Aespa’s Spicy
“Spicy” was released as the lead single of aespa’s EP ‘My World’ by SM Entertainment on May 8, 2023. The group performed the song on Mnet’s ‘M! Countdown’ on May 11th.
“Spicy” was written by Bang Hye-hyun (JamFactory), composed and arranged by Ludvig Evers (Moonshine) and Jonatan Gusmark (Moonshine). Emily Yeonseo Kim and Moa “Cazzi Opeia” Carlebecker contributed to the composition, while Jinbyjin participated in the arrangement. The song is described as a dance track with an intense synth-bass sound and dynamic beat rhythm. It is composed in the key of B minor and has a tempo of 115 beats per minute.
The music video for “Spicy” was directed by 725 of SL8 Visual Lab and was released by SM Entertainment on May 8. The video depicts aespa as a group of popular high school students, showcasing scenes of them preparing for a wild party in their luxurious mansion, as well as exploring the city at midnight when time appears to stop.
Upon its release, “Spicy” achieved various chart positions. In South Korea, it debuted at number six on the Circle Digital Chart for the week of May 7-13, 2023. It also entered other component charts, including number three on the Circle Download Chart, number eight on the Circle Streaming Chart, and number 33 on the Circle BGM Chart. In Japan, the song debuted at number 71 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, number 70 on the Top Download Songs chart, and number 82 on the Top Streaming Songs chart.
Additionally, it debuted at number 48 on the Oricon Streaming Chart in the week of May 22, 2023. In Singapore, “Spicy” entered at number 17 on the RIAS Top Regional Chart for the week of May 5-11, 2023. It also debuted at number 27 on the Billboard Vietnam Hot 100 and number 34 on the RMNZ Hot Singles in New Zealand. Globally, the song debuted at number 160 on the Billboard Global 200 and number 77 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. in the week of May 20, 2023.
On February 16, 2023, Lee Sung-soo made a 30-minute video claiming that Lee Soo-man was responsible for the delay in aespa’s music release. He mentioned that the group was originally scheduled to release new music on February 20 but experienced delays. Lee Sung-soo stated that Soo-man wanted to incorporate environmentalist motifs like tree-planting and sustainability into aespa’s songs, but this concept was ultimately abandoned as it didn’t suit the group’s image and made them unhappy. 
On March 16, SM Entertainment announced that aespa would release a record in early May. On April 17, it was revealed that their third EP, titled ‘My World,’ featuring six tracks, would be released on May 8. The track listing was unveiled on April 24, with “Spicy” confirmed as the lead single. A music video teaser was released on May 6, followed by the release of the song and its music video on May 8.
