Aespa Spills On How Their Parents And Friends Help Them Handle Their Fame
SM Entertainment has a long line of successful K-Pop groups, and aespa continues that tradition as the company’s most recent girl group.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and heavy travel restrictions, aespa made their debut. The circumstances made it difficult to meet their fans face-to-face, but that didn’t stop them from steadily gaining their fanbase from the moment they released their first song.
Their debut song’s music video broke records, including the most-viewed K-Pop debut music video in 24 hours.
The road to their debut wasn’t always easy for the members as they admitted they struggled with doubts many trainees have faced about whether they would get to make their official debut.
There were a lot of uncertainties surrounding the group formation, so it was very emotionally unstable… There’s a constant worry and fear that things might change.
— Karina
Although their debut was successful, they recently revealed they were happy but weren’t fully satisfied debuting at a time when they couldn’t meet or perform live in front of their fans. Their debut received positive feedback, but they also faced negative reactions as SM Entertainment’s newest girl group to debut.
Now, we have many fans and receive a lot of support and love. But in our debut days, it was hard.
— Karina
It’s been almost two years since their debut and they have many impressive achievements under their belt. In November 2021, they became the first K-Pop girl group to perform in the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, marking their largest live performance at the time.
They then made their U.S. festival debut at the legendary Coachella in April of this year. In July, they spoke at the United Nation‘s 2022 High-Level Political Forum after being invited to speak as a youth leader to encourage sustainable development through taking care of the Earth, using the example of their unique metaverse concept.
With many accomplishments in such a short span of time after experiencing early doubts and hardships, there was some curiosity about how aespa’s friends and family members felt about the group’s success.
During an interview with iHeartRadio host, JoJo while the group was in Los Angeles for their first in-person showcase in the U.S., he sought to satisfy that curiosity by asking the group about their family and inner circle’s thoughts.
Karina was the first to answer with a light-hearted and funny response. She shared that when she goes home to visit her parents, they let her rest for a little bit before handing her papers to autograph.
While being interrupted during a break from work is usually not ideal, Karina said she doesn’t mind because it’s her parents’ way of showing they’re proud of her.
For NingNing, her family and friends are surprised whenever they see her on stage because they’ve watched her grow up and it’s hard to believe her on-stage persona is the same little girl they knew.
aespa’s Winter touched on some of the hardships that come with fame and how her family helps her cope.
My friends and family know that I feel a little bit of pressure, uncomfortable, or overwhelmed when everybody [is] chasing me saying, ‘Wow! You’re so popular. You’re a big hit now,’ so my family gives me a lot of space.
— Winter
Her family’s understanding is appreciated by Winter and gives her the time she needs to recharge.
Giselle shared that her family and friends also understand the need for her to have some normalcy; as a result, they all treat her the same as before her debut.
When they do acknowledge her fame, it’s often in a joking manner.
My friends are also… very similar to me so they’ll just be like, ‘what do you mean you’re a celebrity? Why are you on that building? Who is that?’ They’ll just throw jokes that make me laugh.
— Giselle
It seems that along with their loving fans who give them strength through tough times, they also have support from their families and friends.
During their interview with iHeartRadio, aespa spilled on when we might be able to expect their first album and the possibility of a world tour. They also shared which celebrity left them starstruck. Check out the article below to learn more!
