aespa Becomes First SM Artist to Top MelOn's Weekly Chart in the Last 2 Years + Success of 'Next Level' in Domestic Charts
"Global Super Rookie" aespa has been collecting successes since debut. Following a great start with "Black Mamba," their single "Next Level" is now breaking numerous records in local charts.
On June 28, aespa achieved a new record as they sit atop the MelOn Weekly Chart for the first time since debut with their latest, addictive track "Next Level."
aespa also proved their huge influence and popularity after breaking Oh My Girl's previous record and garnering new achievements.
aespa Beats K-pop Giants BTS, Brave Girls, and TWICE + Dominates MelOn Weekly Chart
aespa's "Next Level," released May 17, topped the weekly charts in the fourth week of June (from June 21-27). The song is a remake of the original soundtrack "Next Level" from the film "Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw," but the success is purely aespa's power.
The original track is not that popular in Korea and aespa's version was initially not accepted due to its weird flow.
But with aespa's unique color, addictive sound, and the track's catchy phrase, "I'm on the next level," it has since then gained strong support from fans, with critics saying it shows aespa's powerful performance and worldview. Listeners even refer to it as the next song to be banned after SHINee's "Ring Ding Dong" for being an earworm song.
Meanwhile, aside from reaching their peak in MelOn for the first time since debut, aespa also broke the two-year record of SM Entertainment without an artist reaching No. 1 in the weekly chart after SNSD Taeyeon in 2019.
This is not to mention that aespa is the first-ever fourth-generation K-pop group to penetrate the first spot of the weekly chart against K-pop giants such as BTS and TWICE.
In addition to this, aespa Next Level also broke Oh My Girl Dun Dun Dance previous record of reaching 42.1 million streams in MelOn.
The quartet now holds the most-streamed girl group song in 2021.
ALSO READ: From aespa to EXO to NCT Dream: What is the Connection of 'KWANGYA' and These Groups in SM Culture Universe?
Lee Soo Man Reveals How He Decided to Make aespa Release a Remake of "Next Level"
On June 29, aespa, along with SME Founder Lee Soo Man, appeared on the first broadcast of "SM Congress 2021."
The story behind the birth of "Next Level," a remake of the original soundtrack of the movie "Fast and Furious: Hobbes & Show," was also revealed.
Lee Soo Man said, "While watching the movie, I listened to the music and thought, 'aespa should sing this kind of song. After I brought the song, I put new things in and rap differently."
Seems like Lee Soo Man's hunch about the song is right because of its massive popularity!
READ MORE: aespa Shows They're the Future of K-Pop with 'Next Level'
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Written by Eunice Dawson
