Play in this article ↓aespa Next Level: The Movie Soundtrack Remake That Sent aespa to KWANGYA
- Category: Album & Song Guide
- Artist: aespa
KPOP NO1 Editorial · Sources checked October 22, 2026
What happens when you take a song from a Fast & Furious movie soundtrack and use it to continue a story about avatars? You get Next Level, the single that the UK magazine NME later said was the moment aespa truly arrived.
Where the song comes from
Next Level started life as a soundtrack song from Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. SM remade it in aespa’s own style and released it on May 17, 2021 at 6 p.m. KST. SM release-day announcement
SM describes the new version as a hip-hop dance song:
- groovy rap and an energetic bass riff
- powerful vocals from the members
- a varied song structure that keeps changing direction
That evening at 8 p.m., aespa went live on Naver V LIVE with a broadcast called Next Level of aespa to talk with fans.
The story: the journey to KWANGYA
Next Level picks up where Black Mamba left off. In the debut, aespa learned that Black Mamba was breaking their link with their avatars. Now, according to SM, Black Mamba has thrown the world into chaos. aespa set out for KWANGYA to find it.
A quick glossary for the story:
| Term | What it means in aespa’s story |
|---|---|
| ae | Each member’s avatar |
| SYNK | The connection between a member and her avatar |
| Black Mamba | The being that disrupts that connection |
| KWANGYA | The virtual world where the avatars live, and where the journey heads |
Official story terms: SMTOWN Japan announcement
Our take: Watch for the moments that point toward KWANGYA. They set up the rest of aespa’s first story season, which SM says ends with Girls in 2022.
The “ㄷ” move
SM says the Next Level performance shows aespa looking more chic and relaxed than in Black Mamba. The move to watch is in the chorus: the members bend their arms into the shape of ㄷ, the Korean letter digeut. SM says that point move caught on with fans around the world. Later that year, SM listed a “digeut dance” among the aespa dance challenges that had spread online. SM: choreography video
The choreography video had a fun twist. SM released it as a seon-keom video, short for a confirmation from “teacher” Lee Soo-man, SM’s head producer, who signed off on the choreography lines and camera work himself.
aespa also posted three Performance Stage videos with dynamic camera work, starting May 20. Their first TV performance of the song aired on KBS’s Music Bank on May 28. SM: music shows
The slow-burn hit
Next Level went to No. 1 on Genie and Bugs right after release, according to SM. It also hit the iTunes Top Songs top 10 in 26 regions, including No. 1 in Thailand, Indonesia, Guatemala, Taiwan and Vietnam. SM: first-day results
What made it stand out was how long it lasted:
- 32 days later, it was still No. 2 on Melon’s 24Hits chart. SM: one month on
- The video passed 100 million YouTube views in 32 days and 8.5 hours. That was 19 days faster than Black Mamba.
- On Melon, SM later said it was the first girl group song released after the 24Hits chart was revamped to reach No. 1 there.
- Five months later, when aespa released Savage, Next Level was still strong enough to be a No. 1 candidate on Music Bank and Inkigayo. It competed against aespa’s own new title track.
The story video, a year later
In June 2022, aespa released EP. 2 ‘Next Level’, a story video in the SMCU series. It picks up after EP. 1 ‘Black Mamba’. aespa lose their link with their avatars, a problem called SYNK OUT. With nævis’s help they travel to KWANGYA and go through Black Mamba’s “hallucination quest.” SM says the video mixes live action, animation and motion comics. It ends as aespa finally come face to face with Black Mamba, setting up Girls. SM: SMCU EP. 2
NME’s verdict
In December 2021, NME put Next Level at No. 45 on its list of the 50 best songs of 2021. SM noted that aespa was the only K-pop girl group on the list. As SM translated it, NME wrote that aespa had debuted with Black Mamba and Forever, but that Next Level was the moment they truly arrived. SM: NME list
The release at a glance
| Format | Digital single, one track |
| Released | May 17, 2021, 6 p.m. KST |
| Original | Soundtrack song from Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw |
| Style (per SM) | Hip-hop dance, groovy rap, energetic bass riff |
Format and date: aespa official discography
How to listen for the first time
- Listen for the changes. SM highlights the varied structure, so notice when the song switches direction.
- Read the glossary first, then watch. The four terms above are enough to follow the video.
- Then go to Savage. The story continues there, and Next Level and Savage ended up competing on the same music shows.
Where to go next
- Before this: Black Mamba sets up the story, and Forever is the winter ballad in between.
- After this: Savage, aespa’s first mini album, takes them into KWANGYA.
- New to aespa? Start with the aespa beginner guide.
Sources
- SM Entertainment: Next Level release day (May 17, 2021)
- SM Entertainment: first-day chart results (May 18, 2021)
- SM Entertainment: 100 million views (June 21, 2021)
- SM Entertainment: aespa’s first year (November 17, 2021)
- SM Entertainment: NME best songs of 2021 (December 8, 2021)
- SMTOWN Japan: Next Level announcement
- aespa official discography: Next Level