Forever (Aespa song)

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"Forever"
Single by Aespa
LanguageKorean
ReleasedFebruary 5, 2021 (2021-02-05)
Recorded2020
StudioSM Studio Center, Seoul, South Korea
Genre
Length4:58
Label
Composer(s)Yoo Young-jin
Lyricist(s)Yoo Young-jin
Aespa singles chronology
"Black Mamba"
(2020) 		"Forever"
(2021) 		"Next Level"
(2021)
Music video
"Forever" on YouTube

"Forever" (Korean: 약속; RR: Yaksok; lit. Promise) is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Aespa. Originally released as the group's second digital single on February 5, 2021, by SM Entertainment, it was later included on the group's second extended play Girls, released on July 8, 2022. A remake of the song of the same name by Yoo Young-jin as a part of SM's holiday album Winter Vacation in SMTown.com in 2000, "Forever" is a mid-tempo R&B ballad with an acoustic guitar sound and warm lyrics about promising forever to a loved one.

An accompanying music video for the song was published simultaneously with the single's release. The winter-inspired video follows Aespa in a winter wonderland in a snow globe with snow falling outside. The song debuted at number eleven on the US World Digital Song Sales chart, becoming their second entry overall and received generally favorable reviews from music critics.

Background and release[edit]

"Forever"
"Forever" is a mid-tempo ballad that conveys a wintry romance story.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

On January 29, 2021, SM Entertainment announced Aespa would be making a comeback with "Forever", which is a remake of a single by Yoo Young-jin, released for SM Entertainment's holiday album Winter Vacation in SMTown.com in 2000.[2] On February 1, 2021, concept photos were released for Karina and Ningning.[3] The following day, concept photos were released for Winter and Giselle.[4] "Forever" was released for digital download and streaming as a digital single on February 5, 2021, by SM Entertainment.[5]

Composition[edit]

"Forever" was written and composed by Yoo Young-jin while production was handled by Lee Soo-man.[5] The song has been described as a mid-tempo R&B ballad with an acoustic guitar sound and string instruments playing in the background.[1][6][7] In terms of musical notation, the song is composed in the key of D-flat major, with a tempo of 184 beats per minute. At four minutes and fifty-eight seconds long, it is the longest song in Aespa's catalogue.[8] Lyrically, it tells the story of a wintry romance and promising forever to a loved one.[9] NME described it as "departure from both the image and sound" Aespa presented in their previous single "Black Mamba".[9]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
NME[9]

"Forever" received generally favorable reviews from music critics. In a three-star review of "Forever", NME's Ruby C said that the quartet added a "feminine touch" to their rendition. "The remake manages to do justice to the original, and may even be a little more believable, thanks to Aespa's sweet, girlish charms", she added.[9] Writing for Hypebae, Ye-eun Kim described "Forever" as a "fresh, love-themed track" that shows a "completely different side of the virtual hybrid K-pop group".[7] Irene Chou of The Brown Daily Herald called it "a soft ballad's late-winter feel" and praised the group's "impressive" vocals atop the "flawless execution of eye-catching choreography".[10]

Music video and promotion[edit]

A scene in the "Cozy Winter Cabin" version performance video, where Aespa is seen sitting in a cozy cabin as the snow falls outside.

In the lead-up to the release of "Forever", the group released photo and video teasers for the track, which served as a promotional tool for their return.[11] An accompanying music video was uploaded to SM Entertainment's YouTube channel on February 5, 2021, and has accumulated more than 46 million views on the platform.[12] The video was directed by the production company Sunnyvisual.[13] Portrayed in a winter style, the visual depicts Aespa in a winter wonderland in a snow globe with snow falling outside. In one scene, the ae versions of the group are looking at their human versions from outside the snowglobe.

On February 6, 2021, Aespa released the "Cozy Winter Cabin" version performance video. In the video, the Aespa members are sitting in a cozy cabin as the snow falls outside.[14][15] On February 8, the "Glitter Snowball" version was released.[16][14] On February 10 the group released the "Romantic Street" version.[17][14] During the group's attendance at the Second World Cultural Industry Forum (WCIF), Aespa performed the single along with "Black Mamba" and "Next Level" on a stage combing AR and XR technologies.[18][19]

Track listing[edit]

  • Digital download / streaming[20]
  1. "Forever" (Korean: 약속; RR: Yaksok; lit. Promise) – 4:58

Credits and personnel[edit]

Credits are adapted from Melon.[20]

Studio

Personnel

  • Aespa – vocals, background vocals
  • Yoo Young-jin – lyrics, background vocals, recording, digital editing, composition, arrangement, music and sound supervisor, directing, mixing engineer, mixing
  • Sam Lee – bass, guitar
  • K Strings – strings
  • Shim Sang-won –strings arrangement, conducting
  • Oh Seung-geun – recording
  • Oh Se-young – recording assistant
  • Cheon Hoon – mastering
  • Shin Soo-min – mastering assistant

Charts[edit]

Weekly chart performance for "Forever"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
South Korea Download (Gaon)[21] 28
US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[22] 11

Release history[edit]

Release dates and formats for "Forever"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various February 5, 2021 Digital download, streaming
[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b J. Ventinilla (February 10, 2021). "AESPA REMAKES "FOREVER" THIS WINTER". The Kraze Magazine. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  2. ^ Hwang, Jin-hye (January 29, 2021). 에스파, 2월 5일 싱글 'Forever' 깜짝 발매…유영진 곡 리메이크 [Aespa, Surprise Release of Single 'Forever' on February 5…Yoo Young-jin's Song Remake]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021 – via Naver.
  3. ^ 백융희 (February 1, 2021). "에스파 카리나·닝닝, 'Forever' 티저 이미지 공개". Market News. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  4. ^ 이다겸 (February 2, 2021). "에스파 윈터X지젤, 신곡 '포에버' 티저 공개...상큼 매력". Naver. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Forever - Single". Apple Music. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  6. ^ Choo, Seung-hyun. "에스파, 오늘(5일) 겨울 감성 담은 'Forever' 공개출처". www.sedaily.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Ye-eun Kim (February 5, 2021). "K-Pop Group Aespa Returns With New Single "Forever"". Hypebae. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  8. ^ "Key, BPM & evaluation of Forever (약속) by aespa". MusicStax. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d Ruby C (February 8, 2021). "aespa – 'Forever' review: a remake that'll warm your heart this winter". NME. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  10. ^ Irene Chou (February 10, 2021). "Aespa releases sophomore single amid widespread anticipation". The Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  11. ^ Shin Young- sun (February 3, 2021). "문화·스포츠 > 연예에스파 티저, 몽환적인 분위기 속 신비로운 소녀들 'Forever'". Daily Hankooki (in Korean). Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  12. ^ "aespa 에스파 'Forever (약속)' MV" (in Korean). YouTube. February 5, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  13. ^ "Works – Sunnyvisual". Sunnyvisual. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c Cho Hyun-joo (February 6, 2021). "에스파, 리메이크곡 'Forever' 무대 오늘(6일) 첫 공개". YTN News (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  15. ^ "aespa 에스파 'Forever (약속)' The Performance Stage (Cozy Winter Cabin Ver.)". February 6, 2021. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ "aespa 에스파 'Forever (약속)' The Performance Stage (Glitter Snowball Ver.)". February 8, 2021. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ "aespa 에스파 'Forever (약속)' The Performance Stage (Romantic Street Ver.)". February 10, 2021. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ SM 이수만 "미래엔 콘텐츠가 자산…K팝 소장가치 확신" [SM Lee Soo-man said, "In the future, content will be assets…Confidence in the value of K-Pop Collections"]. Sports World (in Korean). July 2, 2021. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  19. ^ Cho, Eun-mi (July 2, 2021). 이수만, 제2회 세계문화산업포럼 기조연설..프로슈머 영향력 강조 [Lee Soo-man, Keynote Speech at the 2nd World Cultural Industry Forum..Promote Prosumer Influence]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Forever by Aespa". Melon. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  21. ^ "2021년 06주차 Download Chart" [6th week of 2021 Download Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  22. ^ "World Digital Song Sales – The Week of February 20, 2021". Billboard. February 20, 2021. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
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