Karina: "My World" is our first new album in 10 months. It has six songs and also includes some of the tracks that we revealed during our concert.

Q: Pre-orders for "MY WORLD" surpassed 1.8 million sales, making it the highest fourth-gen girl group pre-order record and second highest amongst all girl groups. What do you guys feel about achieving such records?

Winter: We just heard that we surpassed 1.8 million copies of pre-orders. We were so grateful for the love we had with "Girls" (2022). It feels so good that this album is being so well-received too. We hope to return the love that we've received.

Q: Please introduce us the lead track "SPICY"!

Giselle: "Spicy" expresses aespa's free and energetic side. It's a song fit just for the summer. There are also B-side tracks in the album, which are just as great, and we hope you love that too.

Ningning: The key moves to "Spicy" is where we put our pinky fingers in front of our mouth, like when we're eating spicy food. We haven't got a name for it yet.

Q: Does "MY WORLD" mark the second season of aespa's fictional universe? 

Winter: Yes. If fighting off Black Mamba was Season 1 for aespa, this is Season 2 -- aespa in the real world.

Karina: Our music has been about Kwangya -- the virtual world and us defeating Black Mamba as powerful warriors. But this time, we're back in the real world to show a teenage charm that's fit for girls of our age. The clothes that we're wearing are young and free, something that can be worn on university campuses. We also shot the music videos having a lot of fun.

Karina: But we do continue our [Kwangya] universe story.

Q: Please tell us more about the B-Side tracks! 

Karina: "Salty and Sweet" is what the title says -- that we will mesmerize people with our salty and sweet charms. We performed this in our concert.

Karina: We had so much fun shooting for the videos. It was our choice to shoot the track videos and we tried very hard. The results came out great. Members also contributed in ways they could.

Karina: It's easy to listen to but the pitches of the chorus were so high and difficult. But at the end of the day, we're proud of how good it turned out.

Giselle: "Thirsty" is a soft and eerie R&B that expresses how it feels when we're thirsty. We also got great reaction when we performed it at the concert. This was actually the first song that we recorded out of all the songs of the album.

Winter: "I'm Unhappy" is about my divided self in the virtual world and the real world. It was easy for us to get in character because we're used to that kind of concept. We actually really like the lyrics. We went back to get the exact vibe we wanted to so we hope you focus a lot on the lyrics when you listen to it.

Winter: We don't want to spoil anything for the listeners. So we hope the fans would listen to the songs and try to figure out the stories behind it. Maybe we could get a chance to explain them in the future.

Q: What's your personal favorite track from the album?

Ningning: I personally like the lead track, "Spicy." It's not anything like what we've done in the past. It's a new side of aespa.

Karina: I heard "Spicy" quite some time ago. When we had to decide what the lead would be for this album, I remembered it and said "Wasn't there a song that goes like this?" I chose it because it stuck in my head so much and because it really suits the summer season. You'll know it when you hear it. We felt that with good performance, it will be the best for us.

Q: Did SM Entertainment's new producing structure [which reorganized the company's album producing teams] affect aespa?

Winter: The new system at the company hasn't affected us directly yet, but we do feel like now that we have a team especially there for us.

Q: Why do you think people like aespa?

Winter: I think it's the unique 'aespa' vibe that is getting the love from people. We'll try our best to live up to the name and the expectations from people.

Q: The AI avatar, naevis was featured in your prerelease track, "Welcome to MY WORLD." How does it feel working with a virtual character?

Giselle: The song featuring naevis was actually supposed to be just for naevis. But the song was so great that we sang it together.

Giselle: It's our first song in a really long time so we hope the fans like it.

Karina: Naevis is an AI-generated artist, but we sang and danced together. It was the first time for us to release an album together but we were really surprised at how natural she was without any technical glitches or awkwardness. She moved just as smoothly as the other members did.

Q: The songs included in "MY WORLD" feel more approachable to the general public. Does this define aespa's new musical direction?

Ningning: aespa is a double-sided group. We've done quite feisty songs but this is our first "pop" music, but we hope to try diverse styles in the future. We like the challenge and we're not scared. We hope everyone loves our work.

Q: aespa will perform at Tokyo Dome in August, the largest stadium in Japan. How does it feel?

Ningning: We've been able to communicate with global fans through concerts in and outside of Korea and we're always happy to be able to be given such opportunities.

Q: What is aespa's dream stage?

Karina: Having been on Coachella at such an early stage in our career has been a dream come true for us. The concert at Tokyo Dome is the same. We had the chance to be at the Tokyo Dome for an SMTOWN concert, but it feels great to perform there by ourselves.

Q: It's been ten months since you last released "GIrls." Do you have any messages for MYs around the world that have been waiting for the comeback?

Karina: We really want to thank the fans for waiting for us. We always give our all when we prepare for an album. And even though there was a 10-month break, we were preparing a lot during that time and we are full of passion and confidence. We're preparing for a lot of promotional events and other things to repay the love to everyone.

Karina: We had time to restructure ourselves with the time that we were given, like working out, practicing more, or talking to the other members. We have been working with the same people from the agency from the moment of our debut and so we worked with them again on this album.

Q: Only four out of the 11 songs first unveiled at the concert have been included in "MY WORLD," with four solo tracks notably missing. Where did they go? Will they be released in the future?

Karina: The solo songs that we performed at the concert (but weren't included in the album) may be included in the full-length albums later. Or maybe not? We hope to figure things out smoothly with the agency. We want to have them in the album, so we hope you write that we will (laughs).

Q: aespa is commonly known as the pioneer of the fourth generation girl groups, but other competitors have been actively releasing albums during aespa's break. Does aespa have its own strength to fight off the competition?

Winter: We don't think this is a matter of competition. We think the more people that spread K-pop in the world, the better it is for all of us.

Winter: So rather than competing with other people, it's our goal to just show us improving. But if there is one thing different about aespa, I think it's the universe story that we have.

Q: Are you satisfied with the new style of music and concepts that you've tried with this comeback? 

Karina: We've been 'battling' from the moment our debut so it's a big deal for us to continue the universe story. It's been an unforgettable experience and we could get back to the battles again, so we hope you keep a look out. We're thankful for the versatility we have been given thanks to the universe. It gives a wider range to our music.

Karina: We look forward to our music in the future, but now our goal is to pull off "Spicy" to the best we can. This song really feels so dear to me, especially because of the long time it took for us to release the album.

Karina: Every single moment feels so precious. The times we spend with fans are very dear and we hope everyone defeats the upcoming summer heat with our song.

Winter: We were so craving for a bright song because we only the dark themes (laughs). So we want to quench that thirst as if we're resolving a grudge. Our goal is that people spend the hot summer with aespa.

Q: Winter did not attend aespa's Japanese concerts due to health issues. How do you feel now?

Winter: I am so sorry that I could not take part in the group activities in Japan [due to my conditions] but I have fully recovered after the break. I feel great now.

Q: With all the changes that have happened at SM Entertainment, I'm sure both aespa and the fans have felt confusion, and I think you guys must have things that you wanted to say to the fans but just weren't able to back then. Can you tell us about it?

Winter: Rather than the changes within the company, we were more worried about how to present "Spicy" and whether the fans would be concerned about us. We were worried about whether fans would be upset and confused. We are always the same and we're always thinking about our next music.

Q: To follow up on the full-length album news that you guys have just leaked, can you please elaborate?

Winter: There will be a full-length album.

Giselle: We are indeed talking about a full-length album

Karina: Our manager's there looking very worried, but oops! The word is out!

Giselle: It's going to have great songs, a lot of them!

Winter: There are songs that we've been saving up for a full-length album and we've been preparing for a long time. You may look forward to them!

Giselle: "Spicy" showed a new side of aespa, but our next album will be another new side!

Karina: This was our first event with the press and we were so nervous. We hope you look forward to more of aespa in the future.