Review

Song Review: aespa – Lemonade

Posted on by 71 Comments

I have such mixed feelings abound aespa in 2026. They are undoubtedly one of the most influentual girl groups of this era, but their influence has been both positive and negative. Songs like Supernova and Whiplash helped usher in a higher BPM and more electronic-centered soundscape for K-pop, yet they also promoted a talk-heavy style that many other groups have copied to the point where it’s become cliche. Add to that the fact that I haven’t fully enjoyed an aespa single since 2024 and it feels like we’re at the edge of a precipice.

Rather than overcome or succumb to that pressure, new title track Lemonade simply embraces the trends aespa helped originate. It’s incredibly talky but also bolstered by an incredibly enjoyable club beat. I know we’re not supposed to evaluate music on what we wish it was, but I can’t help but imagine how much of a knockout Lemonade‘s production would be with equally strong melodies anchoring it. The beat pulses with force and energy that’s very refreshing and seems to promise a chorus for the ages. Instead, we get yet another catchphrase hook that teeters between “addictive” and “annoying”. I can’t tell which way this hook will fall when all is said and done, but I know that a huge, sung refrain bolstered by aespa’s powerful vocals would have been a showstopping moment for the ages.

Okay, enough living in fantasy land. We can’t expect K-pop songs to have choruses these days, can we? In the world of “charismatic talking over a club beat,” this is about as good as you could hope for. Charisma is on full display and there’s enough variety in the rhythm of aespa’s speech to make the verses ear-catching. I don’t think they’ll have the staying power I’d hope for, but they get the job done.

I’m not sure what “I’ll make it lemonade, I got no ETA” is supposed to mean or how any of those words connect to each other, but I’ll just pretend they’re saying “Wow, Fantastic Baby” and this is some bizarro-world ode to that 2012 classic. Of course, that classic actually had an epic vocal build and satisfying drop, so maybe it’s better to bop along mindlessly without conjuring Lemonade‘s more fleshed-out forebearers. This is boppable enough. Hopefully it will inspire other groups to better the formula later this year.

Hooks 8
 Production 9
 Longevity 8
 Bias 8
 RATING 8.25

Grade: B

71 thoughts on “Song Review: aespa – Lemonade”

  1. the production is definitely better than the song, i love its drive so much and it could easily be bolstered by some stronger melodies but i guess i’ll take what i get

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  2. I really don’t understand their tactic…

    Rich Man was bottom of the barrel garbage soup and flopped terribly so their strategy is to reheat whiplash( straight take on gay music) nachos and make it even more straight? Okay girls😭

    7/10💔

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  3. Ngl, it reminds me of Fairy Mai’s Lipstick but that song was brasher and had more bite to it. I like the chorus here, it’s camp, silly and sounds like it’ll be fun in live performances. Idk how it’ll age for me either but let’s see.

    Rating’s the same.

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  4. say on your life this is the hook of the single I waited 10 years for….this is not SM Entertainment no way….I don’t recognize my club anymore

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  5. Ooh I quite like this, mainly because of the beats and how fun & unserious the chorus is. The girls sell the entire thing about as well as anyone could.

    I’d probably rate this a tad higher, 8.5 (I’m a big aespa fan after all), and yes, this is far, far better than the abomination that was Rich Man.

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  8. i think the lyrics are nonsensical enough for this to be camp, if I’m squinting I can even imagine this to be aespa mocking their own trend. And if that theory is right then the next era might be different and hopefully better. Let’s hope 😭

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  9. I guess I’m finally in the time where I’ll just ignore the melody (and the lyrics) to make myself enjoy the vibes and production more. Speaking out of the bad lyrics, it is very danceable for me.

    However I just wish the final chorus could be more… oomph. It’s kinda lacking the final confetti moment – even though they have added some of the high note ad-libs on it, but it is just so close to make it even better. I can think of if any guitar riff or another synth underlying could make it better but… meh. So close to a 9.

    Imma rate it a 8.75.

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  10. it’s a lot better than WDA but I have the same problems. it’s basically Whiplash summer edition. production is definitely doing the heavy-lifting here.

    album is their best in a while, there’s only one truly bad song.

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    • Tbh I really don’t mind Whiplash being reheated into a summer version since it’s such a fire song. I agree that their 2nd album is much better than their 1st but the titles on the 1st (Supernova and Armageddon) are pure S-tier. Lemonade and WDA are A/B tier at best

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  11. We all know that aespa post-Whiplash era songs are not spectacular, but it did not mean they should go back to the same song again, where is the creativity.

    Lemonade is just another Whiplash inferior copy. They literally used the same beat then change the chorus and hook. Granted it was more listenable than WDA, but why would people listen this when they can just play Whiplash. The only thing saving the song is Winter and Ningning vocals part.

    Listening to the whole album, there is not any tracks with enough replay value. I can’t stand their vocal tone in Shakin, its not enjoyable. Roll is another bad nursery rhyme inspired song. Switchblade is not bad, only thanks to the rapper that give the song more texture. Till We Die is good but kinda generic. Becky G ver is not needed, I did not even notice where her parts in the song. Armageddon album is much better than this.

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  13. LEMONADE is objectively a good song but the way the post-chorus is so identical to Whiplash bothers me. As you say production is fierce and incredibly strong however it’s sad they didn’t try a bit harder to surprise their fans. same for the MV that’s a bit clumsy while echoing their best past videos.

    and the album sounds a bit dated overall , they don’t experiment with new styles or trends even if it’s all pretty decent. Switchblade is great though, hope they do a MV

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  14. I’m kinda sad that we are now deprived of the vocal æspa.

    This kinda reminds me my first time listening Supernova (I was serving in the military lol and I was humming the refrain like crazy). But after Whiplash, I wasn’t really hooked to their other songs, even though the public was frothing in the mouth praising it’s “metal” (not the genre) flavour approach. WDA was also a bit niche for me and so does Lemonade. The best part of the song for me is its instrumental. I like the throbbing bass and weird sound affects, very Whiplash-coded. But the chorus felt almost juvenile and I wish they had a different one.

    Thank GOD they added a bit more vocals in Lemonade, I was getting tired of the girls sing-talking when they could actually sing.

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    • Yeah, aespa is a very capable group vocally, and it’s such a shame they’ve been given constantly talk-singing songs for the past few comeback seasons, even if I thoroughly enjoy some of them (Supernova and Whiplash). I would KILL to hear them release something like, or at least do covers of, a 9muses or an f(x) song.

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        • Don’t forget about Figaro. The girls would absolutely nail that song, particularly the “give up up tonight, nan geureon sigeuron andwae” part 😩.

          The three f(x) title tracks I would love to hear aespa cover or take inspiration from the most would be Rum Pum Pum Pum, Pinocchio, and yes Red Light. Heck, I would take an f(x)-inspired song from any k-pop group.

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  15. This is absolutely the best album of the year, even surpassing their widely acclaimed first release. After 25 years of relatively modest chart performance, they’ve finally returned to their peak—and arguably exceeded it. “WDA,” a somewhat controversial pre-release track, works brilliantly as the intro on this album, giving it a unique flavor.

    Next up is the title track, Lemonade. It’s easy to see that SM Entertainment is trying to recapture the formula that made aespa so successful from 2023 to 2024, blending elements from Spicy, Supernova, and Whiplash. The result is impressive: the tartness of the lemon perfectly complements the metallic sheen of the house-inspired production.

    Then comes the unmistakably aespa track, Shakin’, which carries the same gritty metallic edge the group has always maintained. Can’t Help Myself delivers exactly what I wanted from a Rich Man-style track—but they ditch the rap cadence in favor of their outstanding vocals, which perfectly interplay with the guitar-driven accompaniment.

    Camouflage is the biggest surprise for me on this album. Its dreamy hyperpop sound isn’t something aespa has explored much in the past, yet it stands out as arguably the peak of the album. Bite caters to a more niche taste, but the experimental production is exactly what I love—challenging, inventive K-pop. Switchblade, featuring Ty Dolla $ign, makes it impossible not to move along with the rhythm.

    The remaining tracks lean more toward fan service and traditional pop. While some might think this breaks the album’s cohesion, I actually enjoy the breather after the exhilarating early tracks of Lemonade. A little variety can be refreshing, right?

    Here’s how I’d rate each track:

    WDA – 8.5/10
    Lemonade – 9/10
    SHAKIN’ – 9.5/10
    Can’t Help Myself – 9/10
    Camouflage – 10/10
    Bite – 9.5/10
    Switchblade – 8.5/10
    Roll – 6/10
    My Plan – 7.5/10
    ’Til We Die – 7/10

    Overall, I genuinely believe this is the best K-pop album of the year—without question.

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  16. The bridge is the best part (minus Giselle’s annoying part). I like Ningning and Winter’s parts the most. Maybe it’s just me but I really hate their vocals together in the chorus. It sounds so bratty that it becomes damn annoying. I’d probably turn it off during the chorus if it randomly came on the radio.

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    • Well put! I sat there and endured the whole song, cuz of brand power and my love of EDM I guess, but it’s a channel-changer!

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  17. their voices together in the chorus are “ear-bleeding” and the song overall is kinda bland? the instrumental is great but thats just it. i miss their voices from their debut era, now they just sound so screechy i literally cannot even listen to it.

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  18. I actually love the instrumental, but I hate the entire vocal! The cringe English lyrics are back again, and the overall shrill, bratty tone is like nails on a chalkboard. Maybe I’m just sick of them atp but I’m struggling to even give this a 6.

    Even just skimming this album is exhausting. Camouflage sounded ok. I’m curious to know Nick’s and everyone’s notable b-sides to help save me some time and suffering.

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    • Haha they do sound bratty & silly in the chorus part, but then again, aespa is one of the (very) few groups who could make that style of talk-singing sound bearable. Yes, I am definitely biased here 😅. I just really LOVE the vocal tones of 3 out of 4 of the aespa girls (Ningning, Winter, Karina).

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  19. 8

    Production is great. Lyrics are solid. The metaphors used are consistent to the theme. Love this Winter line: “I can take whatever put it all over my body / That’s fashion”. Not as good as Supernova, that’s a high bar, but one of their better written title songs.

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  21. Based on the title, I was hoping we would get a Sistar-type summer song, or at least something interesting to welcome the summer season. Instead, we got this track, which is honestly just annoying to listen to. It feels like Whiplash’s annoying little sister who had a little too much fun playing with sugar.
    I for real hate the lyrics so much(the bragging, Ningning speaking broken Spanish, and them promising to make lemonade only to turn around and start nagging us). Bruh, these brag tracks keep getting worse and worse. Even the bridge (which is usually the only decent part of a track) was bad this time. I feel like SM is wasting aespa’s potential just to chase trends. The girls are very capable and have funny personalities, yet we get songs like this that showcase absolutely nothing.
    I’m just going to quickly list some styles of artists that aespa should try out instead—ones that would actually do them justice(Brown Eyed Girls, SNSD, Dreamcatcher, GFRIEND, 9Muses, Early Mamamoo, Lovelyz, Apink, f(x), KARA)
    Trust me, the list goes on and on. They could do whatever they want (to a certain extent) and somehow pull it off if the girls can sell it and put their vocals on full display. But instead, the girls have to sing about making lemonade and liking their karma straight. I’ve only been a K-pop stan for around three years, yet I still listen to older SM groups and songs, and you can obviously tell the difference in quality. This is just sad to see, and it makes the listening experience so much more unbearable.
    If any of you guys actually listened to the full album, please tell me if any of the B-sides are actually listenable, because I can’t stand them right now and this title track leaves a bad taste in my mouth, just like Cortis’s “Acai” (let’s not ruin food and drinks, shall we?).
    Besides a few good tracks so far in the year, girl groups have been lacking a lot lately and really need to step up their game. Otherwise, they will fail to capture the public’s attention(i’m saying this as a boy group stan). Right now, aespa has only released one title track that was interesting (Supernova); other than that, they have been lacking. I guess I’m just going to have to wait and hope that they eventually give the girls some good music.

    Final Rating: High 6 (“Boompala” might have some serious competition for the worst kpop song of 2026 so far.)

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    • Okay, but when they sing about “making lemonade,” do you think they’re literally talking about making lemonade?

      It’s an idiom. The entire song is built around the idea of taking drama, setbacks, criticism, and consequences and turning them into something positive. Before criticizing the lyrics, you kind of have to understand what the central metaphor actually means.

      And “I take my karma straight” isn’t really a brag. It’s almost the opposite. It’s saying they’ll accept whatever consequences come their way and deal with them head-on rather than running from them.

      You can dislike the song, but a lot of your criticism seems to be aimed at a meaning that isn’t actually there.

      Also, every SM generation had confidence tracks. People tend to remember the classics and forget the simpler songs that existed alongside them.

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    • 1.) Boompala is fun. I don’t know why people are so uptight now, but that song would’ve done NUMBERS during 2nd gen.

      2.) What “broken Spanish”? “Muchas gracias, mi amor” is a full sentence.

      3.) They’ll never give them SNSD or F(x) type tracks because RV is marketed as “between SNSD and F(x)”. The list of groups you gave are not cohesive, but GFRIEND, Apink, Lovelyz, etc? Sounds like you want a COMPLETELY different group than Aespa has ever been marketed as. You want a hyperfeminine group with flirty lyrics. That isn’t Aespa. I don’t understand why you’re comparing. They can do something different, sure, but they’re sonic style has always been EDM/Hyperpop.

      4.)”I’ve only been a kpop fan around 3 years” Yeah, you can tell, because you listed disparate groups. You also have shown you can’t interpret the lyrics as meant. “I’ll take my karma straight” = I’ll deal with it as it comes; “I’ll make it lemonade” = I’ll turn a bad situation into a positive one. If you don’t understand the song, just say that.

      5.) “I’m saying this as a boy group stan” TRUST ME, we know! Girl groups and soloists have been singlehandedly killing it this year, as they do every year. BG stans complain about range when SO MANY boy groups do music that all sounds similar. There is not NEARLY the amount of range in music from BG to BG as there is from GG to GG.

      6.) “Aespa has only released ONE title track that was interesting.” Girl, bye. Absolutely not. I’m not even a MY and that is just patently false. It can be your opinion, but it’s not based in reality.

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      • Alright, thank you and the other person for your comments. I wasn’t trying to be rude at all and bring down Aespa. I made some quick assumptions and hated based on what I thought. At the end of the day, these are just opinions, so I need to learn not to be super rude and respect your taste. We all like what we like so I’m not going to bring you and anyone else just because you like this song. If this is your taste, awesome! I’m glad Aespa is right up your alley. I want to express my opinions in a calm and respectful manner. If you found my comment rude, uneducated, mean, or anything else, I’m truly sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you at all. I love K-pop so much and want you to live your life happy without having to worry about werid comments like these. Also thank you for the lyrics analysis, as well because I thought they said “I’ll make you lemonade” so I was quick to judge them and thought they were just bragging in some werid way.

        Definitely, when I write future comments, I’ll take what you said into consideration. I learned so much from you and the other commenter. I really appreciate, you all!

        I never want to be those fan that just hate on any groups that isn’t their faves. Hope you and everyone else who reads Nick’s blog are happy and healthy. K-pop is so awesome and these comments just make it seem like Kpop is much more bland than it actually is. I will make sure in the future to present my opinions respectfully.

        God bless you all and have an amazing rest of your days full of love and peace!

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        • I’m sorry I came across snarky. I also wasn’t trying to be rude. I think in general, I’ve been more protective of some of the weirder songs coming out because they remind me of how fun K-pop was when I got into it almost 20 years ago (~18 or so). No worries! I’m glad you got here and get to enjoy. Hope you find some GGs you love 🙂

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          • Yea of course no problem at all. Wanna make sure I’m making my comments contribute to a positive and happy space, where we can like what we like without being judged because nobody likes it when someone rains on your parade. I guess that’s the beauty of music. Most definitely going to take what you said into consideration moving forward as I transition into learning how to write songs and produce and yea, Kpop for the win!! That’s why I don’t EVER hate just to hate. Because just like in life, some days are good and some days are bad. not every release someone puts out is going to be my favorite(even my ults have some questionable songs). also, i didn’t make it clear enough but I do listen to some girl groups(twice got me into kpop, etc) but i’m glad that I didn’t ruin this song for you! looking forward to see what GGs come up with next.

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  22. I dunno, I actually kind of like it, and I don’t usually resonate with aespa titles on a first listen (including Supernova, which took me a couple tries). Thought it might be because I listened to it at too low or a volume to be grating at first, so I got out the headphones and listened again and still wasn’t annoyed by it, so I’ll keep it for now. We’ll see if it grows or fades! Would I love to hear them make better use of the insane vocals I know they’re capable of? Always yes, but this one’s pretty fun, less serious, and danceable, so I’ll take it!

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  23. the chorus gets a bit grating, but the song is catchy and fun which is a lot better than their previous songs,,, it’s not going on the playlist though. still, it’s a turn towards the better for aespa

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  24. Mmm… it’s certainly an aespa track. It seems to interpolate the hooks from Spicy, obviously in a less melodic way, with the production style of Whiplash, just far less captivating

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  26. I quite like it, however, review nitpick. The lyrics aren’t “I’ll make YOU lemonade, I got no ETA.” It’s “I’ll make IT lemonade, I ain’t got no ETA.” Quite simple to interpret: They’ll turn a bad situation into a positive one (taking lemons and making it into lemonade) and they don’t have a time frame to do it in, so it might take time but it’ll happen eventually. I would’ve had a copy of the lyrics next to me while writing a review.

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  27. SM was soooo close to making a good Spicy daughter hit but the overall production is disappointing. I was scared the part they teased earlier was the main hook and unfortunately I was right. I wish the final chorus they did incorporating the pre chorus was the melody throughout the whole song, and they did a poor job recording the “I’LL MAKE YOU LEMONADE” which is way too loud and mixed weird, I think they used the wrong members voices for that. It’s better than Rich Man but I prefer Dirty Work more, the girls verses are always great and they’re such great singers but the choruses have been weak.

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  28. I wonder why aespa’s songwriters have something against letting them sing in their title tracks. I was listening to their bside “Live My Life” and was reminded of the vocal potential they have.

    This one’s a pass. Sounds like any other dark concept girl group song from the last 3 years

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    • Because that’s where the Kpop industry is these days. Save the RnB, soft vocal songs for b-sides. For titles, people expect more upbeat. But even on this track, sounding as good as they do still shows they have good vocals.

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  29. “I’m not sure what “I’ll make you lemonade, I got no ETA” is supposed to mean or how any of those words connect to each other”

    Here, I’ll give it a shot. I think it means “You are going to eat my pussy at some point in the future not yet to be determined”

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  30. I’m questioning honestly what is so damn special about Lemonade to make a kpop song about it. Tons of other interesting things they coulda made a song about but they chose lemonade of all things. Guess perhaps tells ya how scrapping the bottom of the barrel groups or get are when they pick a title for a song like this…

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