Aespa among Time 2022 ‘Next Generation Leaders’

Aespa has been included by Time magazine in its 2022 list of Next Generation Leaders.

Released Wednesday, the list described Aespa as a group that also existed as avatars in a “fantastic metaverse.” The K-pop girl group, with their virtual counterparts, debuted in November 2020 as “an experiment.”

Time said the idea was part of SM Entertainment’s SM Culture Universe, “an interconnected world in which all of its artists will exist—with complex backstories, narrative arcs, villain threats, and more.”  

Aespa, known for their songs “Next Level,” “Savage,” and “Black Mamba,” performed at the recently concluded Coachella festival.

Time’s Next Generation Leaders also include Ukrainian journalist Olga Rudenko, Kyiv Independent editor in chief, and Mongolian communication and information technology head Bolor-Erdene Battsengel, the country’s youngest Cabinet official. – RC, GMA News