998). Dreams Come True (S.E.S.) — collaborator for Aespa “On November 4, it was announced that Aespa would be releasing a remake of S.E.S. 's " Dreams Come True " on December 20 for SM's Remastering Project and as the lead single of the SM Town album, 2021 Winter SM Town: SMCU Express .” (Wikipedia)
• Crocs. Crocs released a product collaboration with Aespa. “In October 2023, Crocs released collaboration Aespa x Crocs Stomp Lined Clog.” (Wikipedia)
• PUBG: Battlegrounds. PUBG: Battlegrounds launched an in-game collaboration with Aespa. “On July 8, 2025, PUBG: Battlegrounds launched a collaboration with Aespa through Update 36.2.” (Wikipedia)
• Hyundai Steel. Aespa collaborated with Hyundai Steel on the release of “Dirty Work.” “In June 2025, Aespa released a new single, "Dirty Work", in collaboration with Hyundai Steel.” (Wikipedia)
• Winter. Winter is named as an Aespa member. “The group consists of four members: Karina , Giselle , Winter , and Ningning .” (Wikipedia)
• Ningning. Ningning is named as an Aespa member. “The group consists of four members: Karina , Giselle , Winter , and Ningning .” (Wikipedia)
• SM Town. The article lists Aespa as a member of SM Town. “Labels SM Warner Capitol Member of SM Town Members Karina Giselle Winter Ningning” (Wikipedia)
• Eternal Return. The mobile game Eternal Return announced a collaboration with Aespa. “In November, Aespa was selected as muse for Italian fragrance brand Acqua di Parma , [ 127 ] and Mobile RPG Eternal Return announced collaboration with Aespa.” (Wikipedia)
• SM Entertainment. The article identifies SM Entertainment as the company that formed Aespa. “Aespa ( / ˈ ɛ s ˌ p ɑː / ES -pah ; Korean : 에스파 ; RR : Eseupa ; stylized in all lowercase or as æspa ) is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment .” (Wikipedia)
• Karina. Karina is named as an Aespa member. “The group consists of four members: Karina , Giselle , Winter , and Ningning .” (Wikipedia)
• Urban Sophistication. Urban Sophistication announced a capsule collaboration with Aespa. “On December 8, 2023, Lifestyle brand Urban Sophistication announced a limited-edition capsule collaboration with K-pop group Aespa.” (Wikipedia)
• 88rising. Aespa performed as part of 88rising’s set. “They performed as part of 88rising 's Head in the Clouds Forever set for the second week.” (Wikipedia)
• Apple. Aespa partnered with Apple on a “Dirty Work” performance video. “The group also partnered with Apple to release a performance video for "Dirty Work", filmed entirely on the iPhone 16 Pro.” (Wikipedia)
• Giselle. Giselle is named as an Aespa member. “The group consists of four members: Karina , Giselle , Winter , and Ningning .” (Wikipedia)
• Forever. Aespa remade Yoo Young-jin’s original single. “On January 29, 2021, SM Entertainment announced Aespa would release a remake of " Forever ", the single originally by Yoo Young-jin for SM Entertainment's 2000 holiday album Winter Vacation in SMTOWN.com .” (Wikipedia)
• Regret of the Times by Seo Taiji and Boys. Aespa remade a single originally by Seo Taiji and Boys. “On January 9, 2024, SM Entertainment announced that Aespa would be releasing a remake of "Regret of the Times", a single originally by Seo Taiji and Boys . The remake was released on January 15.” (Wikipedia)
• Street Fighter 6. Street Fighter 6 released in-game cosmetics based on Aespa. “A collaboration with the fighting game Street Fighter 6 was released in July 2025, featuring in-game cosmetics based on the group.” (Wikipedia)
• Psycho by Red Velvet (2019). Psycho (Red Velvet) — geography for Aespa “=== 2020–2021: Introduction, debut, "Next Level", and Savage === On October 26, 2020, SM Entertainment announced that it would debut a new girl group, its first since Red Velvet in 2014 and its first overall idol group since NCT in 2016.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Attention by NewJeans (2022). Attention (NewJeans) — peer for Aespa (musicbrainz.org)
• Cherry Bomb. Cherry Bomb (NCT 127) — geography for Aespa (musicbrainz.org)
• Love Dive by IVE (2022). Love Dive (IVE) — peer for Aespa (musicbrainz.org)
• Wannabe by Itzy (2020). Wannabe (Itzy) — peer for Aespa (musicbrainz.org)
• Sherlock (Clue + Note) by Shinee (2012). Sherlock (Clue + Note) (Shinee) — geography for Aespa

Who Aespa influenced

• O.O by NMIXX (2022). O.O (NMIXX) — legacy for Aespa (musicbrainz.org)
• Rising by tripleS (2023). Rising (tripleS) — legacy for Aespa