Aespa, representing the K-pop girl group, was named as one of the 25 most influential women of 2023 by the Financial Times (FT), a major British financial media outlet, along with pop star Beyoncé and European Union (EU) Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Raised it.
According to the FT on the 29th (local time), Choi Yu-jin, who was the curator of the exhibition ‘Hallyu! The Korean Wave’ at the V&A of the Royal Museums in England, said of Espa, “The use of experimental instruments, strong vocals, and science fiction. “We are expanding the horizons of K-pop with punk artificial intelligence (AI) avatars,” he said.
Mr. Choi recalled that he spent time in Korea in the late 1990s listening to the music of SES, a member of the first generation of K-pop, but when he moved to the UK, few people knew of Korea’s existence.
He said he never imagined that K-pop would become the most popular music genre in the world. However, aespa, a new girl group following the boy band, has surpassed 1 million copies in first week sales for three consecutive albums in just two years since the release of its first album.
Choi said that Espa participated in Coachella, a global music festival held in the Colorado desert in California, USA, and is breaking records for K-pop girl groups one after another by starting a world tour.
“Over several months, we consulted with hundreds of reporters, readers and industry leaders across dozens of bureaus to compile a list of influential women on the international stage,” the FT said.
Espa was among the 25 women of the year along with Beyoncé in the creator category.
In addition, European Commission President von der Leyen was also selected in the leader category, and the article introducing her was written by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Secretary Yellen, who served as head of the U.S. central bank Federal Reserve System (Fed), said of von der Leyen, “She led the European Commission with remarkable ability and grace as the first female chair of the EU.”
Yellen also praised von der Leyen as “a leader with a strong will who clearly presents a vision and pursues it like a president at a time when decisive and principled measures are desperately needed.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.