Scathing aespa Review Goes Viral, Sparking Even More Negative Reactions 

A harsh critique of aespa’s newest album, Rich Man, has gone viral in Korea. Within just a few hours, the review has racked up over 36,000 views, quickly becoming one of the most talked-about posts on community site TheQoo.

To make matters worse, netizens in the comments have not defended the group, only increasing the negative reactions.

The writer compared Rich Man unfavorably to aespa’s past releases, pointing out that the group’s momentum has slowed compared to their breakout success in 2024. They argued that the track relies too heavily on the repetitive hook “I’m a rich man” while lacking the strong concepts and unique sound that once set the group apart.

The overwhelming opinion is that the track feels ‘too weak.’ Reducing the guitar distortion might have been an inevitable choice to highlight the members’ vocal tones, but filling that gap with endless repetition of the catchphrase “I’m a rich man” was unnecessary.

Even if it is the song’s key hook, its excessive use reduces what should have been a strong introduction, borrowing from Cher’s statement about independent women, to something that feels like a throwaway advertisement slogan.

…the song ends up sounding like nothing more than hollow, self-indulgent bragging.

— IZM review

Other songs on the album were also mentioned, with “Drift” described as forgettable, “To the Girls” seen as generic, and “Angel #48” called an unconvincing attempt to continue aespa’s softer pop style. While “Count on Me” received slight praise for trying to echo the energy of older tracks like “Lucid Dream.”

[Rich Man] ends up being neither a bold detour nor a timely rest period… just a lazy album. With the smallest misstep, confidence has tipped into arrogance.

— IZM review

The post didn’t just stop at the review itself. Korean netizens quickly added their own reactions, many of which leaned negative. Fans voiced disappointment in both the song and its performance, sparking even more debate over aespa’s current direction.

• “I don’t even know if the song direction and choreography match the track at all.”
• “They stripped out all the lyrics that showed what the original song was trying to say… and since the performance doesn’t match either, the song itself isn’t bad, but it just feels drained of energy, lol. The original even had lyrics about mansplaining. It was a full-on feminist song.”
• “The song and choreography are both underwhelming… that finger-rubbing move just feels… uncomfortable.”
• “The song feels bland, and the stage was flat too, kind of disappointing.”
• “I actually liked the song… but I think people’s expectations for aespa are especially high. On IZM, 1, 1.5, or 2-star ratings are common, but with them it feels harsher.”
• “It’s just not that good, that’s all there is to it. The review stands out more because everything before this was so solid. But hey, not every release can be perfect.”