My World (Aespa EP)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''My World'' is the third
extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.
by South Korean girl group Aespa. It was released by
SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
on May 8, 2023, and contains six tracks, including the pre-release single " Welcome to My World" featuring Naevis, and the lead single " Spicy" which reached the top three on the Circle Digital Chart. Compared to the dark, futuristic, hyperpop-influenced tones of ''
Savage Savage may refer to: Places Antarctica * Savage Glacier, Ellsworth Land * Savage Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Savage Ridge, Victoria Land United States * Savage, Maryland, an unincorporated community * Savage, Minnesota, a city * Savage, Mi ...
'' (2021) and '' Girls'' (2022), ''My Worlds brighter
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...
sound draws mostly from
dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
and R&B, with melodies characterized by "captivating beats" and "delightful" vocals of the group. The songs incorporate eclectic styles ranging from alternative pop and
dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
to
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
and
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
. Described by Aespa as a return to the "real world" from Kwangya, the mini album shows a new side of the group across various genres. The EP was met with generally favorable reviews from critics. Commercially, it debuted at number one on the
Circle Album Chart The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Korea based on their pure sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, previously know ...
with 1,420,178 copies sold in a week. The mini album has since been certified double million by the
Korea Music Content Association The Circle Chart (), previously known as the Gaon Music Chart or the Gaon Chart (), tabulates the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in South Korea. It is produced by the Korea Music Content Association and sponsored by South Korea's ...
(KMCA). Following its physical release in the United States, ''My World'' became their second album to reach the top ten of ''Billboard'' 200.


Background and release

On February 16, 2023, Lee Sung-soo released a 30-minute video stating: " Lee Soo-man was the reason why Aespa's music has been delayed" and that the group was supposed to release new music on February 20. Moreover, he added that Soo-man wanted to start "injecting environmentalist motifs of tree-planting and sustainability into songs" which were eventually later scrapped as they "did not fit the world of Aespa" and made the group "upset". On February 25 and 26, the group performed the then-unreleased songs: "Salty & Sweet", "Thirsty", "I'm Unhappy", "'Til We Meet Again" at their first concert, Synk: Hyper Line. On March 16, SM Entertainment announced that Aespa would be releasing a record in early May. During an interview for the March 2023 edition of ''
Uproxx ''Uproxx'' (stylized in all caps) is an entertainment and popular culture news website. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater, and acquired by Woven Digital (later renamed Uproxx Media Group) in 2014. The site's target audience ...
'', member Giselle revealed that their upcoming music will be "a little different, while keeping
heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...
roots in the whole Aespa vibe" by "show nga versatible version of hemselves. She further elaborate that the songs would be "more sentimental with focus ainlyon the music orientation,
n addition N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
to the performance". On April 17, it was announced that the group's third extended play titled ''My World'', containing six tracks, would be released on May 8. It was also announced that "Welcome to My World" would be pre-released on May 2. The EP would be available in four different versions with 11 different covers depending on the version, with pre-orders starting on the same day. A day later, the intro teaser video was released. On April 24, a "
breaking news Breaking news, interchangeably termed late-breaking news and also known as a special report or special coverage or news flash, is a current issue that broadcasters feel warrants the interruption of scheduled programming or current news in orde ...
"-styled teaser video was released. On the same day, the track listing of 6 tracks was released via their official website with "Spicy" announced as the lead single. On April 26, it was revealed that Naevis, the AI character in Aespa's SMCU storyline, would be featured in "Welcome to My World" as a virtual artist. On May 2, "Welcome to My World" was released alongside its music video. The track video for "I'm Unhappy", "Salty & Sweet", and "Thirsty" was released, respectively, from May 2 to 4. On May 6, the music video teaser for lead single "Spicy" was released. The EP was released alongside the music video for "Spicy" on May 8.


Conception

Regarding the creative process and style for the songs, SM Entertainment revealed that ''My World'' "will continue to tell the group's sci-fi narrative" with the members "now traveling to the real world from Kwangya". Aespa used the "
kitsch Kitsch ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as naïve imitation, overly-eccentric, gratuitous, or of banal taste. The avant-garde opposed kitsch as melodramatic and superficial affiliation with ...
" and " urban" styles in their teasers and clothing during promotion of ''My World'', departing from the dark, futuristic "cyberpunk" style and aesthetic of the previous albums ''Savage'' and ''Girls''. In an article for ''
Paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...
'', Peyton Gatewood noted that the group "ditches the
metaverse In science fiction, the "metaverse" is a hypothetical iteration of the Internet as a single, universal, and immersive virtual world that is facilitated by the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets. In colloquial usage, ...
" and expands their story "beyond the pixelated, alien plain of previous albums into a more naturalistic terrain" with the group's
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account, stating that "Aespa is in the Real World!". During the live event "Aespa 'My World' Countdown Live", Karina stated that "there is no villain in our real world". However, after Aespa invites Naevis to their real world in the track "Welcome to My World", "an anomaly' continues to occur there". She also revealed that "maybe
he group He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
will start another battle or go to another world" in their future release.


Recording and development

In an online press conference in Seoul for the release of ''My World'', Karina explained that "Spicy" was chosen to be the lead single, because the group first listened to it "a long time ago", but the song "was so good that she could not forget it". That is why she suggested to her company that "
hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
should do the song again because now it's summer". The singer also revealed that "Welcome to My World" was initially supposed to be Naevis' track, but Aespa found the song "so good" after listening to it that the girls "asked if
hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
could do it". She explained how the single was chosen to represent Aespa's identity: "So we told our company SM Entertainment that we can handle it well. That's how it became our song, we danced and filmed music videos with AI characters in the past, but this was our first time to sing with it. At first, I thought it would be somewhat awkward, but Naevis' sound blended so smoothly with all of us." In an interview with ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' the group stated that with this EP "we get to show a wider range from us, ranging from powerful dance tracks to sweet R&B ballads".


Composition

''My World'' consists of six tracks and "features various genres, captivating beats, and delightful vocals". The first track and pre-release single "Welcome to My World", which features backing vocals by Naevis from Aespa's SMCU storyline, was described as a
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...
,
dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
and alternative pop song characterized by "guitar riff and orchestra" with lyrics about "inviting Naevis nd the listenerto the music world of Aespa". The second track and lead single "Spicy" was described as an " experimental"
dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
, pop and
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
song characterized by "intense synth-bass sound nddynamic beat rhythm". The third track "Salty & Sweet" was described as a "futuristic" dance and hyperpop song centered around "rough"
industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...
synth grinds and bass rhythm. The fourth track "Thirsty" was described as a R&B and "modern pop" song with a "bubbly beat and vocal harmonies" that lyrically "expresses thirsty feelings" and compares a "heart that deepens endlessly towards the other person, to a wave". Abigail Firth of ''
Dork Dork is a pejorative term for a person (compare with " dweeb" and "fool"). Dork may also refer to: People * Dork Sahagian, Armenian-American climate scientist Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Dork'' (EP), an album by AFI * ''Dork'' (magaz ...
'' described it as "the love child" of PC Music and
Flo ''Flo'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of ''Alice'' that aired on CBS from March 24, 1980, to June 30, 1981. The series starred Polly Holliday reprising her role as sassy and street-smart waitress Florence Jean "Flo" Castl ...
's "new-R&B" sound. In the fifth song "I'm Unhappy", the group uses the digital world as a
metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...
for "feeling disconnected from those around them" and longing for "the real thing instead of social media's fake facades". The pop track features a "minimal" melody and "simple" production with "stripped-back plinky piano and rattling drums". The sixth and final track "'Til We Meet Again" was described as a "gentle" and "mesmerising"
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
song characterized by "string performance" and "acoustic guitar" with lyrics about "the love of Aespa members towards their fans, who are always connected through music".


Promotion

Prior to the EP's release, on May 8, 2023, Aespa held a live event called "Aespa 'My World' Countdown Live" on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
,
TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...
, and IdolPlus to introduce the album and communicate with their fans.


Visuals

Six videos—for "Welcome to My World", "I'm Unhappy", "Salty & Sweet", "Thirsty", "Spicy" and "'Til We Meet Again", were released on May 2, 3, 4, 8 and 29, 2023, respectively. The video for the pre-release single, "Welcome to My World", features Aespa "taking a road trip to a forest and connect with nature" with Naevis. The "sombre" track video for "I'm Unhappy" explores the teenage version of the group in a high school. The "Salty & Sweet" music video shows Aespa preside over a table filled with monstrous desserts. In the Y2K-inspired video for "Thirsty", the group stars in its own show and falls in love. The video for the lead single, "Spicy", features the members as "a group of popular high school students" that throw a "wild party" and explore the city. The "sentimental" "Til We Meet Again" video shows the tour footage of the song during "SYNK: Hyper Line" concerts. It also includes footage of Aespa in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
and behind-the-scenes from ''My World'' various music video shoots.


Singles

" Welcome to My World" is the first single of ''My World''. SM released the song for digital download and streaming on May 2, 2023. It peaked at number 64 on the Circle Digital Chart. The lead single " Spicy" was released on May 8, 2023, the same day the mini album came out. The single reached number two on the Circle Digital Chart and amassed 4 music show wins. It also topped major local music charts such as
Melon A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". The ...
, Genie Music and
Bugs Bugs may refer to: * Plural of bug Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters * Bugs Bunny, a character * Bugs Meany, a character in the ''Encyclopedia Brown'' books Films * ''Bugs'' (2003 film), a science-fiction-horror film * ''Bugs ...
.


Critical reception

Upon its release, ''My World'' received positive reviews from music critics, who noted the shift from the dark, futuristic "
cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyber ...
" world and praised Aespa's vocals and diversity. Rhian Daly of ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' stated "''My World'' might water down the layers of SM Culture Universe (SMCU) in its songs, but it doesn't dilute the sound that Aespa have become known for" elaborating that " aeviswhich has been heavily referenced in their previous tracks feels much more subtle and is easily missed however she is there if
he listener He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' i ...
are attentive". Overall, she stated "''My World'' proves Aespa could dominate other cosmoses otherwise SMCU". Sharifa Charles of '' Clash'' summarized the EP as "a remarkable showcase of espa'sversatile talent" that "ventures into uncharted territory". Writing for
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, Neil Z. Yeung gave ''My World'' a 4 out of 5 rating, citing it as an "absolute breath of fresh air" in the K-pop realm. Yeung added that the EP is "expanding the possibilities of sound and mood within the genre". In her review for ''
Dork Dork is a pejorative term for a person (compare with " dweeb" and "fool"). Dork may also refer to: People * Dork Sahagian, Armenian-American climate scientist Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Dork'' (EP), an album by AFI * ''Dork'' (magaz ...
'', Abigail Firth stated that with the mini album Aespa shows a new side of them while "doubling down on their versatility and expanding their ever-intriguing universe". ''
IZM ''IZM'' () is a South Korean online magazine that publishes pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ...
'' critic Seonghyun Han stated that the EP is "not a declaration of territorial occupation, but rather a signal to cross the border and open a gateway". He also named the track "Welcome to My World" a highlight on the record.


Commercial performance

On April 24, 2023, it was reported that ''My World'' has sold over 1.5 million copies in pre-orders sales in less than a week. The album debuted at number one on the
Circle Album Chart The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Korea based on their pure sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, previously know ...
, selling 1,420,178 copies for the 19th week of 2023. In the first week of release, it was reported that ''My World'' sold more than 1.6 million copies on the Hanteo Chart, surpassing Blackpink's ''
Born Pink ''Born Pink'' is the second studio album by South Korean girl group Blackpink, released on September 16, 2022, through YG Entertainment and Interscope Records. It marked the group's first full-length record since '' The Album'' in 2020. Production ...
'' record from September 2022. In just two weeks after its release, the album became "a double million-seller" selling 2,011,388 copies. The album has since been certified double million by the
Korea Music Content Association The Circle Chart (), previously known as the Gaon Music Chart or the Gaon Chart (), tabulates the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in South Korea. It is produced by the Korea Music Content Association and sponsored by South Korea's ...
(KMCA). The mini album also topped the monthly Circle Album Chart, selling 1,949,219 copies in the month of May. In the United States, ''My World'' debuted at number nine on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart with 39,000 copies sold, following its physical release in the region. It was the group's second consecutive album to enter the top ten. Moreover, the EP claimed the top spot on both ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' World Albums and Top Album Sales charts, earning their third No. 1 in the former chart.


Accolades


Track listing


Charts


Weekly charts


Monthly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications and sales


Release history


References

{{Aespa Aespa EPs 2023 EPs Korean-language EPs SM Entertainment EPs Warner Records EPs