On October 21st, aespa made their bold return with their fifth mini-album “Whiplash” and the title track of the same name.
The song, which continues aespa’s string of successes after “Supernova,” was called “divisive” by SM’s director himself, and his prediction appears to have come true – albeit for a different reason.
In particular, the lyrics of “Whiplash” are suspected of “tarnishing HYBE”, while the MV is accused of “copying BLACKPINK”.
To specify, “Whiplash” includes the text “Cats will copy one idea, two, then the whole look, then deny it”which is speculated to mock those seeking to imitate aespa’s success – particularly HYBE, who had previously expressed his intention to “trample on aespa”.
Comments like “The shadow HYBE, aespa is so real”, “They ate”, AND “Those that end randomly HYBE is sending me,” can be found under the posts relating to the texts above.
“aespa’s commentary on their new song ‘Whiplash’ reflects their awareness of influence in the industry, addressing how others might imitate their style without recognizing it. This adds a layer of confidence to their artistry and highlights the originality they bring to their music”, a user also wrote.
Meanwhile, comparisons between aespa’s and BLACKPINK’s styles, especially in their MVs, have emerged as the lyrics gain traction.
Specifically, there have been comments that the aespa “copycat” recall is “coming from inside the house”, accusing Aespa of “to be a copy of BLACKPINK” and steal “BLACKPINK’s iconic look” can be seen.
At the same time, some netizens defend AESPA from these accusations, calling those who find the two groups of girls similar to be “both blind and deaf”.
Source: X, Krb
