SOUTH Korean K-pop girl group Aespa has received another accolade along with their string of successes as they have been listed as one of Time Magazine's ten ‘Next Generation Leaders’ this year.
The award announced by the iconic US magazine is a recognition of individuals or influencers who have created a new phenomenon for future generations.
In addition to Aespa, other names also listed as ‘Next Generation Leaders’ are Olga Rudenka, the editor of the Kyiv Independent, Bridgerton actor Jonathan Bailey and YouTuber Deepica Mutlaya.
The Time Magazine team chose Aespa after seeing them perform live at the Coachella music festival in the US in April. Although the group is less than two years old, having formed in the middle of the pandemic, Time believes they have something unique in their shows.
This is because Aespa brings a unique concept where they create a boundary between the real and virtual worlds using an avatar known as æ-aespa.They are seen as one of the pioneers of the metaverse movement, helping to popularise it with their fans.
According to Time, their first mini album, Savage, was a big success, hitting number 20 on the Billboard 200 list.
Their first music video 'Black Mamba' received 21.4 million views in 24 hours and has now reached 220 million views, making the video the fastest to get the highest number of views among new artists in South Korea.
On top of that, after three years, Aespa along with other artists under the SM Entertainment banner, will hold a massive concert to create more memories and establish themselves as a K-pop powerhouse. – The Vibes, May 13, 2022
