ON THE 2ND ALBUM, THOUGHTS & PREPARATION
KARINA:
This album holds great significance. Since our first full-length album received so much love, I prepared this with both excitement and a sense of pressure. We consulted extensively with the agency and deliberated deeply on what kind of image we wanted to present for this second album. Please give it a lot of love.
Through our worldview, we have tried to convey a message of being confident in ourselves. This expanded message also contains positive energy, asserting that even if trials come, we will grind them up and consume them with 'sweet and sour' energy. I hope you gain energy while listening.
For "WDA (Whole Different Animal)," G-DRAGON appeared as a featured artist and personally participated in the rap making for his part, enhancing the song's quality. Karina expressed her gratitude, saying:
From the moment we received the demo for the song ‘WDA,’ we had featuring in mind. We thought about who could really bring it to life and who would be able to do it well, and after discussing it with the company, our sunbaenim gladly agreed to do it.
Our song became even cooler, and it was a part we personally really liked and we had high expectations for, sunbaenim interpreted it in his own style so well that I think it became an even cooler song.
Regarding the goals she hopes to achieve through this album, KARINA stated:
Even though the outcome isn’t decided yet, with a really honest heart, I hope (the 2nd full album) performs better than our 1st full album.
I really like the message of this album. I hope many people can receive energy from our songs. By taking one’s personal struggles and problems and designating it as the ‘lemon’, we want the resulting motto to be ‘let’s blend that up and turn it into a delicious lemonade’.
GISELLE:
I’m so happy and grateful to be greeting you with a full-length album after a long time. As our last full-length album received so much love more than we expected, I'd like to ask for lots of love for this album as well. There are many high quality and great songs, so please look forward to it a lot
about the difference between WDA and Lemonade:
WDA’ has a slightly dark and overwhelming vibe. While ‘Lemonade’ has a much more kitschy and mischievous feeling in comparison to that. Since the moods of the two songs are different, it was fun filming the music videos and I think people will really like these MVs as well.
They also discussed the musical styles they would like to try in the future. Giselle piqued curiosity by saying:
I think we have been doing music that is distinctly ‘aespa’ so far. Next, I’d like to try a concept that is cybernetic yet cute and lovely. You can look forward to it.
WINTER:
Because it’s a full album, we worked hard to include different moods and stories in every track. Even during the recording process, I kept thinking about how we could present each song on stage. I hope that when people listen to the album, they’ll think, ‘This is so aespa.'
Ultimately, I think it connects well in that it shows the new worldview and direction aespa will open up. If you look at the tracks, there are intense and weighty songs. You can encounter various charms, such as witty and energetic tracks. So, I think this will be an album where you can enjoy aespa in many different ways.
As this album opens a new chapter in their worldview, aespa has promised to showcase a more solidified musical world and diverse genres. WINTER expressed her hopes, stating:
If we have previously shown aespa's unique worldview and musical color, I hope you will consider this album as a step forward in expansion. While there is the familiar intensity unique to aespa, you will be able to feel a solidified message and direction within it. I hope that as you listen to this album, you will feel that aespa has opened a new door.
When asked about “self-identity” or “independence” showcased in aespa since debut and what it means to aespa. WINTER answered:
We live in a world where people are very conscious of others’ opinions. Even when you want to become your own person and do things you like and love, there are many times when outside influences make you hesitate. I want to give people positive energy and the strength to exist as themselves.
I think it’s important to become your own person and truly know yourself. To me, self-identity means doing the things you love and enjoy without worrying about others’ opinions and existing as yourself
NINGNING:
I am both excited and nervous. This album features aespa's unique intense charm, but at the same time, you will be able to feel a relaxed and cool energy. We prepared this with confidence."
ON aespa's NARRATIVE WORLDVIEW
KARINA:
Because we’ve been going back and forth through the multiverse so much, cracks have formed in the real world. It's a situation that would normally cause panic and confusion but we had searched for ‘black mamba’ in kwangya and we also found ‘naevis’ and ‘ae’ which made this feel like not a big deal. this chapter is about the worldview turning a crisis into an opportunity
GISELLE:
it will be more interesting if you realise the lyrics “never look back don’t covet things of kwangya” from next level are connected all the way to this album
ON 'LEMONADE' TITLE TRACK
KARINA:
Speaking of the performance, 'WDA' had a hip-hop feel that was more about feeling the vibe rather than following the moves, 'lemonade' has choreography that you’ll want to follow. since it’s an upbeat song, I think it’s great song for getting people hyped up
GISELLE:
I think the biggest appeal of 'LEMONADE' is its message. The message in the song reflects the mindset we always try to follow, so it's a track with a lot of charm in many ways. The hook is very kitschy and memorable. The sound and track are excellent, and the quality is high. It is a song with many charms.
WINTER:
I think it’s a song that captures aespa’s wit well. There’s the proverb, ‘If life gives me lemons, I’ll make lemonade,’ right? It carries the message that even in dangerous situations, we’ll coolly blend and drink them down
It’s a song I’m especially attached to because it cleverly delivers a positive message in our own way.
I got a strong impression from it, and it stuck in my head from the very beginning. It has a cool vibe overall. It is closer to sourness than a metallic taste. After the highlight medley was released, fans nicknamed it "쇠콤달콤 (metallic-sour-sweet)" and I like it.
It has been reported that the choreography for ‘Lemonade’ is relatively easy. Winter stated:
It has a refreshing vibe that matches the song’s atmosphere, and since it is the title track, the choreography focuses on catchy points.” She added, “There is some refreshing dance moves, so I hope you will dance along with us to cool off this summer. It is choreography that anyone can do.
NINGNING:
LEMONADE' suits the members' voices well, and it's a fun song to listen to. Since it's a summer track, I think it will be great to play on repeat. The hook is especially memorable and addictive. Lemonade is a very sour drink. I think we recorded it playfully to bring out the feeling that even such a sour beverage is just a cheerful drink for us aespa. There is a Spanish part this time, so I recorded it while constantly running a translator to check the pronunciation.
ON THEIR UPCOMING NEW TOUR:
In particular, following this comeback activity, aespa will continue their world tour, starting with a concert to be held at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul this coming August.
WINTER:
I used to only watch concert at Gocheok Dome before, and back then I thought, 'Wow, it's amazing to fill such a huge venue.' and I remember thinking ‘I hope we can become artists who could fill such a venue like that someday too’ . Even now, it still doesn’t feel real that we’re entering Gocheok Sky Dome while releasing our second full album. The fact that we were able to have that level of influence is honestly thanks to MYs. Because of that, I’ve newly developed the mindset that we should deliver even better energy to them
KARINA:
We will be visiting many new cities, and I think we will put in a lot of effort to show a more mature side of ourselves. For this concert as well, we will try to incorporate our unique worldview and new songs. We are starting a new concert tour beginning in Korea, so I hope you look forward to seeing what kind of performances we have.
Translations: machine translation / kirinyangz / nnglog / winteraphy: 01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05 // mjkmwntr: 01 / 02 // aeriminded / icurina
Giselle telling us not to wish for the return of Kwangya in the section on aespa’s worldview 😩 /hj