Verses is pioneering interactive music, where music, storytelling, and visuals evolve and transform based on user interaction rather than being a passive listening experience. Interactive music takes various forms, and one of its most notable examples is aespa world, an interactive music world that merges music with the metaverse.
Developed in collaboration with SM Entertainment and built on Naver Z’s metaverse platform, ZEPETO, aespa world is a space where K-pop meets generative AI-powered interactive technology. Its technological excellence was recognized when it won the CES 2025 Innovation Award.
aespa world is not just a virtual space; it is a new concept of an interactive music world where users can experience aespa’s universe, create music, and engage in immersive interactions. The world’s design plays a crucial role in bringing aespa’s lore to life within the metaverse. This intricate design process involves encouraging user interaction and visually embodying aespa’s themes and universe.
In this interview, we dive into the behind-the-scenes stories of aespa world’s design, as told by the talented planners and designers Kang Jung-woo, Jang Su-ji, and Lee Ju-yeon, who crafted this remarkable experience.
Eun-Gyeong Kim : Moderator
Jung-Woo Kang : Planner, Designer
Joo-Yeon Lee : Planner, Designer
Su-Ji Jang : Planner, Designer
Jung-Woo Kang.
Joo-Yeon Lee.
Su-Ji Jang.
Initial Planning: Challenges in Creating an Interactive Music World
Eun-Gyeong Kim: aespa world began as a completely new concept—an interactive music world. What were some of the challenges you faced in the initial design phase?
Verses’ Beat-based AI Music Video Generator.
Jung-Woo Kang: This project originally stemmed from the "Beat-based AI Music Video Generator" technology, which won an Innovation Award at CES 2024. The core idea was to allow users to edit characters in real time in sync with music. However, when we tried to implement this within the ZEPETO platform, we encountered unexpected technical limitations. One major challenge was that ZEPETO’s development environment differs significantly from Unity, which led to a lot of trial and error.
(Laughs) Oh, and at first, we were super excited, thinking, "Wow, this is going to be something amazing!" But when we actually started working with ZEPETO, we found ourselves asking, "Wait… can we even make this work?" (Laughs)
Joo-Yeon Lee: ZEPETO is fundamentally a 3D-based virtual space, but it is optimized for mobile experiences. Because of this, some of our initial technical ideas had to be scaled down. However, rather than seeing this as a limitation, we adapted to the platform’s environment and ended up designing a more intuitive and playable experience for users.
Naver Z’s metaverse platform, ZEPETO.
Jung-Woo Kang: Initially, we tried to apply the Beat-based AI Music Video Generator technology directly into ZEPETO. However, after considering ZEPETO’s user culture and technical limitations, we realized we needed to adjust our approach. That’s how My Stage was born—a feature that transformed the concept from users freely manipulating music and characters into a more intuitive interactive experience.
The funny thing is, when we first planned this, we envisioned this elaborate AI-driven collaboration where users and AI would create music together in a spectacular way. But as we got deeper into development… (sighs) reality kept throwing hurdles at us. In the end, we concluded that making the user experience simpler and more intuitive was far more important. Still, throughout the process, we experimented with a lot of fun ideas.
Visual Concept of aespa World: ‘Aurora Colors’ and Universe Design
Eun-Gyeong Kim: I imagine there were a lot of considerations on the design side as well. How was the visual concept of aespa world established?
Joo-Yeon Lee: SM Entertainment proposed ‘Aurora Colors’ (a pink and blue gradient) as aespa’s brand color. To emphasize its mystical and dreamlike atmosphere, we aligned the entire color palette with this theme. Additionally, we subtly incorporated elements from aespa’s universe, such as the members' emblems and symbolic objects, throughout the design.
(Excitedly) Oh, do you remember that? When SM first gave us the color combination, they were like, "This is aespa’s official color." But when we applied it, the visuals were so intense that everything on the screen clashed. (Laughs) So, we had to soften it a bit, making adjustments until we arrived at the final design.
The logo reflecting aespa’s universe with its Aurora Colors.
The virtual reality space within aespa’s universe, known as ‘FLAT’.
Su-Ji Jang: The overall structure of the map was designed based on ‘FLAT,’ the virtual reality space in aespa’s universe. We wanted it to act as a central hub within the metaverse. Additionally, we incorporated interactive features like Photo Booths and My Stage, allowing fans to engage with the space in meaningful ways.
Jung-Woo Kang: Another interesting aspect was that SM Entertainment suggested placing aespa members’ emblems throughout the map. Each member has a symbolic element—Karina has a star, NingNing has a butterfly, Giselle has a bridge, and Winter has a star. By integrating these into the environment, we created a way for users to explore the map while naturally immersing themselves in aespa’s universe.
At first, we weren’t sure if fans would even notice these details. But they have such keen eyes! They caught on right away, posting their discoveries on social media and even interpreting them more deeply than we expected. Watching that unfold was really fun. (Laughs)
Tour World Update: An Expanded Experience
Eun-Gyeong Kim: What new features were introduced in the Tour World update?
Su-Ji Jang: Tour World was designed to reflect aespa’s multiverse concept, creating a mysterious and immersive space. Users arrive at the concert venue via an exploration ship, and the venue itself is styled like a grand, opulent palace. Rather than just passively watching a performance, fans can experience it as if they’ve stepped directly into a scene from aespa’s universe.
Images of Tour World
Joo-Yeon Lee: We expanded upon the original aespa world by introducing a structure where users travel to different worlds via an exploration ship, allowing them to feel like they are truly exploring aespa’s vast universe. Additionally, we designed a unique environment incorporating elements of fire and ice, creating a visually striking and immersive experience.
(Laughs) We did have moments where we thought, "Does this concept even make sense?" But once we saw the final version, we were all amazed. Honestly, we didn’t initially plan for it to be this extravagant! (Laughs)
Verses Team and Future Goals
Eun-Gyeong Kim: Lastly, can you tell us about the atmosphere within the Verses team and your future goals?
Jung-Woo Kang: Our team has a really unique dynamic. No one is confined to a single role—designers take on development tasks, developers contribute to design, and everyone works across different areas.
(Laughs) At first, it felt a bit unfamiliar to work this way, but now, we thrive on bouncing ideas off each other. Someone will say, "Hey, should we try this?" and the response is always, "Yeah, let’s do it!" It’s a super collaborative and experimental environment.
Joo-Yeon Lee: Exactly. It was a bit unfamiliar for me at first, too, but I love how freely ideas flow here. What excites me the most is the chance to continuously experiment with ways to seamlessly connect music and interaction.
Jung-Woo Kang: Ultimately, what we aim to do is design experiences. Moving forward, we plan to keep pushing boundaries, exploring new possibilities, and creating even more innovative interactive music worlds!
aespa world is more than just a virtual space—it is a new realm of music experiences where music, visuals, storytelling, and fan participation come together. Here, users are not just passive listeners; they can immerse themselves in aespa’s universe, explore, and interact with music in their own unique ways.
With its fusion of design, technology, and creativity, this project represents a major step forward in expanding the possibilities of K-pop and the metaverse. Verses is committed to breaking boundaries and continuously delivering groundbreaking music experiences. We can’t wait to see what the future holds—stay tuned for what’s next!
