After a series of successful releases in 2024, with aespa dominating the charts with “Supernova,” “Armageddon,” and “Whiplash,” expectations were very high for their comeback with “Rich Man.” However, reactions were mixed, with low ratings from izm magazine and widespread debate over the lip-syncing and weak stage presence.
Music critic Han Sung Hyun wrote in his review of “Rich Man,” which received 2 out of 5: “There is no ever-flowing river.” Compared to last year, the momentum has slowed. Even while maintaining the phenomenon up to “Dirty Work,” there is a decline, as external controversy—like the lip-sync debate—overshadowed their dazzling presence. Beyond numbers and charts, there is also a problem with how the music itself is received.”
He also compared aespa’s new version of “Rich Man” with the original: “Compared to Kanner’s original version, the consensus is that it is ‘very weak.’” He pointed out that the added vocals were poorly executed and that “filling the void with excessive repetition of the phrase ‘I’m a rich man’ was unnecessary.”
The criticism was not limited to the title track; songs like “Drift” and “To the Girls” were described as dull, while “Count on Me” and “Angel #48” received only limited praise.
The critic concluded that aespa needs a bold move to reclaim their position away from overconfidence: “It wasn’t an album of high elegance or a comfortable year, but an arrogant album—a confidence that turned into pride.”
izm magazine gave aespa’s comeback with “Rich Man” 2 out of 5, with a review that some considered accurate for a song that received mixed reactions.
Many Korean netizens agreed with the review, while others think aespa’s comeback wasn’t that bad. Read the comments:
- Honestly, if they were going to kill the electric vibe like this, I think it would have been better if the vocals were sharper, stronger, even rough… Also, if the choreography was stronger and cooler, it would have expressed the “Rich Man” message better.
- Disappointing after “Whiplash.”
- Wow, the comments say exactly what I was thinking. Everyone feels the same lol. The lyrics are repetitive and so boring, and the singing style is the same a lot so it feels annoying, especially Winter… Last year every song was successful and hit hard, so expectations went way up ㅠㅠ.
- The repeated sections in “Rich Man” are boring.
- They say “Rich” doesn’t mean money but inner peace, so is it weird that it’s sung not powerfully? Maybe they wanted to express comfort. By the way, except for the “I’m a rich man” part, the rest they sang strongly.
- “Rich Man” honestly, both the song and the performance weren’t good… I hope they deliver something right next time ㅠㅠ.
- Really, Winter’s part was hard to listen to, even though I like her vocal tone.
- If the next song is also like this, it’s going to be a downward trend.
- I’ve felt disappointed for a while now.
- Only two stars? Kind of harsh.
