Aespa take it to the ‘Next Level’ by delivering speech at the United Nations
K-pop girl group Aespa delivered a speech at this year’s United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development on Tuesday.
Standing in the UN General Assembly Hall in New York, the group gave their speech concerning the importance of sustainable development in the real world and advancement in the metaverse.
Aespa’s four members – Winter, Karina, Ningning and Giselle – comprise the group alongside their AI counterparts that exist in the metaverse, a concept frequently used in their music videos and social media promotions.
Giselle opened the speech, saying, “Our group, Aespa, uniquely moves between reality and virtual reality. We exist here in the real world, and four of our avatar members exist in the virtual world. Together, we are often called the ‘metaverse girl group.’”
She then pondered over the metaverse and how it can continue to exist and expand if the real world is not sustainable.
“Are we working just as hard to create the best possible real world?” she asked. “The metaverse reflects reality. If our own reality is not sustainable, it would become difficult to sustain the possibilities of the virtual world. Without sustainable ecosystems or equal opportunities for quality living, there will be no real world to be mirrored.”
“The topic of sustainable development is urgent, and we believe that the next generation must support sustainable development goals in order to protect the world that we live in,” she added. “Aespa will continue to connect with the next generation through music, and we’ll work to represent sustainable goals in reality, hence, within the metaverse.”
Karina concluded the speech by thanking the UN assembly for their time and invitation. Aespa then followed their speech with a performance of their hit song “Next Level.”
The group’s speech marked SM Entertainment’s first initiative since it became the first Korean entertainment company to join the UN Global Compact. In a tweet on Wednesday, the company shared that it will “make efforts to internalize global norms throughout its business activities and actively fulfill corporate social responsibilities.”
While it is SM Entertainment’s first time joining the UN initiative, Aespa has worked with the international organization before. As part of the 2021 UN Day Concert, they performed their songs “Next Level” and “Black Mamba” with the Goyang Philharmonic Orchestra.
They have also been to New York before, becoming the first K-pop girl group to perform at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade last year. The members also visited “The Nick Cannon Show” and “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.”
Aespa has been making rounds in the U.S. as of late, from their Coachella mainstage performance in April and their two-day Los Angeles showcase last month to their first-ever appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last week.
They are slated to make their debut on “Good Morning America” on July 8, kicking off their summer concert series. This appearance coincides with the release of their upcoming album “Girls,” featuring the namesake title track, the pre-released “Illusion,” Korean language and English versions of “Life’s Too Short” and their previous works.
Featured Image via SM Entertainment
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