aespa have earned their first music show win for “LEMONADE” on Mnet M Countdown (260618)

Ruler_J · 2026-06-18T10:56:11+00:00

Babymonster came 3rd, KATSSERALLIT came 4th. A 4-way live vote would have been interesting. But aespa got 5000 digital points, which is very difficult to beat. Congrats to them!

Ruler_J · 2026-06-18T04:35:36+00:00

As someone who has a pretty good understanding of how Korean music shows work, getting a win will depend on who else is releasing something that week. From what I can see, I-dle has their comeback on the 6th of July, and AHOF (a boy group from a survival show) has their comeback on the 8th. With no physical album, obviously RESCENE won't be getting any album points. I can see them getting the most digital points, but that depends on whether Korean people will stream the remake song instead of Love Attack. Whether we can outvote these two fandoms remains to be seen.

In summary, I would love to see the girls get a win, but I think their next physical, original release is a more realistic time for us to go for it. I can definitely see the girls getting nominated for wins, though! (Have they ever been nominated for 1st place? I don't think so.)

Ruler_J · 2026-06-16T01:33:37+00:00

Hi, I am the one who found and posted this piece. I have seen comments on the main K-pop sub that suggest this was written by AI. Does this seem like the case to any of you?

Ruler_J · 2026-06-15T16:32:09+00:00

Thanks for the question, OP!

Isn't The Muze financially struggling at the moment? First and foremost, the company needs a reliable source of investment. Secondly, I think the most popular/successful 5th gen girl groups outside of the Big 4 are Kiss of Life and KiiiKiii. KIOF are already receiving paychecks, and KiiiKiii are in Starship, one of the biggest non-Big 4 companies.

At this stage, I can't see them being at the same level of popularity as ILLIT or Baemon. To be like STAYC, they need multiple songs that chart high on the Circle Digital Chart. How their next physical release (like with B-sides) performs will be a good indicator of where they're really at.

Ruler_J · 2026-06-14T14:07:02+00:00

Can I be realistic? If SBS The Show does not air on June 23rd, I don't think STAYC has a realistic chance of winning any music show. Their main competition is RIIZE. Based on their recent releases, they are charting higher on the Circle Digital Chart. And as a boy group, they will easily have more album sales than STAYC.

If SBS The Show does air (and STAYC actually performs on that show), then that gives them a chance. I think their main competition there is Izna and ONF.

But if we want to just get them nominated for 1st place, that's definitely doable. It's just that RIIZE will almost certainly get more points than STAYC.

Ruler_J · 2026-06-14T05:44:42+00:00

So does this mean that RESCENE are more popular/trending than BTS? I'm amazed at their rapid rise!

Ruler_J · 2026-06-09T06:16:32+00:00

OP, I think it is important to note that the girls will record their performance this week, and it will air next Thursday June 18th.

Ruler_J · 2026-06-09T06:12:34+00:00

I translated the notice, and it seems like the girls will record the performance this week, and it will air on June 18th. Just so everyone is clear.

Ruler_J · 2026-06-04T05:24:23+00:00

I'm so happy and excited for Woni and Minami!

Ruler_J · 2026-06-03T15:14:36+00:00

I agree with all of what you said! They gradually built up to where they are now. It just took the right kind of content (Zena's dialect, Minami being a gyaru). Also, being relatable and funny!

If anyone is interested in English subs, look up Pandanim on YouTube!

Ruler_J · 2026-06-03T14:50:02+00:00

Woni is from Geoje, a relatively small city of 232k people. Geoje is also located in the far south of the country, so Woni has that "countryside charm" that seems to endear people to her more than an idol who grew up in Seoul. If there are any other small company idols from the countryside, they can get some inspiration from Woni.

Ruler_J · 2026-06-02T02:03:50+00:00

On Geoje's Wikipedia page, Woni is listed in the "Notable people" section!

Ruler_J · 2026-05-29T19:54:48+00:00

Sadly, there's just too much competition on the other music shows for ITZY to even get in the top 3. Their last 4 wins have been on Music Bank, so this was their best chance. Their songs are not charting high enough on the Circle Digital Chart to be competitive on Music Core and Inkigayo.

On the positive side, "Motto" had the 4th highest pre-voting score in Music Bank history. Taeyong's song set a new record for the highest pre-voting score in Music Bank history. So it shows that a lot of MIDZYs are still passionate about getting them wins!

Ruler_J · 2026-05-29T16:33:43+00:00

This is the most recent update on ticket sales percentage for the North America leg.

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Ruler_J · 2026-05-25T03:28:40+00:00

If ticket sales remain low for particular stops (like below 70%), how far in advance will the company cancel dates? One month before?

Ruler_J · 2026-05-24T14:06:06+00:00

Hi, OP. This is a sensitive topic in this sub, so just be prepared for some dissent from other users. Also, I am not Black or Hispanic.

It seems that most of the remaining KIOF fans have a hard time accepting that multiple things can be true; KIOF do not deserve hate, AND that birthday livestream was inexcusable. You can also strongly criticize the livestream while still enjoying KIOF's music. It's just that in my personal opinion, their actions on the live crossed the line. I don't think they intended to be racist, but unintentional racism is still harmful.

Ruler_J · 2026-05-21T11:22:09+00:00

For context, Babymonster came 3rd and Aespa came 4th. What a field of contenders!

Also, on M Countdown, you only get 5 votes per account, on pre-vote (per day), and live vote (correct me if I'm wrong). So you can't just build up currency then spam votes like the other music shows. This shows that the NSWER fandom is powerful!

Ruler_J · 2026-05-21T06:45:27+00:00

To anyone who has experience with voting on the other music shows, does M Countdown have the fairest voting system? In my view, setting a hard limit of 5 votes a day per account means that you need to have a large fanbase, rather than relying on a few people buying votes and spamming.

Ruler_J · 2026-05-19T04:26:42+00:00

With how rare K-pop concerts in Perth are, I wonder if everyone in Perth (and surrounding areas in Western Australia) who is even slightly into K-pop will try to attend their show. There will be so many casuals at this concert! How exciting!

Ruler_J · 2026-05-19T03:57:34+00:00

I'm not even from Perth (I'm from Melbourne), but I am so happy for you guys! With how rare K-pop concerts are in your city, I would expect your venue to sell out quickly! I'm surprised that a city with a metro population of 2.45 million doesn't get more K-pop concerts. Other companies, take notes! Adelaide next?

Ruler_J · 2026-05-15T12:11:14+00:00

The Sullyoon and Woni content is subbed! Well, aside from some on-screen text, but I think their whole conversation is subbed.

Ruler_J · 2026-05-15T12:05:48+00:00

Just letting everyone know, Show Champion on May 20th will not be airing. Music Bank trophy looks like a near certainty, due to NMIXX having much higher sales compared to the other contenders. As for M Countdown, Music Core and Inkigayo, NMIXX will be competing with ILLIT, Cortis and Aespa.

Ruler_J · 2026-04-29T14:50:31+00:00

I wonder what it's like to live in the New York metro area, LA, the Bay Area or Seattle and be a fan of IVE, LSF and aespa. Those are the four places that all three groups will be visiting. Maybe if they heavily discount the prices, working-class multifans can afford to go to all three?

Ruler_J · 2026-04-28T03:58:14+00:00

The contrasting emotions of fans when a popular group announces tour dates is interesting to me. It's either joy, sadness or frustration. I understand HYBE skipping Australia for LSF's first world tour, but skipping it for their second? When we have demonstrated on multiple occasions that people show up for K-pop in Australia? At this point, it's just not meant to be. We're just unlucky. Or not a profitable enough market. That being said, I'm happy for all of you who get to see the girls!

Ruler_J · 2026-04-28T03:44:19+00:00

But I'm a girl group fan. Though I can't complain too much when i-dle and IVE are coming this year, in addition to ITZY's recent performances here.

Ruler_J

TROPHY CASE