aespa was voted as the Best New Female Group of 2020 in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Congratulations to aespa. Click here to find out who else won in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards.

aespa made their first comeback at the very end of last week with Forever, a remake of a song from the year 2000 of the same name by Yoo Young Jin. I am quite sure we are all familiar with aespa, who are the newest edition to SM Entertainment’s lineup and they made their debut at the end of 2020 with Black Mamba. The other half of this project (i.e. the original singer) is Yoo Young Jin and he is a song-writer and music producer under SM Entertainment. He has been writing and producing songs for many SM Entertainment artists since 1996.

Forever is a ballad that feels appropriate for the colder weather. While I do think this is the case, I do want to argue that the song seems better suited it was released around the Christmas/holiday season, rather than the backend of the coldest season. It just feels more appropriate for that time period, compared to the final weeks of Winter. But that might just be me. At first glance, Forever is definitely on a different level compared to Black Mamba. Their debut song was powerful and fierce. Most notably, it was a dance track. Forever, given its status as a ballad, is more delicate and warming. It features an instrumental that is a mixture of classical and acoustics, which is a really nice and balanced combination. Forever is another example where consistency is a positive aspect of the song, maintaining the feelings that I already mentioned from start to end. It makes the ballad quite appealing. What helps prevent the song falling into a rut are the members vocals. aespa definitely showcases a different side to themselves with this song. And they sound stunning. The melodies that carry their vocals really make the song flow along and they add that level of sweetness to the song that makes it more pleasant to listen to. I really like their harmonies when they sing the title of the song, especially at the end. Those harmonies and repetitions really encapsulates all the descriptors that I have used throughout the review thus far.

The music video seems straightforward. Closeups and choreography combination once again. I really like the set design and how everything reflected Winter quite well. Its pace matched the pace of the song and I am glad there wasn’t any change in the cinematography of the video as it progressed along. That would have been distract and off-putting. I do want to say that it is a great video. And for the reasons above that I have listed, it definitely is. But it isn’t one that I would replay constantly as there wasn’t much to it. Still a nice display of visuals regardless.

While I am big believer that ballads should not have a choreography associated with it, there have been some exceptions in the past. And it seems like aespa’s Forever is another one to add to that list. Their moves don’t distract you from the vocals or the song. It is all very soft and gentle. I really like the bridge sequence. If I were to be critical, I would say the members moving into position seemed a little clumsy. It could have been more polished in that aspect. But honestly, I don’t think anyone cares about that.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10