MANILA, Philippines — Rising K-pop group aespa and the star of the sophomore season of "Bridgerton" Jonathan Bailey were included in TIME's Next Generation Leaders 2022 list, honoring "the rising stars poised to shape the future."
aespa debuted during the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2020 under SM Entertainment, and with just a handful of singles have managed to be Korea's up-and-coming acts, even having a surprise performance at the 2022 Coachella festival.
The group — stylized as æspa — consists of Giselle, Karina, Ningning and Winter, and their first-ever music video "Black Mamba" currently holds the record for the fastest K-pop debut video to reach 100 million views on YouTube.
At the 2022 Korean Music Awards, aespa won Rookie of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best K-Pop Song for their smash hit “Next Level.“
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Jonathan Bailey was only a supporting character during the first season of "Bridgerton" as the series revolved around Phoebe Dynevor's Daphne Bridgerton, but come Season 2 Bailey's Viscount Anthony Bridgerton finds that he too has a love story to be entangled in.
The second season of "Bridgerton" is currently Netlflix's most-watched English-language series, the overall record still being held by Korea's smash hit "Squid Game."
Bailey's other television credits include "Broadchurch," "Jack Ryan," and an episode of "Doctor Who," and has theatric experiences in revivals of "The Last Five Years," "The York Realist," "Company," and "Cock."
Also named in the 2022 list were Ukrainian journalist Olga Rudenko, Salvatore Ferragamo creative director Maximilian Davis, beauty entrepreneur Deepica Mutyala, Nigerian musician CKay, labor organizer Jazlyn Brisack, actor-writer Bilal Baig, conservationist Rinzin Phunjok Lama, and Mongolian politician Bolor-Erdene Battsengel.
Last year TIME's Next Generation Leaders included actors Timothee Chalamet and Anthony Ramos, singer Rina Sawayama, and NBA player Bismack Biyombo.
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