On September 12, aespa appeared on Good Morning America to perform their latest single, “Rich Man.” The performance, which was expected to be part of their US promotion, sparked widespread debate over the group’s professionalism.
Netizens pointed out that aespa is a local group and couldn’t perform on a global show with such a poor level. They criticized the members’ stage presence and dance performances, as well as what some described as poor choreography. However, what sparked even greater dissatisfaction was the lip-syncing.
On September 15, a post on Nate titled “How did aespa decide to go to the US and lip-sync?” went viral, adding, “Ah…++What the hell; stop being a fan of Aespa, who changes her top comments on every aespa post. You said it wasn’t lip-syncing, but you can’t even provide a single video to prove it.”
Reactions were mixed, with some asserting that aespa actually performed live, while others called on SM Entertainment to stop promoting the group in the US.
Korean Netizens React:
- The performance was live on-site, so why do they insist it was lip-syncing? ㅋㅋㅋ
- It was actually live singing, but on the TV broadcast, AR sounds were just added over the audio. If it was lip-syncing, the audience wouldn’t have reacted so enthusiastically. Didn’t you see the video? The American audience on-site was extremely engaged.
- It seems the haters’ catchphrase this time is “lip-syncing” ㅋㅋㅋ. In the fancams, it’s clear they sang live; their voices and even the microphone’s sound when it crashed are heard, but they insist on claiming it was lip-syncing. The haters’ routine is clear.
- How could the reaction on-site be so different? It’s clear the haters are working hard ㅋㅋㅋ. They’re writing dozens of posts against aespa and copying the same comments.
- Not only in the official broadcast, but even in the fancams, it was clearly lip-syncing, yet they insist on denying it ㅋㅋㅋ.
- It wasn’t lip-syncing~~ They turned up the AR volume loudly and sang quietly! While some of the lip-syncing wasn’t consistent, they focused on creating beautiful expressions and didn’t strain their voices in the high notes. Anyway, this isn’t lip-syncing! Don’t attack unfairly!
- They keep deleting videos from YouTube. It’s amazing.
- Yes, they may have sung live, but what we heard on the broadcast was the AR volume, so what’s the difference between lip-syncing and syncing?
- They weren’t professional.
- It seems like HYPE fans are in a hurry to divert attention ㅋㅋㅋ.
- Are the English comments also part of the “hate attack”?
- I wish SM artists wouldn’t go to America… In America, the three major K-pop labels are HYBE, JYP, and YG.
- Aespa isn’t ITZY or Cat’s Eye in terms of performance clarity. If they don’t have anything special to offer, why didn’t they perform live? They’re not a group that can’t sing, and their dancing was also bland, so why didn’t they perform live? It’s baffling.
- Are the fans collectively brainwashed? Their insanity is frightening.
- American audiences always react like this, screaming like crazy no matter which artist is performing.
- Even if the performance was a little weak, it would have been better if they performed live…
- SM fans are ignoring the truth, only attacking Leesrafim to hide their group’s egregious weakness… Pathetic. Instead of manipulating public opinion, you’d better practice more. You’re the worst.
- Even Michael Jackson used lip-syncing in songs with arduous performances. It’s very difficult to sing live while dancing. But at least if they had recorded a special live version and then used it for lip-syncing, it would have been better. But this way, it was clearly lip-syncing… and even the dancing was lackluster. If the performance had been at least as strong, there wouldn’t have been so many criticisms, but this…
- Are all Americans on YouTube also part of the “hate attack”? SM fans are really weird, insisting it’s a “hate lip-syncing campaign” ㅋㅋㅋ.
- Singers who lip-sync and fans who insist it’s live singing… unfortunate.
- Wasn’t SM the one who got caught spending 1.3 billion on manipulation? Do they think others are doing the same?
- aespa fans, instead of wasting your time here, go defend them on YouTube ㅋㅋㅋㅋ. The comments here are less rigorous than on YouTube, and some are quite harsh.
What do you think?
