How come Aespa have suddenly turned into a PAK monster with Supernova?

  • Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy that Aespa gained such a level of success, they deserve it.


    But as any longterm K-pop fan knows, SM have a long, LONG history of their groups and even their top hits not getting any PAK at all, as the only one of the Big 3 companies.

    In spite of all types of alleged massive powers and influence that people ascribed to SM, whether it was because of a conflict or feud or fluke (or sabotage?), even with their groups' top hits there was always 1 or 2 digital platforms where SM top hit songs didn't rank #1, blocking any possibility for a PAK.


    So what has changed? Even more so, why with this song, Supernova? I'd never have thought this was a song that fits Korean taste, and to that extent that it remained a PAK for days after days.

    Has the musical taste of Koreans changed? Did Supernova go viral on Tiktok or other way?


    I'm genuinely curious.

  • Drama was a just above average song. Supernova song is a good song.


    MHJ already released all their very good stockpiled songs collected by Hybe for them before their debut. Yes they were going to be Hybe first 100% gg, before Ive debuted.


    So it was Aespa with a good song vs MHJ & friends with a good song, and Aespa won, showing that their fanbase in Korea is bigger.

  • They got unblocked from paks years ago after monkey(?) fell off

    Power Up was like 6 years ago. This isn't even Aespa's first pak, it's just their first time landing a huge hit in a couple years


    Quality has been the main issue over the last 6 years

    BLACKPINKJESSICAMEOVVNEWJEANSSEJEONGTHE ROSETWICEYERIN BAEKYUKIKA

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  • it's not even weird. this is their second PAK. they also have strong and active fanbase in korea and international even with many scandals happened before (i.e.: karina's dating).

    all members are likeable. this year they start their solo promotions, all members are already everywhere promoting Aespa.


    these are some of Giselle's solo promotions. a supposed to be the most hated member in Aespa has many activities in a month.


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  • Aespa have been in a upward trajectory since Spicy


    It's funny how people say Supernova is the first big hit aespa land since Next level


    When Spicy almost had PAK but it was blocked on bugs by Ive I AM

    And after more than a year the song is still in the top 50 of melon

    It's one of the best charting 2023 song in the chart currently


    People are really delusional or acting like spicy never existed help them to continue to push this narrative that aespa was flopping pre-supernova era

  • Cap. Spicy was a hit, but you just admitted it was blocked by a song that was a MUCH bigger hit. It is appropriately rated.


    Look at any 2023 year end chart. Circle or Melon. Pick whichever you want. And Spicy is not even a top 10 song.


    CIRCLE CHART - 써클차트
    New Circular Wave.
    circlechart.kr


    It came out a full 2 months before Super Shy, which isn't even NewJeans' biggest song in Korea, and still charted below it by year end.


    Stop acting like people are mindlessly downgrading aespa. Supernova is legitimately their biggest hit since Next Level. None of their other songs performed anywhere near this level.


    Celebrate the victory, but stop the bullshit revisionist history about their career arc.

  • We have just witnessed a once in every couple of years event.


    Aespa beat NJ one on one. Just like when Twice defeated GFriend, from that point onwards, Twice climbed and the reverse happened for GFriend. Already MHJ's follow-up release is not as successful.


    Being the #1 group has huge advantages, and Aespa will get a lot more support now from the many casuals that follow the trends.

  • Navis and Shaman are joining their power :pepe-army:

    that aside, Supernova is fresh and unique and clearly experimental song. it has addictive part (ah oh ay) that stuck in your head. Armageddon does not.

  • Ah, ok, thanks, people for the info. So from what I read there are various factors that might contribute: Aespa are currently/still a very popular group in South Korea, the drama with Bighit PD has added some additonal exposure to them and put them even more in the spotlights in a positive way, making even more people pay attention to them, and they really like the song, up to the point that they listen more to it than just once, but frequently enough to that extent that the songs ranks on top for weeks to months.


    I would never have expected an experimental/'noise' song to hit it that big with the general public in SK that it fits their taste so much, but it's good to see that things change.


    They got unblocked from paks years ago after monkey(?) fell off

    Power Up was like 6 years ago. This isn't even Aespa's first pak, it's just their first time landing a huge hit in a couple years


    Quality has been the main issue over the last 6 years

    it's not even weird. this is their second PAK. they also have strong and active fanbase in korea and international even with many scandals happened before (i.e.: karina's dating).

    all members are likeable. this year they start their solo promotions, all members are already everywhere promoting Aespa.


    Yes, there have indeed been times that SM groups had a PAK the past years. But some streaming platform companies fighting a grudge fest with SM for many years was just 1 of the reasons that hit songs by SM groups were blocked from a PAK by 1 digital platform.

    And while SM groups and artists (like Taeyeon) weren't the only ones suffering from not getting a PAK by having another song out of the blue block them on 1 channel for unexpected, unexplainable reasons, they did seem the ones suffering from that phenomenon the most for years.


    But that is a topic for a whole other discussion thread. I'm glad that times have changed and that Aespa can join the club of PAK streak champions 8)

  • aespa doesn't use easy listening sound as their title in the first place. So there's likes and dislikes. That why they can't always have PAK unless the song is crazy addictive (there are many parts that the public found interesting in a song) . Savage PAKs it's because the snowball result of Next Level huge success that's why its short lived PAK.


    why Supernova turned into a PAK Monster? because Supernova is like Next Level. There are many parts in the song that the public found addictive:

    - Body Bang

    - Nova

    -Can't Stop Hyperstellar

    - SU SU SU Supernova

    - Ay Oh Ay 89089080x

    etc

    also it's released during Summer , aespa is popular, has good reputation and has big fandom. Right season, right song, right time. Perfect. The stars are aligned basically.

  • Yes, there have indeed been times that SM groups had a PAK the past years. But some streaming platform companies fighting a grudge fest with SM for many years was just 1 of the reasons that hit songs by SM groups were blocked from a PAK by 1 digital platform.

    And while SM groups and artists (like Taeyeon) weren't the only ones suffering from not getting a PAK by having another song out of the blue block them on 1 channel for unexpected, unexplainable reasons, they did seem the ones suffering from that phenomenon the most for years.


    But that is a topic for a whole other discussion thread. I'm glad that times have changed and that Aespa can join the club of PAK streak champions 8)

    4 songs in the last 6 years to get paks doesn't seem that bad. Pretty on par for a big company

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  • Supernova is their most public friendly title they've ever released. Most of their titles are not exactly easy listening.


    Song choice and genre will always have an impact on charting and they've always had one of the strongest core fandoms for a girl group.


    Girls is their lowest charting title and it still peaked at #8 on Melon iirc, and was also during the period where they got the most hate. People want to call it their flop era, but every group outside of the top 6-8 groups would probably love to flop like that.


    Also, their promo has always been short. Girls and Armageddon I think they only did one week of music shows then moved on to other things.


    With the Armageddon double title, IMO it's given some extra legs to Supernova.

  • before Supernova release:

    SM entertainment songs with the most Perfect All Kill (PAK):

    1.Red Velvet — Power Up (10)

    2.Taeyeon — INVU (9)
    3.aespa — Savage (4)

    end

    Yeah but taking into account they were blocked until 2018, that's not that bad

    In the same time frame: Jype: 1, YG: 4. I think Hybe has 7 but I'm not sure

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  • My answer is the bigger part in that combination

    Nah, even i disagree with that. Supernova was a mega bop that just needed the right amount of promo to make it blow. And it's exactly what happened.


    That amount was quite essential tho i do agree. It's like quality without good promo and vice versa are generally never enough, but when you add the two THEN it blows.


    I think if it wasn't that good, it would have never become that huge.

  • Nah, even i disagree with that. Supernova was a mega bop that just needed the right amount of promo to make it blow. And it's exactly what happened.


    That amount was quite essential tho i do agree. It's like quality without good promo and vice versa are generally never enough, but when you add the two THEN it blows.


    I think if it wasn't that good, it would have never become that huge.

    I still haven't listened it even once, maybe i should give that song a listen to see if its actually that good

  • PAK and nevermind PAK hours is pretty much down to timing and luck depending on chart competition and releases. Of course you need a song that can sweep the charts to begin with, but a number of more or less random factors decides if it will get PAK and especially how many hours it will rack up.


    PAK hours as a measure of comparision is also pretty much meaningless because of this and because of the fact how easy/hard it is to get have changed a number of times over the years. SM artists for example was banned from one of the included charts and could therefore not get PAK at all for first five years.


    In the last years its actually become overall harder to get a PAK, but its much easier to get alot of hours once a song actually manages it. It used to be that getting over 10 hours of pak was an extreme rarity, just getting more than one hour was impressive. These days most songs that get PAK will do at least 100+hours .


    In the first ten years of its existance (2010-2019), two or three songs in total got over 100 pak hours. Looking at the top 10 of most hours today, and every single song on it got their paks in 2020-2024


    These days after the inclusion of youtube weekly (all other charts are daily) on instiz 2-3 years ago, the timing is even more important and with a few exceptions, its now extremly hard for any non idol artist to get PAK if they also dont have a flashy music video to go with the song.


    Supernova could likely have challenged the top song when it comes to hours, but it was blocked by other new releases on youtube chart in the first few weeks.

  • In the first ten years of its existance (2010-2019), two or three songs in total got over 100 pak hours. Looking at the top 10 of most hours today, and every single song on it got their paks in 2020-2024

    Supernova enters top10 songs with most paks.

    GQUx_D1bAAAILKx?format=jpg&name=large

    The fact that every song listed here achieved their PAKs within the last four years is very telling (iChart was launched in 2010).

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