aespa’s Charting Numbers With “Rich Man” Spark Massive Reactions

aespa’s latest comeback track has quietly proven its strength on the charts, catching both fans and netizens off guard.

| SM Entertainment

Even with heavy criticism online, the girl group’s song has continued to rise and secure a strong spot among Korea’s most-streamed hits.

aespa dropped Rich Man on September 5, marking the start of their new promotional era. The track was met with curiosity for its bold concept and unique production, but its early performance on the charts was modest. Upon release, the song entered at #7 on Bugs, #46 on MelOn, and #74 on Genie.

[DEBUT] aespa “Rich Man” 02PM KST Update:

#7 Bugs
#46 MelOn
#74 Genie

— Kpop Charts (@kchartsmaster) September 5, 2025

While the debut wasn’t spectacular compared to their past releases, “Rich Man” has shown steady growth over the past few days. The track has now peaked at #5 on MelOn’s Top 100 chart, climbing two spots in the process.

aespa “Rich Man” re-peaks at #5 (+2) on MelOn TOP100. pic.twitter.com/6FcqkyRUWb

— 윈터얼트 (@wntrult) September 7, 2025

What makes the rise more surprising is the mixed response the song has received from international fans. Many posts on Korean forums also initially criticised the song. Still, the steady climb shows that the domestic audience has embraced it, with more listeners streaming it daily.

.@aespa_official ‘Rich Man’ — 4PM KST:

#4 Bugs
#7 MelOn
#9 Flo
#20 Geniepic.twitter.com/Ij2BtJlu5f

— aespa charts 👑 #DirtyWork (@aespachart) September 7, 2025

Korean netizens have also admitted they didn’t expect the song to reach this level of success, given the amount of negativity surrounding it when it first dropped. Yet, aespa’s momentum shows no sign of slowing down.

| TheQoo

• “I just felt like it was going to do well. It’s such a mainstream-friendly song lolol.”
• “The song is freaking good.”
• “I love it so much.”
• “This is crazy lololol let’s keep climbing!!!!!!”
• “When the forced hate continued, I thought maybe my ears were the problem. Let’s do even better.”