The phenomenal K-Pop industry which has taken the world by storm isn’t a stranger to digital
trends. This includes Web3 where some of the industry’s biggest companies such as HYBE,
JYP Entertainment, and YG Entertainment have also worked on various NFT-related
projects, involving powerful groups like BTS, BLACKPINK, NCT, and many more.
Following that, one of K-Pop’s most popular creations, aespa, recently announced a
collaboration with Blake Kathryn, a globally acclaimed visual artist, to create a special NFT
collection – ‘æ girls’ – as the latest piece of merchandise for the group’s dedicated fans.
A FUTURE-FORWARD GROUP
The latest girl group of SMTOWN recently made headlines for becoming part of the earliest adopters of NFT technology inside the ever-evolving K-Pop industry. aespa, a four-piece girl group consisting of members Karina, Winter, NingNing and Giselle has always been known for its future-forward concept.
During their debut in October 2020, the group members were introduced to the audience worldwide alongside their virtual avatar counterparts known as æ-aespa, which would always appear to be performing together with them during live shows.
In regard to that, this reminds the writer of back in 2021 when Seoul Stars created K-Pop’s first-ever virtual artist, Yuna.
Just like the IRL K-Pop stars, Yuna who was designed with the help of several acclaimed Korean artists, also releases albums and hosts virtual concerts in the Metaverse. What’s even more interesting is the fact that Seoul Stars wasn’t exactly kidding with the creation of the first-of-its-kind idol.
This is because all of Yuna’s discography is produced by an influential Korean music producer, Tommy Lee, who has previously worked his magic with several famous K-Pop artists including Girls’ Generation, EXO, and IU.
WHAT TO EXPECT?
‘æ girls’ is a three-part series of digital artworks inspired by the aespa members’ DNA and their avatar counterparts.
It includes one super exclusive single edition 1:1 artwork, four fine art executions of each æspa member in editions of 8, and an open edition access key for fans and collectors. The online auction will be happening from 13 October (10 AM EDT) until 19 October at Sotheby’s Metaverse, while the æ girls’ collection will be also displayed at Sotheby’s gallery in New York and Hong Kong.
