SM Entertainment
If anyone knows how to make a comeback feel like a statement, it’s K-pop power group aespa. Just when you thought their last single ”Dirty Work” was going to be the high point of your summer playlists, the quartet KARINA, GISELLE, WINTER and NINGING decided to drop Rich Man, their sixth mini album — and it’s honestly everything and more and here is why.
The title track ”Rich Man” is a guitar-driven anthem that takes the idea of wealth and flips it on its head. Instead of chasing material things, aespa turn the spotlight inward. As KARINA explained in an interview, the song is about finding confidence in yourself: “I’m already a rich man because I trust and love myself.” It’s aespa at their most self-assured, and the music video captures that same energy with a striking mix of grit and glam. But ”Rich Man” doesn’t stop there. Every track has its own personality while still feeling like it belongs in aespa’s universe (and honestly they deserve their own fan cams). ”Drift” is the kind of song that makes you feel unstoppable, with a whistle hook that I can already tell is going to be stuck in your head for weeks. ”Bubble” is cheeky and sharp, turning drum and bass into the perfect backdrop for calling out fake vibes. Then there’s ”Count On Me”, which slows things down with dreamy R&B, the type of track you play on repeat when you’re feeling sentimental.
One of my personal highlights is ”Angel #48”. It’s soft, sparkly, and completely in English, which showcases the more soft side of the group without losing their ‘bad girl’ energy. The song is produced by LDN Noise who always know how to craft a banger. Finally, the last track of the mini album ”To The Girls” feels like a soft love note to the girls out there, its a bittersweet song that wraps things up with an empowering message of perseverance and self-belief.
With over a million pre-orders already, Rich Man continues aespa’s streak of million-selling releases. It also adds another layer to their growing reputation as one of K-pop’s most fearless groups. Besides their music, 2025 has been stacked with milestones for the group: headlining Morocco’s Mawazine festival, taking home Billboard’s Women in Music “Group of the Year” award, and launching their ambitious new tour SYNK : aeXIS LINE with three sold-out nights in Seoul.
Rich Man proves that aespa’s story is still unfolding, and the ride is only going higher from here, exactly the way they want it to. Don’t forget to stream Rich Man right here: