Over the past year, K-pop girl group aespa have skyrocketed in popularity with each release. With three record-breaking singles, a top 20 Billboard 200 placement, numerous brand collaborations, and prestigious music awards, the “Savage” singers have cemented their spot as global superstars. Last October, they made their US debut on The Kelly Clarkson Show and returned in November for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. On April 23, the quartet took their career to the next level at one of the largest music festivals in the world. 

As part of 88rising’s Head In The Clouds Forever set, aespa became the third K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella. Performing “aenergy,” “Black Mamba,” “Next Level,” “Savage” and their newest English single “Life’s Too Short,” aespa gave Coachella a taste of KWANGYA.

Bringing Their aenergy To The Coachella Stage

After KINJAZ’s appearance, aespa’s stage began with a brief video naming the members. KARINA, WINTER, NINGNING, and GISELLE appeared as “aenergy” began. With the high-energy song, aespa hyped the crowd for the opening act of their performance, their lore-infused debut single. It was a guitar-heavy remix of “Black Mamba.” Wearing black and white outfits with tons of frills, glitter, chains, and embellishments, the members flaunted their live vocals and dancing abilities as they performed the song with floorwork and all. Behind them were the luminescent trees that feature in every one of their music videos.

Even though this is one of their first live performances before a crowd, aespa flaunted their expert stage presence. Between songs, the girls were sure to introduce themselves and thank both 88rising and the crowd. They hyped their crowd with a quick chat, where WINTER prepared the crowd for a “party.”

Opening “Savage” with the iconic “oh my god, don’t you know I’m a savage,” they began performing their sassy, popular single. Throughout the stage, the members boasted their steady vocals and did not shy away from hitting the highest notes. aespa then left the stage, allowing their backup dancers to have the spotlight with an intense dance break. 

Ending With A “Next Level” Stage

After the intense sequence, aespa took a second to catch their breath as GISELLE introduced the next song. The singer-songwriter shared that they would be performing new music — their new song “about staying true to yourself and spreading love.”

With that, the crowd listened to an unreleased song on aespa’s upcoming album, “Life’s Too Short.” It began with a simple acoustic rhythm that highlighted their vocals and harmonies. As they performed the R&B single, the quartet walked across the stage with lighthearted and playful soft-choreography. 

Although they slowed down the tempo with their new song, aespa ended their set with a bang. “Let’s take it to the next level,” they promised to the audience. And, they delivered. 

Their final song was “Next Level,” their smash hit, which has been on Korean music charts since its release last May. aespa performed the fusion single with their own swag and attitude as they effortlessly switched between rapping and singing. Their stage background switched from unique patterns to places that looked as though they came straight from a video game. They also teased fans with a glimpse of the naevis figure from their music video and lore. As they had done throughout their five-song set, aespa engaged the crowd with adlibs to keep the aenergy high.

Teasing Their Trip On Social Media

The group’s appearance came as no surprise for their fans, MY.  The quartet spent the previous week teasing their performance on social media and LYSN’s bubble messenger. 

The clues began on April 13. GISELLE, KARINA, and NINGNING sent ominous messages on their respective bubble messenger accounts: starting with the words koala, cello, and ramyeon. From then, fans began decoding the words, many concluding that the metaverse girl group will be at Coachella. 

On April 14 and 15, speculation continued as the girls began asking fans for recommendations for things to do in Los Angeles. 

A few days later NINGNING then sent a series of numbers ranging from 21 to 24 to her subscribers. Fans thought those were a list of dates for their Los Angeles trip.

The official announcement came from aespa’s Twitter account on April 18. Since then, the group has been hyping their performance with short clips and photos of their time in the US.

aespa on the rise

aespa’s Coachella performance officially marks the start of a new musical era. Reminding fans of their story and top-notch performance abilities, the quartet took Coachella to the next level, performing their previous hits and teasing their next album. Since aespa have started promotions with such a bang, fans are certainly looking forward to what the singers will show next. 

Want more on aespa? Check out our song recommendations here.

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