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Illusion (Aespa song)

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"Illusion"
Promotional single by Aespa
from the EP Girls
LanguageKorean
ReleasedJune 1, 2022 (2022-06-01)
Genre
Length3:15
Label
Lyricist(s)Lee Thor (Lalala Studio)
Producer(s)
  • G'harah "PK" Degeddingseze
  • Patricia “Tricia” Battani
  • Steve Octave
Lyric video
"Illusion" on YouTube

"Illusion" (Korean: 도깨비불; RR: Dokkaebibul; lit. Will-o'-the-wisp) is a promotional single recorded by South Korean girl group Aespa for their second extended play Girls. It was released on June 1, 2022, by SM Entertainment and Warner Records as a surprise pre-release track from the EP. Written by Lee Thor (Lalala Studio) while production handled by G'harah "PK" Degeddingseze, Patricia Battani, and Steve Octave, "Illusion" is an electronic "high-energy" hip hop, synth-pop and dance song with bass-heavy chorus, and elements indicative of hyperpop.

Background and release

[edit]

On June 1, 2022, SM Entertainment announced Aespa would be releasing their second extended play Girls on July 8.[1] Alongside the announcement, Aespa surprise released "Illusion" as a pre-release track from the EP, accompanied by "futuristic-looking" lyric video on the same day.[2] It marks the group's first material to be released under their record contract with Warner Records.[3]

Development and composition

[edit]

"Illusion" was written by Lee Thor (Lalala Studio) with composition and arrangement handled by G'harah "PK" Degeddingseze, Patricia “Tricia” Battani, and Steve Octave.[4] The song was described as an electronic "high-energy" hip hop, synth-pop, dance and EDM-trap song with "punchy 808 bass and kicking sound that catches the ears".[5][6][2][7] It consists of elements indicative of hyperpop, including an "eccentric percussion to hi-hats and electric, woodblock-like clicks".[8] Lyrically, the song was described as having "Aespa's own color expressed" such as "comparing the desire to seduce and devour one's opponent to goblin fire".[7] The song also features the slurping sound from one of the song's producers, Patricia “Tricia” Battani.[8] "Illusion" was composed in the key of D minor, with a tempo of 90 beats per minute.[9]

In an interview with The Art Of Listening, the song's producers G'harah "PK" Degeddingsezeand and Tricia Battani stated that the lyrics "Yummy Yummy in my Tummy Tummy" were inspired by the fragment lines of the 2008 action thriller film Punisher: War Zone.[8] They also revealed that the song was originally called "Dessert" and featured lyrics about "being a delicious, enticing dessert".[8]

Critical reception

[edit]

The song received positive reviews from music critics. Crystal Bell of Nylon described the song as "synthpop siren's call with a deliciously dirty bassline", and that it "highlights each member's vocal charms".[10] Writing for Consequence of Sound, Mary Siroky named the song as "a high-energy 'sneak peek' track" that offers "a vibrant beat and an earworm chorus".[11] Clash's Robin Murray dubbed the track as a "sparkling, hook-laden return that sits in a synth-pop lane".[6] In Billboard, reviewer S.B. wrote that the song is a "sinister track [that] continues to explore the group’s cyber-futurism theme".[12] Mashable ranked the song at number 11 in their list of "The 16 best K-pop songs of 2022 (so far)", writing: "To mark the start of their new era, aespa dropped "Illusion," an electronic pre-release track that builds on the group’s synth-pop calling and affinity for sticky, hypnotic hooks".[13]

Rolling Stone's Kristine Kwak stated the song is "a loser to Aespa’s traditional futuristic synth-heavy sound" and called it "a fan favorite and rightfully so".[14] Writing for Beats Per Minute, Chase McMullen labelled it as the "sort of song that has the power to get you dancing in the middle of a bar, not caring the least about an onlooker as you weave to its every move".[15] Rhian Daly of NME thought it was "the best song on this record" with "minimal, shadowy verses before hitting a hypnotically lowkey refrain".[16]

Year-end lists for "Illusion"
Publisher Listicle Placement Ref.
Amazon Music Best of 2022: K-Pop 37 [17]
Consequence Top 50 Songs of 2022 35th [18]
Cosmopolitan The 15 Best K-pop Songs of 2022 13th [19]
Deezer K-POP 2022 Hits Placed [20]
Hypebae Best K-Pop Songs and Music Videos of 2022 18 [21]
MTV The 22 Best K-pop B-Sides of 2022 5th [22]
NME The 25 best K-pop songs of 2022 17th [23]
The Review Geek 15 Best K-Pop Songs of 2022 Placed [24]

Commercial performance

[edit]

"Illusion" debuted at number 120 on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart in the chart issue dated May 29 – June 4, 2022;[25] on its component charts, the song debuted at number 15 on the Gaon Download Chart,[26] and number 153 on the Gaon Streaming Chart.[27] It ascended to number fifteen on the Circle Digital Chart in the chart issue dated September 2–8, 2022. Internationally, the song peaked at number 15 on the Singapore's RIAS Regional Top Chart,[28] and number 39 on the Billboard Vietnam Hot 100.[29] "Illusion" did not enter the Billboard Global 200, but peaked at number 150 on the Global Excl. US US chart.[30]

Promotion

[edit]

On June 26 and 27 Aespa performed "Illusion" as part of a one-off concert titled the "Aespa Showcase Synk in LA".[31] It was also sung during the group's live event called "Aespa Girls Comeback Live" on July 11 on YouTube and TikTok.[32] The song was performed with "Girls" on two music programs: Mnet's M Countdown on July 14,[33] and MBC's Show! Music Core on July 16.[34]

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Girls.[35]

Studio

Personnel

  • Aespa – vocals, background vocals
  • Lee Thor (Lalala Studio) – lyrics
  • G'harah "PK" Degeddingseze – composition, arrangement
  • Steve Octave – composition
  • Patricia Battani – arrangement
  • Maxx Song – vocal directing, digital editing
  • Jeong Yoo-ra – recording, digital editing
  • Jung Eui-seok – mixing

Charts

[edit]

Release history

[edit]
Release history for "Illusion"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s)
Various June 1, 2022

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Woo, Bin (June 1, 2022). "에스파, 워너 레코드와 손잡고 글로벌 진출...7월 8일 'Girls'로 컴백" [Aespa joins forces with Warner Records to advance global...Comeback with 'Girls' on July 8] (in Korean). Ten Asia. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Naver.
  2. ^ a b Puah, Ziwei (June 1, 2022). "Aespa surprise-release new song 'Illusion'". NME. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  3. ^ Mcmullen, Chase (June 1, 2022). "AESPA MAKE THEIR BRASH RETURN VIA THE PLAYFUL "ILLUSION", PREPARE NEW MINI-ALBUM". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "Illusion – Aespa" (in Korean). SM Entertainment. June 1, 2022. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022 – via Melon.
  5. ^ Guy, Zoe (July 8, 2022). "Aespa Takes Good Morning America to the Next Level". Vulture. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Murray, Robin (June 1, 2022). "K-Pop Stars aespa Share Surprise Single 'Illusion'". Clash Magazine. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Lee, Seung-rok (June 1, 2022). "에스파, '도깨비불' 선공개했다" [Aespa 'Illusion' pre-released] (in Korean). My Daily. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Naver.
  8. ^ a b c d "Producer Interview: PK and Tricia Battani on "Illusion" by aespa". The Art Of Listening. June 1, 2022. Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  9. ^ "Key & BPM for Illusion by Aespa". Tunebat. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  10. ^ Bell, Crystal (June 2, 2022). "Exclusive Clip: Aespa Talks Coachella Debut For Apple Music "Up Next" Film". Nylon. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  11. ^ Siroky, Mary (June 1, 2022). "Aespa Partner With Warner Records, Announce Second Mini Album Girls and Release Surprise Track "Illusion": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  12. ^ B., S. (June 6, 2022). "10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through The Week: Betty Who, Aespa, Why Don't We & More". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  13. ^ B., C. (June 25, 2022). "The 16 best K-pop songs of 2022 (so far)". Mashable. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  14. ^ Kwak, Kristine (July 8, 2022). "Aespa Deliver Addictive Pop and Winning Experiments on 'Girls'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  15. ^ McMullen, Chase (July 12, 2022). "Album Review: aespa – Girls". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  16. ^ Daly, Rhian (July 13, 2022). "aespa – 'Girls' review: K-pop's futuristic fast-risers play it safe on spark-free mini-album". NME. Archived from the original on July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  17. ^ "Best of 2022: K-Pop". Amazon Music. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  18. ^ "Top 50 Songs of 2022". Consequence. December 5, 2022. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  19. ^ Juvet, Aedan (December 16, 2022). "Wanna Know Which K-Pop Song Is the Best of 2022? Here's Our Definitive Ranking". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  20. ^ "Best of 2022: K-Pop". Deezer. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  21. ^ Ye Eun, Kim (December 28, 2022). "THESE ARE THE BEST K-POP SONGS AND MUSIC VIDEOS OF 2022". Hypebae. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  22. ^ De Luna, Elizabeth (December 16, 2022). "The 22 Best K-Pop B-Sides Of 2022". MTV. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  23. ^ "The 25 best K-pop songs of 2022". NME. December 20, 2022. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  24. ^ Emma, C. C. (December 16, 2022). "15 Best K-Pop Songs of 2022 | TheReviewGeek Recommends". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  25. ^ "2022년 23주차 Digital Chart" [Week 23 of 2022 Digital Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). May 29 – June 4, 2022. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  26. ^ "2022년 23주차 Download Chart" [Week 23 of 2022 Download Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). May 29 – June 4, 2022. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  27. ^ "2022년 01주차 Streaming Chart" [Week 23 of 2022 Streaming Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). May 29 – June 4, 2022. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  28. ^ a b "RIAS Top Charts Week 28 (8 - 14 Jul 2022)". RIAS. July 19, 2022. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  29. ^ "Billboard Vietnam Hot 100, CHART DATE 2022-06-16". Billboard Việt Nam (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  30. ^ a b "Billboard Global Excl. US: Week of July 23, 2022". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  31. ^ Taesoo, Lee (June 28, 2022). 에스파 미국 LA 쇼케이스서 현지 팬 1만명 환호 [10,000 local fans cheered at ESPA's LA showcase]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  32. ^ Hwang, Hye-jin (July 4, 2022). "에스파, 8일 신곡 'Girls' 발매→11일 팬들과 랜선 소통[공식]" [Aespa releases new song 'Girls' on the 8th → Communication with fans on the 11th via LAN [Official]] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022 – via Naver.
  33. ^ Lee, Ji-eun (July 14, 2022). "나연, 에스파 누르고 1위...영탁·청하 컴백 (엠카)[종합]" [Nayeon, beat Aespa to take 1st place...Young-tak·Chung-ha comeback (MCA) [General]] (in Korean). X-port News. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022 – via Naver.
  34. ^ Kang, Da-yun (July 16, 2022). "'음악중심' 트와이스 나연, 출연 없이 1위...에스파·있지 컴백-WSG워너비·에이핑크 초봄 데뷔 [종합]" ['Music Core' Twice Nayeon, 1st place without appearance...Aespa·Itzy Comeback-WSG Wannabe·Apink Chobom Debut [General]] (in Korean). My Daily. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022 – via Naver.
  35. ^ Aespa (2022). Girls (photobook). South Korea: SM Entertainment; Dreamus. Credits.
  36. ^ "Digital Chart – Week 37 of 2022". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  37. ^ "Aespa Chart History (Billboard Vietnam Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  38. ^ "Digital Chart – September 2022". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  39. ^ "Circle Digital Chart – 2022". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  40. ^ "Digital Chart 2023". Circle Chart. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
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