aespa Releases First Japanese Mini Album 'KISS N TELL'

(L-R) Giselle, Ningning, Karina and Winter of aespa attend the 2025 Billboard Women in Music at YouTube Theater on March 29, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Amy Sussman/Getty Images aespa dropped "KISS N TELL" at midnight local time on July 24 — their first Japanese-language mini album, and a six-track project built around a noticeably gentler version of the group than the one Korean audiences know. This is not a Korean comeback; it's a standalone Japanese release, a distinction that matters for a group whose Korean-language work has leaned heavily into maximalist, sci-fi-adjacent intensity.The title track sets that tone immediately: a house-based dance-pop song built on "lively piano sounds and danceable beats," with softer, more delicately layered chorus harmonies than the group's typical sound. Lyrically, it centers on two people deepening a relationship through honest communication — small-scale and interpersonal rather than the group's usual larger-than-life concept work. The accompanying music video, set in an amusement park, leans into a "cute and approachable mood" that's a clear departure from aespa's established persona.The rollout has already been matched by Japan-specifi...