SM Entertainment recently released four solo songs from the members of the girl group aespa. These are songs that the artists previously performed at earlier concerts. However, surprisingly, only Karina’s song ranked high on Korean music charts, which has sparked immediate debate among fans about the disparity in popularity among the four members.
In fact, it is not uncommon for one member to be more popular than others in a K-Pop group, but Karina is considered the standout among them. Many fans believe that aespa is a unique group due to this significant difference in popularity. In South Korea, the leader of aespa is always regarded as one of the top K-Pop stars of the fourth generation. Additionally, Winter is also a notable member, consistently capturing the audience’s attention. However, the two foreign members, Ningning and Giselle, do not have a comparable level of fame.
Meanwhile, some people argue that Karina’s song “Up” has climbed the charts due to its catchy nature and broad appeal to audiences. Others contend that the idol born in 2000 has received more promotional support from SM Entertainment compared to the other three members.
As of now, “Up” has entered the top 5 on major charts in South Korea, demonstrating Karina’s status as a leading idol of the fourth generation.
Below are some comments from netizens:
- But they (SM) always push Karina the most, so this result is expected
- They keep releasing articles like “Ningning is so beautiful,” “Giselle is now a visual too,” or “Winter is an all-rounder idol,” but in the end, this group is just Karina and her friends.
- They say it’s because this song has a lot of challenges and MCountdown videos, but before Karina posted the challenge, the “Up” challenge was already popular. Around 40,000-50,000 videos were uploaded before the official video appeared. As for the MCountdown video, it was planned by MCountdown after watching “Up” and selecting Karina…
- Tons of challenge videos, and the algorithm only shows Karina’s videos. Whether it’s solo or with the group, what’s the difference? Wait until a real solo comes out before talking. It’s ridiculous to complain about fame while secretly bragging about Karina
- Then why aren’t Karina’s official goods selling well? She’s pushed as the center for every song, not to mention solo parts or roles are given to the member involved in dating rumors.