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2026 has delivered a surprise collaboration between aespa (a top girl group from SM Entertainment) and G-DRAGON (the leader and main rapper of BIGBANG). Their new single, WDA (which stands for Whole Different Animal), dropped on Monday this week and is the first of two title tracks from their upcoming Lemonade studio album. WDA is aespa’s first release since Rich Man and G-DRAGON’s first since Übermensch/Too Bad.
WDA is a hip-hop dance track with a really cool electronic-based instrumental. This aspect of the track was very textured and full of intense yet subtle energy. Paired with the member’s charisma, WDA sets itself up to be quite alluring. But beyond the ‘Whole Different Animal‘ repetition as its primary hook (courtesy of G-DRAGON himself), the track was largely forgettable and disappointing. The members, while having charisma as I already mentioned, simply talk their way through WDA. As a result, there aren’t any melodies or other hooks to remember the song by. I did like how G-DRAGON’s rapping in the bridge really concentrates the hip-hop sound mentioned earlier. But it was so brief, and I wished there was more to it. Overall, WDA brings together two strong and epic forces, but the final product just wasn’t as satisfying as you would have hoped it would be.
The music video for WDA was very intriguing and mysterious. Creepy at times, like that ‘street view’ shot to focus on KARINA at the start of the video. But it definitely shows the members off in a very industrial, stylish, and ‘don’t mess with me’ aesthetic. I also liked the unpolished, modern-day camera quality and the transitions between members during close-ups. All aspects of the music video looked super cool, making it a worthwhile watch despite the song.
The above can be said of the choreography accompanying this comeback. With their charisma and stage presence, as well as a strong command of the hip-hop motif, aespa delivers another memorable performance that you definitely need to check out.
Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8/10
English (US) · 