''My World'' is the third

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

by South Korean girl group

Aespa Aespa ( ; , stylized in Letter case#All lowercase, all lowercase or as æspa) is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of four members: Karina (South Korean singer), Karina, Giselle (singer), Giselle, Winter ...

. It was released by

SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...

on May 8, 2023, and contains six tracks, including the pre-release single " Welcome to My World" featuring Naevis, and the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

Spicy Pungency ( ) is the taste of food commonly referred to as spiciness, hotness or heat, found in foods such as chili peppers. Highly pungent tastes may be experienced as unpleasant. The term piquancy ( ) is sometimes applied to foods with a lower ...

" which reached the top three on the

Circle Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...

. Compared to the dark, futuristic,

hyperpop Hyperpop (sometimes called bubblegum bass) is a loosely defined electronic music movement and microgenre that predominantly originated during the early 2010s in the United Kingdom. It is characterised by an exaggerated or maximalist take on p ...

-influenced tones of '' Savage'' (2021) and '' Girls'' (2022), ''My Worlds brighter pop sound draws mostly from

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

and R&B, with melodies characterized by "captivating beats" and "delightful" vocals of the group. The songs incorporate eclectic styles ranging from

alternative pop Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

and

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such ...

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

and

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

. Described by Aespa as a return to the "real world" from Kwangya, the mini album shows a new side of the group across various genres. The EP was met with generally favorable reviews from critics. Commercially, it debuted at number one on the

Circle Album Chart The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Koreabased on their Record sales, physical sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, ...

with 1,420,178 copies sold in a week. The mini album has since been certified double million by the

Korea Music Content Association The Korea Music Content Association (KMCA; ) is a non‐profit organization representing major music content producers and distributors in South Korea. History The KMCA was established on December 9, 2008, and registered with the Ministry of ...

(KMCA). Following its physical release in the United States, ''My World'' became their second album to reach the top ten of ''Billboard'' 200.

Background and release

On February 16, 2023, Lee Sung-soo released a 30-minute video stating: "

Lee Soo-man Lee Soo-man (, born 18 June 1952) is a South Korean business executive and record producer who is best known for being the founder of SM Entertainment, a multinational entertainment company based in Seoul. He has also been referred to as the "p ...

was the reason why Aespa's music has been delayed" and that the group was supposed to release new music on February 20. Moreover, he added that Soo-man wanted to start "injecting environmentalist motifs of tree-planting and sustainability into songs" which were eventually later scrapped as they "did not fit the world of Aespa" and made the group "upset". On February 25 and 26, the group performed the then-unreleased songs: "Salty & Sweet", " Thirsty", "I'm Unhappy", "'Til We Meet Again" at their first concert, Synk: Hyper Line. On March 16, SM Entertainment announced that Aespa would be releasing a record in early May. During an interview for the March 2023 edition of ''

Uproxx Uproxx Studios (stylized as ''UPROXX'') is an American music, entertainment and popular culture website and content studio. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater. The website was acquired in 2014 by Woven Digital (which later ...

'', member Giselle revealed that their upcoming music will be "a little different, while keeping

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

roots in the whole Aespa vibe" by "show nga versatible version of hemselves. She further elaborate that the songs would be "more sentimental with focus ainlyon the music orientation, n addition to the performance". On April 17, it was announced that the group's third extended play titled ''My World'', containing six tracks, would be released on May 8. It was also announced that "Welcome to My World" would be pre-released on May 2. The EP would be available in four different versions with 11 different covers depending on the version, with pre-orders starting on the same day. A day later, the intro teaser video was released. On April 24, a "

breaking news Breaking news, also called late-breaking news, a special report, special coverage, or a news flash, is a current issue that warrants the interruption of a scheduled broadcast in order to report its details. News broadcasters also use the term ...

"-styled teaser video was released. On the same day, the track listing of 6 tracks was released via their official website with "Spicy" announced as the lead single. On April 26, it was revealed that Naevis, the AI character in Aespa's SMCU storyline, would be featured in "Welcome to My World" as a virtual artist. On May 2, "Welcome to My World" was released alongside its music video. The track video for "I'm Unhappy", "Salty & Sweet", and "Thirsty" was released, respectively, from May 2 to 4. On May 6, the music video teaser for lead single "Spicy" was released. The EP was released alongside the music video for "Spicy" on May 8.

Conception

Regarding the creative process and style for the songs, SM Entertainment revealed that ''My World'' "will continue to tell the group's

sci-fi Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

narrative" with the members "now traveling to the real world from Kwangya". Aespa used the "

kitsch ''Kitsch'' ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as Naivety, naïve imitation, overly eccentric, gratuitous or of banal Taste (sociology), taste. The modern avant-garde traditionally opposed kitsch ...

" and " urban" styles in their teasers and clothing during promotion of ''My World'', departing from the dark, futuristic "cyberpunk" style and aesthetic of the previous albums ''Savage'' and ''Girls''. In an article for ''

Paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...

'', Peyton Gatewood noted that the group "ditches the

metaverse The metaverse is a loosely defined term referring to virtual worlds in which users represented by avatars interact, usually in 3D and focused on social and economic connection. The term ''metaverse'' originated in the 1992 science fiction ...

" and expands their story "beyond the pixelated, alien plain of previous albums into a more naturalistic terrain" with the group's

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

account, stating that "Aespa is in the Real World!". During the live event "Aespa 'My World' Countdown Live", Karina stated that "there is no villain in our real world". However, after Aespa invites Naevis to their real world in the track "Welcome to My World", "an anomaly' continues to occur there". She also revealed that "maybe he groupwill start another battle or go to another world" in their future release.

Recording and development

In an online press conference in Seoul for the release of ''My World'', Karina explained that "Spicy" was chosen to be the

, because the group first listened to it "a long time ago", but the song "was so good that she could not forget it". That is why she suggested to her company that " heyshould do the song again because now it's summer". The singer also revealed that "Welcome to My World" was initially supposed to be Naevis' track, but Aespa found the song "so good" after listening to it that the girls "asked if heycould do it". She explained how the single was chosen to represent Aespa's identity: "So we told our company SM Entertainment that we can handle it well. That's how it became our song, we danced and filmed music videos with AI characters in the past, but this was our first time to sing with it. At first, I thought it would be somewhat awkward, but Naevis' sound blended so smoothly with all of us." In an interview with ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' the group stated that with this EP "we get to show a wider range from us, ranging from powerful dance tracks to sweet R&B ballads".

Composition

''My World'' consists of six tracks and "features various genres, captivating beats, and delightful vocals". The first track and pre-release single "Welcome to My World", which features backing vocals by Naevis from Aespa's SMCU storyline, was described as a pop,

and

song characterized by "guitar riff and orchestra" with lyrics about "inviting Naevis nd the listenerto the music world of Aespa". The second track and lead single "Spicy" was described as an "

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

, pop and

song characterized by "intense synth-bass sound nddynamic beat rhythm". The third track "Salty & Sweet" was described as a "futuristic" dance and

song centered around "rough" industrial synth grinds and bass rhythm. The fourth track "Thirsty" was described as a R&B and "modern pop" song with a "bubbly beat and vocal harmonies" that lyrically "expresses thirsty feelings" and compares a "heart that deepens endlessly towards the other person, to a wave". Abigail Firth of '' Dork'' described it as "the love child" of

PC Music PC Music is a record label and art collective based in London and run by producer A. G. Cook. It was founded in 2013, uploading its first releases to SoundCloud that year. Artists on its roster have included Hannah Diamond, GFOTY, Danny L H ...

and Flo's "new-R&B" sound. In the fifth song "I'm Unhappy", the group uses the digital world as a

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...

for "feeling disconnected from those around them" and longing for "the real thing instead of social media's fake facades". The pop track features a "minimal" melody and "simple" production with "stripped-back plinky piano and rattling drums". The sixth and final track "'Til We Meet Again" was described as a "gentle" and "mesmerising"

song characterized by "string performance" and "acoustic guitar" with lyrics about "the love of Aespa members towards their fans, who are always connected through music".

Promotion

Prior to the EP's release, on May 8, 2023, Aespa held a live event called "Aespa 'My World' Countdown Live" on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

, and IdolPlus to introduce the album and communicate with their fans.

Visuals

Six videos—for "Welcome to My World", "I'm Unhappy", "Salty & Sweet", "Thirsty", "Spicy" and "'Til We Meet Again", were released on May 2, 3, 4, 8 and 29, 2023, respectively. The video for the pre-release single, "Welcome to My World", features Aespa "taking a road trip to a forest and connect with nature" with Naevis. The "sombre" track video for "I'm Unhappy" explores the teenage version of the group in a high school. The "Salty & Sweet" music video shows Aespa preside over a table filled with monstrous desserts. In the Y2K-inspired video for "Thirsty", the group stars in its own show and falls in love. The video for the lead single, "Spicy", features the members as "a group of popular high school students" that throw a "wild party" and explore the city. The "sentimental" "Til We Meet Again" video shows the tour footage of the song during "SYNK: Hyper Line" concerts. It also includes footage of Aespa in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and behind-the-scenes from ''My World'' various music video shoots.

Singles

" Welcome to My World" is the first single of ''My World''. SM released the song for digital download and streaming on May 2, 2023. It peaked at number 64 on the

. The

" was released on May 8, 2023, the same day the mini album came out. The single reached number two on the Circle Digital Chart and amassed 4 music show wins. It also topped major local music charts such as

Melon A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. It can also specifically refer to ''Cucumis melo'', commonly known as the "true melon" or simply "melon". The term "melon" can apply to both the p ...

Genie Music Genie Music (), a subsidiary of KT Corporation, is a South Korean company that specializes in the production and distribution of music content. Its music streaming service is the second most used in South Korea with 2.5 million subscribers as ...

and Bugs.

Critical reception

Upon its release, ''My World'' received positive reviews from music critics, who noted the shift from the dark, futuristic "

cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting said to focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech". It features futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyberwa ...

" world and praised Aespa's vocals and diversity. Rhian Daly of ''

'' stated "''My World'' might water down the layers of SM Culture Universe (SMCU) in its songs, but it doesn't dilute the sound that Aespa have become known for" elaborating that " aeviswhich has been heavily referenced in their previous tracks feels much more subtle and is easily missed however she is there if he listenerare attentive". Overall, she stated "''My World'' proves Aespa could dominate other cosmoses otherwise SMCU". Sharifa Charles of '' Clash'' summarized the EP as "a remarkable showcase of espa'sversatile talent" that "ventures into uncharted territory". Writing for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, Neil Z. Yeung gave ''My World'' a 4 out of 5 rating, citing it as an "absolute breath of fresh air" in the K-pop realm. Yeung added that the EP is "expanding the possibilities of sound and mood within the genre". In her review for '' Dork'', Abigail Firth stated that with the mini album Aespa shows a new side of them while "doubling down on their versatility and expanding their ever-intriguing universe". ''

IZM ''IZM'' () is a South Korean online magazine that publishes pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Stre ...

'' critic Seonghyun Han stated that the EP is "not a declaration of territorial occupation, but rather a signal to cross the border and open a gateway". He also named the track "Welcome to My World" a highlight on the record.

Commercial performance

On April 24, 2023, it was reported that ''My World'' has sold over 1.5 million copies in pre-orders sales in less than a week. The album debuted at number one on the

, selling 1,420,178 copies for the 19th week of 2023. In the first week of release, it was reported that ''My World'' sold more than 1.6 million copies on the Hanteo Chart, surpassing

Blackpink Blackpink (, stylized in all caps or as BLɅϽKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. The group is composed of four members: Jisoo, Jennie (singer), Jennie, Rosé (singer), Rosé, and Lisa (rapper), Lisa. Regarded by ...

's ''

Born Pink ''Born Pink'' is the second studio album by South Korean girl group Blackpink. It was released on September 16, 2022, through YG Entertainment and Interscope Records. It marked the group's first full-length record since ''The Album (Blackpink al ...

'' record from September 2022. In just two weeks after its release, the album became "a double million-seller" selling 2,011,388 copies. The album has since been certified double million by the

(KMCA). The mini album also topped the monthly Circle Album Chart, selling 1,949,219 copies in the month of May. In the United States, ''My World'' debuted at number nine on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart with 39,000 copies sold, following its physical release in the region. It was the group's second consecutive album to enter the top ten. Moreover, the EP claimed the top spot on both ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' World Albums and Top Album Sales charts, earning their third No. 1 in the former chart. According to the

International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...

(IFPI)'s Global Music Report for 2023, ''My World'' was the twelfth best-selling album worldwide, having sold 2.1 million units.

Accolades

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the EP's liner notes. Studio * SM Yellow Tail Studio –

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

digital editing In mass communication, digital media is any communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, and preserved on a digital electronic d ...

* Seoul Studio – recording * SM Starlight Studio – recording , digital editing , mixing * SM Big Shot Studio – recording, digital editing , engineered for mix * Doobdoob Studio – recording , digital editing * Golden Bell Tree Sound – recording * SM LVYIN Studio – recording, digital editing, engineered for mix * Studio-T – recording * Sound Pool Studio – recording * SM SSAM Studio – digital editing, engineered for mix * SM Concert Hall Studio – mixing * SM Blue Ocean Studio – mixing * SM Blue Cup Studio – mixing * 821 Sound – mastering Personnel *

–

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

* Lee Sung-soo – A&R executive * Jang Cheol-hyuk – executive supervisor *

– vocals,

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

* Ellie Suh (153/Joombas) – lyrics * Danke (Lalala Studio) – lyrics * Hyun Ji-won – lyrics * Mich Hansen Cutfather –

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

* Jacob "Ubizz" Uchorczak – composition, arrangement * Celine Svanbäck – composition * Patrizia Helander – composition * Bang Hye-hyun – lyrics * Jonatan Gusmark (Moonshine) – composition, arrangement,

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

, programming * Ludvig Evers (Moonshine) – composition, arrangement, synthesizer, programming * Moa "Cazzi Opeia" Carlebecker – composition , background vocals * Emily Yeonseo Kim – composition , vocal directing, background vocals * Jinbyjin – composition, vocal directing , arrangement ,

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

, synthesizer, programming * Anne Judith Wik – composition * Kim Bo-eun – lyrics * Geek Boy Al Swettenham – composition, arrangement * Kyler Niko – composition * Paulina "Pau" Cerrilla – composition *

Lee Seu-ran Lee may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lee'' (2007 film), Tamil-language sports action film * ''Lee'' (2017 film), Kannada-language action film * ''Lee'' (2023 film), biographical drama about Lee Miller, American photojournalist * ''L ...

– lyrics * Barry Cohen Gingerbread – composition, arrangement * Sophie Hintze – composition, background vocals * Ally Ahern – composition, background vocals * Choi Jae-yeon – lyrics * Jake K (Artiffect) – composition, arrangement, vocal directing,

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

, synthesizer * Maria Marcus – composition, background vocals *

Andreas Öberg Andreas Öberg (born 6 August 1978) is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter, and music producer. Music career Öberg was born in Stockholm on 6 August 1978. At the age of seven, he began taking classical guitar lessons at school. By He twelve, he s ...

– composition * MCK (Artiffect) – composition, arrangement, drums, guitar, piano, synthesizer * Kriz – vocal directing, background vocals * Kenzie – vocal directing * Kwon Ae-jin – background vocals * Goldbranch – orchestral recording, orchestral arrangement, orchestral programming * SM Classics Town Orchestra –

orchestration Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

* Moon Jung-jae – piano, orchestral recording * Lee Jong-han – orchestral programming * Kim Kwang-hoon – guitar * Park In-young – strings conducting, strings arrangement * One String – strings * Noh Min-ji – recording , digital editing * Jeong Ki-hong – recording * Choi Da-in – recording * Lee Chan-mi – recording * Jeong Yoo-ra – recording , digital editing , mixing * Lee Min-kyu – recording, digital editing , engineered for mix * Jang Woo-young – recording , digital editing * Kim Kwang-min – recording * Lee Ji-hong – recording, digital editing, engineered for mix * Oh Seong-geun – recording * On Seong-yoon – recording * Joo Ye-chan – recording assistant * Kang Eun-ji – digital editing, engineered for mix * Nam Koong-jin – mixing * Kim Cheol-sun – mixing * Jung Eui-seok – mixing * Kwon Nam-woo – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Notes

References

{{Melon Music Award for Millions Top 10 Albums Aespa EPs 2023 EPs Korean-language EPs 2020s Korean-language albums SM Entertainment EPs Warner Records EPs