As soon as rumors of aespa preparing for US debut, fans in Korea have been pouring out concerns.
An aespa fan recently posted an article on Nate Pann, saying “I hope aespa won’t make official debut in the US…”.
In the article, they said, “Since last year, aespa has been promoting a lot in the US with various activities, so I thought they are strong in terms of popularity and fandom there… But it wasn’t like that actually”
This fan explained, “aespa has already signed contracts with US agencies and record labels for over a year but they barely reach 8-10 million monthly users when they’re active and drop to around 4 million during their hiatus”, adding “Even in Korea, their popularity has significantly declined and they lack hardcore fans to actively support activities”.
Lastly, the fan shared, “They haven’t released any full album in Korea but the company is already planning to make a US album? aespa’s digital power has weakened, so I hope they can maintain and improve the group’s fandom and recognition in Korea first.”
Original post: Nate Pann
In response, other netizens commented:
– aespa doesn’t cause any controversy but you’re embarrassed because their results and achievements are not good? If you like achievements that much, then you should become BTS or BLACKPINK fan.
– aespa has never aimed to promote solely in any specific countryㅋㅋ They have been gaining popularity with only Korean songs. They haven’t signed any contracts with foreign companies and only gained popularity on their own
– Since the group can still attract fans in Japan and China even without activities, they can just target other countriesㅋㅋㅋ
– aespa’s popularity is declining in Korea? I think it’s the opposite. After Spicy, NingNing has become more famous. Winter and Karina are still the top female idols while Giselle has gained more female fans.
– The company knows that aespa’s recognition is decreasing in Korea compared to other 4th-generation groups. aepsa is no longer a rookie group since they’ve already debuted for 3 years, so they have no choice but to head overseas like BLACKPINK. Even if they go all-in in Korea, they’re not as competitive as other teams.
