Translation by kirinyangz
On the first time aespa performed at ‘2026 Lollapalooza Chicago’, KARINA said,
"It was a performance we prepared really hard for. Since we were performing at a festival again after a while, we always practiced until late at night so we could all do our best in each of our parts. We wanted to create an exciting stage, and as expected, it was by shining a light on the songs we haven’t shown much of in the setlist."
Karina, who often gets more nervous on stage than you’d think, said that nervousness is an emotion that personally makes her feel that, ‘I’m alive’.
"Being nervous is another precious emotion that humans can feel. I somehow make less mistakes when I’m nervous, too. Since the (nervousness) comes from the thoughts of, ‘What if I get it wrong?’, ‘What do I do if I can’t meet expectations?’, I believe that it’s not necessarily a bad thing to embrace my nervousness and stand on stage."
On the question of what she is looking forward to as their world tour ‘2026-27 aespa LIVE TOUR – SYNK : COMPLæXITY-‘ continues,
“I’m the type to always go outside of the hotel so I can directly feel the city we’re touring in. Just like how ‘tour’ can also mean ‘trip’, I’m always looking forward to the places I wouldn’t have been able to go to, or things I wouldn’t have been able to experience if I wasn’t in this line of work.”
We asked what the word ‘strong’ means to Karina, who always shows a flexible yet strong-willed image on stage.
“I think it’s similar to the word ‘tenacious’. Being tenacious means that your standards and your values aren’t shaken easily. It means you know yourself with certainty, that something distinct exists inside of you. That’s why I like the word ‘strong’.”