aespa's 'LEMONADE': Inside the Group's New Sound and G-Dragon Collab

K-POP girl group aespa is back with a softer twist on its signature edge. The four-member act released its second full-length album, "LEMONADE," and used a Seoul press event to lay out a sound the members describe as playful, cool, and looser than anything they have done before.

The group held the album's press conference on May 28 at the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul in Songpa, ahead of the album's release on May 29 at 1 p.m. KST through major streaming platforms. "LEMONADE" carries 10 tracks, including the title song of the same name.

Karina framed the shift in flavor directly. "People often describe our concept as 'metallic,'" she said. "This time, we came back with a 'sour' taste. It's a fresh, cool mood that fits the start of summer." She added that the tracklist moves across a wide range of genres. "If you listen all the way through, I think you'll feel like, 'Oh, aespa can do this kind of music too.' We wanted to show our musical range."

The title track "LEMONADE" is an electronic dance song built around a heavy synth-bass line. Its lyrics lean on the Western saying, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Winter called it the song that best captures aespa's sense of humor. "Even when dangerous chaos comes, we're saying we'll just blend it up and drink it down," she said. "Fans saw our teasers and called it 'metallic sweet and sour.' I really like that phrase."

Ningning said the recording process leaned into that lightness. "Lemonade is a pretty sour drink, right? We recorded it in a playful way to bring out the idea that even something sour can still be fun." She also joked about a Spanish-language part in the song, saying she kept running the lines through a translator to check her pronunciation while recording.

One of the album's biggest talking points is a guest feature from G-Dragon, the BIGBANG leader and longtime industry figure. Karina said the team had a featured artist in mind from the start. "We thought about who could really pull this off, and our senior G-Dragon came to mind," she said. "He agreed right away. He brought out exactly what we hoped for, and the song became really cool because of him."

The members also addressed the recent music video for "WDA" (Whole Different Animal), which sparked attention online for its sharp visual change. "I was honestly shocked at how much I liked it when I saw it," Ningning said. "We tried a bold transformation. To show that we'd become a different kind of being, we went all in on the posing, the acting, and the makeup."

Asked what aespa means when the group sings about self-possession, Winter gave a measured answer. "These days, people often hold back on the things they like or love because they're so aware of others' eyes," she said. "We want to give good energy and the message that you can exist as yourself. Knowing yourself is the most important thing. We want to sing, 'know yourself and exist as yourself.'"

Ningning added that confidence is part of the job. "As artists, we always need confidence. If we make the music with confidence, listeners can feel that too. And it matters not just for us, but for everyone around us who helps prepare the album and our schedules. I always feel grateful, and that gratitude turns into confidence."

The album also lands as aespa enters its seventh year. "We debuted with a worldview built in from the start," Ningning said. "Over these seven years, I think we've been finding ourselves through the work. Even the 'metallic' label that fans use, we only realized 'oh, that's what we are' after people started calling us that. We're still figuring out what our new side looks like."

Giselle said her perspective has changed since debut. "When we first started, we really didn't know anything. But I've realized a lot while working. When fans tell us, 'on hard days, your videos and songs give me a little strength,' that means so much," she said with a smile.

Near the end of the press conference, Giselle hinted at where the group might head next. "There's music I want to try in the future," she said. "Until now, we've done a lot of songs that feel very 'aespa.' But we're a concept-driven group, so I'd like to try something that's still cyber, but also cute and lovable. I think you can look forward to it."

The music video for "LEMONADE" follows a "lemon bug" that enters aespa's parallel world, cracking it open and creating a portal known as P.O.S. The full album is out May 29 at 1 p.m. KST.

minkyung lee, [email protected]