aespa Wins Two Awards at 2025 KGMA, Including Best Streaming Song for “Whiplash”

aespa claimed two awards at the 2025 K-pop Grammy Awards (KGMA), securing wins in Best Music 10 and Best Streaming Song. The group demonstrated its strong presence in the global music market with their sixth mini-album, “Rich Man,” released in September. This album topped the iTunes Top Albums chart in 14 regions worldwide and achieved outstanding results on major Chinese music platforms. Specifically, it ranked first on QQ Music’s overall and EP digital album sales charts and received platinum certification (sales exceeding 1 million yuan). It also reached the top spot on KuGou Music’s digital album sales chart and Tencent Music’s K-pop chart. “Whiplash,” the winner of Best Streaming Song, is the title track from their fifth mini-album of the same name released last year. It is the first EDM-based techno song the group has attempted since their Debut, and it is regarded as a piece that showcases the group’s pursuit of musical diversity. On its release day, “Whiplash” debuted at position 53 on Spotify, the world’s largest music streaming platform, marking the highest debut ranking among K-pop girl group songs to date. It subsequently entered the U.S. Billboard World Albums Chart, Global 200 (excluding the U.S.), Global 200, and Billboard 200 charts, confirming strong reception in global markets. The KGMA organizing committee announced the winners of the Best Music 10 category during the Music Day awards ceremony held on the 15th. In addition to aespa, other prominent domestic artists such as Mark, SEVENTEEN, and ENHYPEN were also nominated for this category. This awards show, which highlighted the achievements of key albums and artists in South Korea’s music market in 2025, served as an opportunity to revisit K-pop works that received widespread affection from fans both domestically and internationally throughout the year. aespa continued their active promotions by attending the Melon Music Awards (MMA 2025) held on the 20th. During that event, member Ningning did not appear at the red carpet ceremony due to poor health caused by a cold, but she planned to attend the main stage performance as scheduled to ensure the quality of the show. The agency explained that this decision was made to balance the artist’s health with the quality of the performance.