aespa are a South Korean K-pop group formed by SM Entertainment in November 2020, comprising Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning. The group built its identity around a sci-fi concept in which each member has a digital avatar called an "æ". Their debut single "Black Mamba" broke SM Entertainment's YouTube debut streaming record, and follow-up hits like "Next Level" and "Savage" established them as one of K-pop's leading acts of the 2020s.
aespa launched their fourth world tour, SYNK : COMPLæXITY, on August 7, 2026, with two shows at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul - and performed five days earlier at Lollapalooza in Chicago.
aespa's second studio album, LEMONADE, was released on May 29, 2026 with 10 tracks and debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200.
On April 27, 2026, aespa announced the global tour SYNK : COMPLæXITY with 25 shows in Asia, Latin America, North America and Europe through February 2027.
aespa won the awards for Best Dance Performance and Best Choreography at the MAMA Awards 2025, and Karina announced from the stage that the group would release a full album in 2026.
The single "Dirty Work" was released on June 27, 2025 and reached number 5 on Billboard's Global 200.
