The singer & rapper talks about her solo headlining performance at Waterbomb Festival and stepping into the spotlight as a global model for Sprite.
The singer’s answer seems to sum up the duality of Karina perfectly: at once carefree and cautious, eager to let loose onstage and perform for her fans, but always in total control of her vocals, choreography and — on this day — her job as a global model for Sprite.
Indeed, the singer’s Waterbomb set is peppered with Sprite shout-outs, from Karina taking a big sip of the brand’s new Sprite Zero With Tea release, to performing her songs against a giant green background.
After her set, she’ll head to the Sprite side stage (in a branded green tank top) where she’ll dutifully answer pre-approved questions about her favorite drink flavor (the Sprite Zero With Tea, of course) and pose for photos under a giant blow-up can of the lemon-lime soda.
The Sprite reps can take a breather. This girl always delivers.
Waterbomb was only the singer’s “second solo stage,” as she explains, and Karina says she’s eager to showcase more of what she can do on her own, though she knows it will take time to find her individual sound apart from the group (for what it’s worth, the medley of aespa songs that she performed on stage at Waterbomb drew some of the loudest cheers of her set, and she would reunite with her group mates days later at Lollapalooza 2026).
She’s also been busy on aespa’s SYNK : COMPLæXITY trek, the group’s fourth world tour, while fulfilling her brand partnership obligations with everyone from Sprite and Prada, to Converse and Chanel.
As the face of the the former’s “It’s That Fresh” campaign, Karina joins Spanish singer Omar Montes to promote Sprite’s commitment to championing music and community, while celebrating “fresh takes, street culture and authentic self-expression,” per a release.
Go anywhere in Seoul and you’re bound to see billboards of the singer with a can of Sprite in hand (though she sheepishly admits that coffee is her go-to drink these days: “I can’t eat a lot before a performance, but honestly, I drink a lot of iced coffee,” she says).
Despite her busy schedule, the artist says she’s been enjoying some downtime too, catching up on books (“I’m reading ‘The Alchemist’ in Korean,” she shares), relaxing with a face mask, and keeping a notepad-style journal to record her thoughts.
What kinds of things does she write down? “I write down favorite lines from my books and memories from my travels,” she says. “And I’m always writing lyrics.”.
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While Karina can’t share too much about what she’s working on, she says she’s always excited to travel and tour to “see the fans.” It’s a sentiment shared by Sprite, who tapped Karina as a brand ambassador back in 2025, and calls her one of the “most culturally resonant voices in the world.”.
More than 2,000 people have purchased this in the last month, per Amazon.
As Vlad explains, “If I could summarize the Sprite brand for you in one sentence, we refer to it as ‘ultimate refreshment with cultural edge.'”.
Why sponsor Waterbomb? “We always say that for Sprite live experiences, refreshment has to be tasted, seen, felt and heard,” she says.
Back at the festival, Karina is approaching the end of her set when she finally steps behind the massive yellow water canons on stage, which performers ranging from Kiss of Life to Shownu and Hyungwon from Monsta X have been using to soak the crowd throughout the three-day outdoor event.
The cameras zoom in on the K-pop superstar as she smiles and waves goodbye. Her hair is now a little wetter, yet still perfectly in place, and her outfit has held up to her energetic stage performance, which saw her dancing, jumping and even running into the crowd at one point.
As Karina’s face is beamed onto the big screen, you can’t help but feel caught up in the same excitement she had gushed about just before she stepped foot on that stage.
And there’s one more thing you notice.
With the sun beginning to set, sweaty fans raucously chanting her name, and droplets of water still hanging in the air, the singer is literally glowing. And her makeup is perfectly in place.
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Informação baseada em material público de Billboard, reescrito pela redação ULTRA NOTÍCIAS.
