"We Felt Very Defeated During Our Debut Days..." — aespa Karina's Honest Thoughts On Why Fans Like The Group

During a recent interview for a behind-the-scenes video of their Japan tour, aespa‘s leader Karina revealed the reason that she thinks draws fans into the group.

에스파의 매력은.. 당당함?
저희는 어디 가서도 기죽지 않는 것 같아요
솔직히 데뷔했을 때는 많이 기죽어있었는데 무대에서만큼은 절대 기죽지 않았어요 그래서 그 모습에 팬분들도 되게 마음을 움직이시지 않았을까 싶어요

좋아하는 이유를 너무 잘 알고있네 우리 지민이가 pic.twitter.com/K6NyLvtDve

— 11 (@vvithkar) May 5, 2023

I think aespa’s charm is our… confidence? I think we never feel defeated wherever we go. Honestly when we debuted, we felt very defeated but on the stage, we were never so. I think that’s what moved the hearts of our fans as well.

— Karina

It was not always a smooth-sailing path for the group. During their debut days, countless rumors plagued aespa, causing doubt to pile up against the members. Karina received criticism for her dance skills pre-debut, while Chinese portal sites accused NingNing of befriending sasaengs and leaking information. Past photos of Giselle had her caught up in partying and underage drinking allegations. Most of the rumors were later proven false.

The girls have been on the rise since then, working doubly hard to prove themselves. They finally received compliments for solid live performance skills…