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A<\/strong>fter years building up their repertoire of powerful, edgy pop bangers, in 2024, aespa<\/a> finally clinched their first chart-topper on Circle Digital Chart \u2013 Korea\u2019s equivalent of the Billboard Hot 100 \u2013 with the hyperpop phenomenon \u2018Supernova\u2019. The song would herald the start of a landmark year for the K-pop girl group, who would go on to release their acclaimed debut album \u2018Armageddon\u2019<\/a> and embark on a huge world tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n Just over a year on from that moment, and aespa have kicked off yet another world tour. Days before sitting down to speak with NME<\/i>, the group played three sold-out shows at Seoul\u2019s KSPO Dome for their new \u2018Synk: Aexis Line\u2019 tour, which will bring them to Japan, China, Indonesia and more. \u201cEverything went by really fast, we\u2019re so excited for [the international dates of] our tour to start off,\u201d Giselle says. \u201cWe kicked it off with a very successful start [in Seoul], so we\u2019re very excited for the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n Lucky fans who managed to snag tickets to these shows were treated to a nice surprise: an early taste of four songs from aespa\u2019s new mini-album, \u2018Rich Man\u2019, including its empowering, rock-influenced title track that also doubles as the girl group\u2019s latest single. \u201cIt was the first time for us to perform [a song with rock band vibes], so the reception was great. Because of that, we\u2019re looking forward to the official launch of our new songs,\u201d Karina says.<\/p>\n Fans have been having a lot of fun with the \u2018Rich Man\u2019 trailer, coming up with many theories about what\u2019s going on. What\u2019s your take on it?<\/b><\/p>\n Giselle:<\/b> \u201cWhen we got told about the whole concept of the trailer and what it\u2019s about \u2013 we get to see the outline before we go into filming \u2013 we were all like, \u2018Hmm, very interesting\u2019. But we didn\u2019t understand it 100 per cent until we actually were in the moment and filming it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all really liked the fact that we didn\u2019t portray the meaning of \u2018Rich Man\u2019 literally through money or through like luxury, and it was portrayed more creatively. [It was more about being] happy and confident with yourself, rich in a mindful way.\u201d<\/p>\n