aespa has kicked off season two of their worldbuilding exercise with their first studio album, Armageddon. While taking in the stunning visual display of the aespa members “meeting you inside infinity” (“Supernova”) within their multiverse, viewers will no doubt find themselves lingering on the girls’ fingernails. We asked Woo Sumi, owner of Breathnailz (@breathnailz), for a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into shrinking aespa’s intense fictional word down into nail art—from the “tomboyish superhuman” sci-fi nails in “Supernova” and alien hands in “Armageddon” to the gyaru style featured in “Hot Mess.”

“Supernova” marks season two of aespa’s fictional universe. The group has superhuman powers in this comeback song, and their nails definitely have a science fiction feel to them as well.
Woo Sumi: Armageddon is a studio album and represents a very important moment for aespa. I first came to the wider public’s attention with their nails in “Better Things,” and after that, I felt this pressure to keep coming up with nails that are even more beautiful and eye-catching. I felt like I needed to come up with another hit and I tried everything I could, the end result of which were the nails in the Superbeing version of the concept photos for “Supernova.” Since the theme was superhumans, I used pink and metallic colors for the main pattern to tie it all together, then I added accents with clear gel to bring out the sci-fi aspect. Usually I only get to check out the outfits and hairstyles on set after I’ve already made the nail tips, so I try to work some of the artist’s general style into the nails. Their nails in the “Supernova” music video are a good example. The concept behind it is that they’re superhuman, but I also wanted to emphasize how playful and upbeat the real aespa members are. I wanted to bring out that sort of tomboyish superhuman side of their characters.

In contrast to “Supernova,” which was released first, “Armageddon” is full of striking visuals that are both mystical and grotesque. What was your inspiration for the nail art there?
Woo Sumi: Unlike “Supernova,” the mood of “Armageddon” is totally dark. I naturally gravitate toward dark and grotesque visuals anyway, so I took the images that naturally came to mind and translated those into the nail art. I find the most important thing about nails is that they blend seamlessly with an outfit, so I’m most often referencing the outfits in the proposals I’m given. NINGNING’s proposal made me think of a big, rocky mountain, so I designed her nails for the “Armageddon” teaser images to be reminiscent of boulders and rocks, which turned out to be one of my favorite designs. I styled GISELLE’s nails to represent a witch’s flame, KARINA’s to be a metaphor for water, and WINTER’s to be a metaphor for butterflies. While the teaser images were inspired by nature, I drew inspiration for the nail art for the MY Power version of the concept photos from fashion items I find myself drawn to. I was big into armor at the time, so my idea was, What if I could turn leather armor into nail art? I tried to capture the feeling of the heel of a shoe, too. For WINTER’s nails, I wanted to capture the theme of “Armageddon” directly and took inspiration from aliens and spaceships.

Did you take Japanese trends into account when designing the nail art for the group’s debut Japanese single album, Hot Mess?
Woo Sumi: When you think of Japanese nail art, the iconic gyaru style jumps out, so I wanted to work in as much of the typical image of gyaru-style nails as possible. GISELLE always felt to me like she’s perfectly suited for the gyaru style, so I previously gave her nails a gyaru vibe for the “Supernova” music video. Since I was going for all-out gyaru nails this time, I decided leopard print was 100% GISELLE and got to work. (laughs) And gyaru always brings French manicures to mind, so I gave WINTER white nails, since she tends to suit a softer color palette. For KARINA and NINGNING, I thought it would be cute to add little toys to their nails, so I loaded them up with colorful accessories. When I arrived on set, they were even wearing sandals with tons of shoe charms on them! Sometimes when the nails match that perfectly with the outfits or other accessories, I think, Today’s my lucky day. (laughs)

Is there a difference between the nails you create for album art photoshoots and those you typically work on at Breathnailz?
Woo Sumi: When it comes to making nails for an artist’s album art photos, if they’re not going to perform with them on, I think comfort becomes less of a factor and that they should be the most extravagant, beautiful nails possible—ones that aren’t normally feasible. That’s when I tend to try out techniques I’ve been wanting to explore or more adventurous styles. On the other hand, when it comes to clientele visiting the salon, following the latest trends and meeting their needs become the number-one priorities. Now and then I’ll offer up something I’m itching to do as a suggestion, like embossing that looks like water droplets or waves, and if they give me the okay, I go for it. (laughs) I feel like Korea’s becoming more adventurous where nail art is concerned. More and more, clients will request nail designs that they’ve seen on the artists. I had a client recently who wanted that so I asked them if they’re sure, and they told me it was so they could take some nice pictures while traveling overseas. I was taken aback, but I feel like now clients are looking for more variety, too, and want something that stands out rather than the same designs as everyone else.