In 2012, SM Entertainment debuted 12-member boy band Exo with the backstory that each member had a superpower to fight against evil. “Why are they walking to Kwangya and why do they keep mentioning that word?” “Although ‘Next Level’ was such an earworm that I memorized all the lyrics, I still have no idea what the song is about,” she said. Twenty-three-year-old Hong Seul-bean became intrigued by “Next Level” and shared her thoughts on its lyrics. While NCT U, Exo and NCT Dream incorporated the term in a more general context, the lyrics of “Next Level” talk exclusively about SMCU concepts, resulting in lyrics that are barely comprehensible without prior knowledge of the fictional universe.
The recurring mention of Kwangya has stood out to K-pop fans, but “Next Level” took things to just that - the next level. Since then, Kwangya has continued to appear in songs by SM’s artists such as NCT U’s “90’s Love” (2020), Exo’s “Don’t Fight the Feeling” (2021) and NCT Dream’s “Hello Future” (2021).
A scene from aespa’s music video for “Next Level” (2021) The lyrics of aespa’s debut song “Black Mamba” (2020) also mention the term kwangya, which means “wilderness” in Korean.
