Discovery Of aespa’s “Rich Man” Original Lyrics Sparks Intense Backlash
On September 4, aespa returned with “Rich Man,” their latest comeback track.
Reception of the song has been mixed, as some feel wish the group would release tracks more similar to their previous ones. A recent live performance of the song has also triggered criticism over the track’s choreography.
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Recently, the group has faced additional criticism following the discovery of the track’s original lyrics and sound.
American musician KANNER is listed as a writer of “Rich Man,” and recently shared her voice was on the demo track.
@kannertime I am what I am!! I am a rich man!!! #aespa #aespaconcert #aesparichman #songwriter #musictok
However, KANNER actually released the song in 2024 before seemingly removing it from platforms for aespa’s usage.
When comparing the two versions, there are some noticeable differences in the lyrics, that to some, change the impact of the song. The lyric “I am a rich man,” is a reference to the answer legendary musician Cher gave to her mother about getting married.
My mom said to me, ‘You know, sweetheart, one day you should settle down and marry a rich man,’ and I said, ‘Mom, I am a rich man.’
— Cher
The meaning of her quote is that she does not need to marry a man for what he might provide, because she can provide it herself. This feminist thought carries throughout KANNER’s version, with the quote included.
aespa’s version changes this, removing the direct mention of getting married
My mom said to me, ‘Find someone who can give you everything.’
And I said, ‘Mom, I already have everything.’— aespa’s “Rich Man”
In a forum post with thousands of views, and in the comments of the demo version, netizens discussed the differences in the two versions, with many preferring KANNER’s versions. Specifically, aespa’s “Rich Man” was criticized for allegedly removing the strong feminist feelings.
- The original lyrics were literally like, ‘I’m a rich man, I’ve got it all so it doesn’t matter,’ but the rearranged version just turned into ‘I love myself.’ If they were going to switch it to a narcissism theme, they should’ve changed the ‘Rich Man’ keyword too. And then the styling — the concept photos and stage outfits look more like rock or motorsports. That doesn’t line up with the narcissism concept either. Everything just feels mismatched. Why did they go with such a half-baked direction?
- I thought it was gonna be about aespa becoming the “Rich Man,” but this ended up being neither here nor there… Turns out the original version was the real deal.
- If they were going to buy the song, they should’ve at least kept the meaning of the original. They don’t even have the guts to touch the feminist elements head-on, so why bother changing the original in the first place?
- Lmao why the hell would you expect feminism from them in the first place. Just look at what they’ve been doing — they’re nowhere near that. They gotta keep the male fans happy and still wanna chase the U.S. market… it’s all just for show. They should’ve just stuck with that Supernova / Armageddon / Whiplash kinda stuff.
While aespa themselves did not write the track, it seems their participation as performers also failed to impress.
