Maps of Music

Savage (2021)

Where the lyrics of Savage take you, and where it was really made.

Aespa's debut EP entered the US Billboard 200 at number 20, the highest-charting debut album by a K-pop girl group in Billboard history.

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Savage is the first extended play by the South Korean girl group Aespa
Released by SM Entertainment on October 5, 2021
Available in three versions: P.O.S, Synk Dive and Hallucination Quest
Contains six songs, including the lead single of the same name
Mainly a pop record with elements of dance pop, hyperpop and electropop
Intended to show the musical diversity of the group
Written and produced by a wide group of songwriters and producers, including Yoo Young-jin, Kenzie, Brandon Green, Marcus Lomax and Hayley Kiyoko
SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man served as executive producer
Lyrics continue to expand Aespa's virtual universe
Opening track 'Aenergy' is an uplifting anthem about the members' superheroine-like story
Lead single 'Savage' blends trap, dubstep and power balladry

On September 13, 2021, SM Entertainment announced the EP and its six tracks
Pre-orders opened on September 14, 2021
On September 27, the tracklist and lead single 'Savage' were revealed
American singer-songwriter Hayley Kiyoko was credited on the closing track 'Lucid Dream'
Giselle said the group did not get to meet Kiyoko or collaborate directly, even though she wrote the song
The making of Savage was the first time all the Aespa members recorded together in a studio

Ningning said the group had a great time recording and tried genres they had not done before
Paper magazine reported that Lee Soo-man personally directed every small detail of the production, including the pronunciation of every syllable

Aespa is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment.
The group is known for popularizing the metaverse concept and hyperpop music in K-pop.

Karina (leader, dancer, rapper, vocalist), Giselle (rapper, vocalist), Winter (vocalist, dancer), Ningning (vocalist, dancer).

Debuted on November 17, 2020 with the single "Black Mamba", which set the record for the most 24-hour views of a K-pop group's debut video.
"Next Level" (2021) won Song of the Year at the 19th Korean Music Awards.
The EP Savage (2021) was the highest-charting debut album by a K-pop girl group on the US Billboard 200 at number 20.
The EP Girls (2022) became the best-selling album by a K-pop girl group in history and the first to sell one million copies in its first week.
Performed at Coachella in 2022 and held the Synk: Hyper Line tour (2023) and the Synk: Parallel Line tour (2024–2025).
Released the first studio album Armageddon in 2024; "Supernova" topped the Circle Digital Chart for eleven weeks.
Released the second studio album Lemonade in 2026.

The EP was a commercial success and received positive reviews from music critics
Critics praised its dark, futuristic cyberpunk style and its mix of several music genres
AllMusic critic David Crone called it a glitchy, futuristic take on the K-pop mini-album
Crone also said the EP showed the star power of Aespa's leading foursome
Rolling Stone India's Divyansha Dongre described the EP as multi-genre
Carmen Chin of NME gave the EP four stars out of five
Chin wrote that the vibrant, punchy electronic pop fit the unconventionality Aespa showed in their first year as a group
MTV's Regina Kim said the EP provides a sonic backdrop that exists outside the imagined world
Tamar Herman of the South China Morning Post called Savage a cohesive listening experience and included it on her list of best K-pop releases of October 2021
PopMatters' Ana Clara Ribeiro compared the EP to a well-scripted, high-budget cyberpunk film and named 'I'll Make You Cry' a highlight

Pre-orders reached 401,088 copies, reported on October 5, 2021
Sold more than 200,000 copies on the second day of release
Sold 513,292 copies within 15 days of release
Debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart on the chart issue dated October 3-9, 2021
Entered the US Billboard 200 at number 20
Topped Billboard's World Albums and Independent Albums charts
Debuted at number two on the Top Album Sales chart with 17,500 units
Certified 2x Platinum by the Korea Music Content Association for 500,000 units sold

Pre-orders passed 400,000 copies, an unusually high figure for a new group
Hayley Kiyoko contributed to the closing track 'Lucid Dream', but Giselle said the group never got to meet her
The music video for the lead single 'Savage' was directed by 725 (SL8 Visual Lab)
The group performed on NBC's The Kelly Clarkson Show on October 16, their broadcast debut on US network television
Lee Soo-man reportedly directed every small detail of the production, including syllable pronunciation