On November 17, aespa celebrated their second anniversary, and fans have been thinking about the last 2 years with the talented group.

SM Entertainment's fourth-generation girl group, aespa, debuted after a long line of successful girl groups like S.E.S, Girls' Generation, f(x), Red Velvet, and more. SM Entertainment is one of the best entertainment companies in Korea.

In their two short years as a group, aespa has done a lot of impressive things. They have made their own way as an idol group with a distinctive metaverse concept.

Fans want to see more of the group after seeing them perform and shine on stages around the world. They have shown they can hold their own at overseas festivals, like when they played at Coachella in April.

In July, they gave a speech at the United Nations' 2022 High-Level Political Forum about promoting global sustainability, which was another way to show their global impact.

While aespa continues to show how popular and influential they are, fans and netizens alike wonder why SM Entertainment doesn't seem to do enough to promote the group.

This year, aespa put out their second mini-album, which had the hit songs "Girls" and "Illusion." Even though the group made a comeback, Internet users noticed that they had only been on music shows four times. Fans are asking questions because of this and the fact that aespa hasn't been confirmed to perform at any of the upcoming year-end award shows.

Netizens think it's important for SM Entertainment to promote aespa since the number of important fourth-generation K-Pop girl groups keeps growing. People were sad that the girls couldn't spend more time doing what they love, which is performing on stage for fans.

"It's a shame. I really hope to see them on more music shows in the future."

"Don't they promote anything else besides music shows?"

"I've seen SM artists all year long, but I haven't seen aespa yet. Even though I don't like them, I feel bad for them. During their rise to fame, they should have the most things to do. I'm sure the fans are very angry."

"Why is Aespa the only one who doesn't want to come out…? I heard that everyone else is a musician."

"Why do they run it this way? You can't even call it "superstar branding," because how can you call it branding if you only go through the music shows twice? I sometimes see them on variety shows, so it's not like they're trying to push a mystical concept. What do they look like? All of the 4th generation girl groups are being aggressively pushed and marketed…"

What are your thoughts?

Source[1]

NewJeans' Minji touched fans' hearts with a handwritten letter on her birthday — even while the group is currently unable to promote due to legal issues.

On May 7, Minji celebrated her birthday by sharing a heartfelt message on the group’s personal SNS account, which the members opened themselves to stay connected with fans.

Minji began her letter with honesty, writing, “I think I’m living a busier life than I expected. When I finally looked up, it was already May, and it was my birthday.”

She admitted that she had a lot she wanted to say, but her thoughts felt “messy.” Still, her message to fans was clear, “I just hope that I, our members, and Bunnies can all be happy. Happiness is the biggest goal in my life.”

Minji then opened up about her personal journey and struggles, saying, “I sometimes think that running toward my happiness by doing what I love might look foolish to others. But isn’t giving up your happiness now for the sake of a future that might not even come… too harsh on yourself?”

Despite everything, she ended on a hopeful note, “I really miss the times when we shared our feelings through the good music we made together. But I always look forward to what’s ahead."

She added, "We didn’t stop here, and we’re not going to stop! It might look like we’re standing still, but I believe we’re growing deeper.”

Her message comes during a difficult time for NewJeans. The group announced last year that they were cutting ties with ADOR, their original agency, after trust was broken. They later began working independently under the new name ‘NJZ’.

However, ADOR responded with legal action — claiming the exclusive contract with NewJeans was still valid and asking the court to stop the group from promoting or signing deals.

The court sided with ADOR and granted an injunction, forcing NewJeans to pause their activities. Their appeal was rejected, and they’ve now filed a second appeal.

Through it all, Minji’s message proves one thing — even when forced to stop, NewJeans' hearts are still moving forward.

Source: [1]