K-pop girl group aespa have dropped the music video for ‘Savage’, the title track of their first mini-album of the same name.
‘Savage’ was co-written by SM Entertainment in-house producer Yoo Young-jin, alongside Hautboi Rich and Jia Lih (NCT U’s ’90’s Love’), and Kirsten Collins. At a press conference for the song’s release, aespa’s WINTER noted that the group members “paid extra attention to [show their] powerful and strong side” for the new music video, per Soompi.
Aside from ‘Savage’, aespa’s new mini-album also features five other songs. They include a collaboration with American singer Hayley Kiyoko, who is credited as a composer for closing track ‘Lucid Dream’, as well as ‘Yeppi Yeppi’, co-written and -composed by South Korean singer-songwriter.
“It’s already been a year since we debuted. It seems like we just performed [our debut single] ‘Black Mamba’ for the first time yesterday, but time flies,” member NINGNING said at a press conference for ‘Savage’. “At first, I felt awkward and nervous in front of the camera, but now I’m used to it and I can enjoy the stage. I’m grateful to our fans.”
‘Savage’ is aespa’s third release of 2021, following their viral May hit ‘Next Level’ and February single ‘Forever’. The former was a rework of A$ton Wyld’s song of the same name from the soundtrack of Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Meanwhile, ‘Forever’ was a cover of Yoo Young-jin’s 2000 holiday song of the same title.
In a three-star review, NME’s Ruby C described the group’s remake of ‘Forever’ as one that “manages to do justice to the original, and may even be a little more believable, thanks to aespa’s sweet, girlish charms”.
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