Aespa's "monster rookie" earned a title that was harder to come by than Daesang, something that even BTS (Bangtan Boys), BLACKPINK (Black Pink, TWICE) didn't achieve with a win at this year's Golden Disc Awards.
With two big hits, "Next Level" and "Savage" in 2021, aespa once again took home the Rookie of the Year award. This proves that they are unmatched compared to other 4th generation groups who debuted at the same time.
aespa is also the first SM girl group to get this extraordinary title. Moreover, after their victory in this year's GDA, aespa officially earned the Rookie Grand Slam title, something that not even many top idol groups can achieve.
To get the Rookie Grand Slam, a singer or group must win all the rookie awards at the 5 major award shows in Korea, namely Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), MelOn Music Awards (MMA), Golden Disc Awards (GDA), Seoul Music Awards ( High School) and the Gaon Chart Music Awards (GCMA).
With the Rookie of the Year award at the 36th GDA, aespa has now joined SHINee, iKON, Wanna One, TXT and ITZY as the only group to achieve a Rookie Grand Slam in K-pop history. In particular, SHINee is the only 2nd generation group, iKON and Wanna One are the only 3rd generation groups, and TXT, ITZY, aespa are the only representatives of the 4th generation to bag this impressive title. .
Even though they have set countless records, BTS, BLACKPINK, and TWICE were not able to get a Rookie Grand Slam in the early days of their debut. BTS and BLACKPINK almost grabbed it with 4 out of 5 wins. Meanwhile, TWICE only took home 2 out of 5 rookie awards.
It can be said that aespa has taken the first step in a good and glorious career. With the Rookie Grand Slam title, the group also set a record as the first female artist under SM to conquer the challenge. Even the "national girl groups" Girls' Generation and Red Velvet could not achieve this feat.
In addition, aespa is the only group that debuted in 2020 to achieve this achievement, it is also the second girl group in history after ITZY to be recognized as the Rookie Grand Slam of K-pop. Especially in the 4th generation idol world, AESPA is the 3rd idol group after TXT and ITZY to get this title.
This is considered a desirable starting point for all rookie artists. More than a year after debut, aespa quickly set so many records, netizens believe that the group's career will be even more brilliant in the following days. (wk/goddess)
