K-pop girl band aespa to release collaborative single 'Keychain'

SEOUL, February 27 (AJP) - K-pop girl band aespa will drop "Keychain," a collaborative single with Grammy-winning artist Anderson .Paak on Friday, the four-member group's agency SM Entertainment said.  

The collaborative track will unveil globally at 2 p.m. (0500 GMT) across major streaming platforms. "Keychain" serves as an original soundtrack (OST) for "K-POPS!," a film produced, directed and starring Anderson .Paak. The song blends the artist's signature hip-hop, R&B and funk-rooted sound with aespa's distinctive vocal tone and performance style.

Anderson .Paak, a Korean American musician, first rose to prominence with his 2016 album "Malibu," which earned him his first Grammy nomination. In 2021, he formed the project duo "Silk Sonic" with Bruno Mars. The pair topped the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to win nine Grammy Awards, solidifying the 40-year-old's global profile. The collaboration has drawn attention as a cross-cultural partnership between a leading K-pop act and an established American pop artist. 

aespa, debuted in 2020, is a fourth-generation K-pop girl group known for its aggressive electronic production style rooted in "hyperpop" and "cyberpunk/industrial aesthetics." The quartet, Karina, Giselle, Winter and Ningning has built its sonic identity around high-intensity synth textures, metallic sound design and digitally layered vocal processing.

K-POPS! portrays the Korean American community, one of the fastest-growing multicultural groups in the United States, through a family comedy centered on identity, music and generational connection. The film is set to premiere in North America on Feb. 27.

Meanwhile, aespa is set to continue its "2026 aespa LIVE TOUR – SYNK : aeXIS LINE" with performances in Macau on March 7 and 8.
 

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