Aespa Almost Reaches No. 1 With Its First Hit On One Chart

Aespa’s “Dirty Work” debuts at No. 2 on the Official Physical Singles chart, marking the group’s first appearance on the U.K. tally. INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 29: (L-R) Giselle, Ningning, Karina and Winter of aespa attend the 2025 Billboard Women in Music at YouTube Theater on March 29, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

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For almost half a decade now, Aespa has been releasing some of the most forward-looking music in the K-pop genre. The girl group emerged in late 2020 with its debut single “Black Mamba,” and like so many other groups in that space, the four singers that make up the troupe have been continuously churning out project after project.

Aespa remains one of the most successful K-pop all-female acts in the Western world. This week, the band scores its first smash on one United Kingdom-based chart — and almost dominates it on its inaugural attempt.

“Dirty Work” Starts at No. 2

Aespa’s “Dirty Work” launches on the Official Physical Singles chart this week. The K-pop vocal outfit starts the short project at No. 2, coming in behind “Comin’ Home Baby” by Kevin Fingier Collective. Aespa has never landed on the U.K.’s ranking of the bestselling tracks on any physical format – CD, vinyl or cassette – and the band hits the top 10 immediately.

“Dirty Work” Reappears on Another Sales Chart

“Dirty Work” sold well enough to appear not only on the physical tally, but also the Official Singles Sales chart, which ranks the bestselling tunes available in any manner. “Dirty Work” reenters that list for the second time, appearing at No. 45. It debuted on the roster in July, when it opened at No. 34.

Single Albums Vs. Singles

Aespa originally released “Dirty Work” in late June as what’s called a single album. In Western music markets, that’s known as just a single, but in South Korea single albums are regarded as slightly more important. Sometimes they feature two or three tracks, but in this case, “Dirty Work” was only shared alongside an instrumental version and several other remixes, including one featuring rapper Flo Milli.

Aespa’s Multiple Top 40 Hits

Aespa scores its first win on the Official Physical Singles chart, but “Dirty Work” is one of several recent hits by the group on a number of other tallies. In July, “Dirty Work” earned Aespa its fourth placement on both the Official Singles Sales and Official Singles Downloads rankings, where all four of the act’s wins — including “Supernova,” “Armageddon,” and “Whiplash” — have cracked the top 40.