Before she became K-pop's trilingual powerhouse, Uchinaga Aeri was a student at International School of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo—the same prestigious institution attended by NiziU's Rima. Born in Seoul's Gangnam district to a Korean mother and Japanese father, she grew up in Tokyo's Setagaya ward, attending American international schools where English became her first language. It was during her sophomore year of high school that she discovered K-pop, and with it, a new ambition.1

Unlike her future groupmates—Karina was scouted via Instagram DM, Winter was approached at a dance festival, Ningning was contacted after Chinese talent show appearances—Giselle took the most traditional route: SM Entertainment's infamous Saturday Open Audition. "I came to Korea the next day after graduation," she revealed on Dex's Fridge Interview in November 2023. "I just kept doing the audition. At the time, I was so determined."2

She failed three times before passing on her fourth attempt—a persistence that placed her in legendary company. Over more than two decades, only eight artists have debuted through SM's Saturday Open Audition: Super Junior's Heechul, Girls' Generation's YoonA, SHINee's Taemin, Red Velvet's Seulgi and Yeri, NCT's Jungwoo and Haechan, and now Giselle. When asked which song she auditioned with, she revealed: NCT 127's "Cherry Bomb"—specifically, Mark's rap parts. "I wanted to audition through rapping," she explained on SBS Power FM, "and I wanted to choose a song from SM."3

Giselle's trainee period—approximately 11 months beginning in December 2019—was the shortest among all female SM Entertainment artists at the time of her debut. Within just three to four months of joining the company, she was added to aespa's debut lineup. On October 30, 2020—her 20th birthday—SM Entertainment revealed her as the group's fourth and final member through a video shown during a press conference with founder Lee Soo-man.4

The group debuted on November 17, 2020, with "Black Mamba," which achieved 21.4 million views in 24 hours—setting the record for the most-viewed debut music video by a K-pop group. As aespa's main rapper and sub-vocalist, Giselle brought a distinctive element: her warm, husky vocal tone contrasted sharply with the brighter voices of her groupmates, while her trilingual fluency (Japanese, English, Korean) allowed the group to communicate seamlessly with international media and fans.5

Giselle's creative contributions extended beyond performance from early in her career. In December 2021, she co-wrote the lyrics for "Zoo," a collaborative track with NCT's Taeyong, Jeno, Hendery, and WayV's Yangyang for the 2021 Winter SMTOWN: SMCU Express album. The hip-hop track showcased her rap versatility alongside SM's top male rappers and marked her first official songwriting credit.6

Her solo artistry emerged during aespa's concert tours. At the group's first concert, SYNK: Hyper Line, in February 2023, Giselle performed "2HOT4U"—a hip-hop track she co-composed that matched her signature confident persona. "The song is one I participated in composing," she told fans. At their second tour, SYNK: Parallel Line, in June 2024, she debuted another solo song, "Dopamine," an R&B-tinged track that demonstrated her evolving musical range.7

Official collaborations followed. In June 2024, she featured on BOL4's summer single "Lips"—her first official featuring credit, where she contributed both rap and lyrics. In November 2024, she collaborated with rapper HAON on "Skrr," co-writing lyrics and appearing in the promotional materials. The track was later deemed unsuitable for KBS broadcast due to brand name mentions in the lyrics—a testament to its unfiltered, authentic approach.8

On March 1, 2024, Spanish luxury house LOEWE announced Giselle as their brand ambassador during Paris Fashion Week. She made her debut at the brand's Fall-Winter Pre-Collection Show, wearing a striking jacket adorned with large ribbon detailing. She posed alongside creative director Jonathan Anderson and sat in the front row next to Pharrell Williams, Emilia Clarke, and Meg Ryan—a statement of fashion industry arrival.9

"I've always admired LOEWE's innovative approach to craftsmanship," Giselle said upon the announcement. She subsequently attended the Casa LOEWE Seoul opening in July 2024, wearing pieces from the Fall/Winter runway collection. With all four aespa members now representing major global fashion houses—Karina with Prada, Winter with Polo Ralph Lauren, Ningning with Versace—the group has cemented its status as fashion icons of the fourth generation.10

As part of aespa, Giselle has been central to some of K-pop's most significant achievements. "Next Level" (May 2021) became the group's first top-two hit in South Korea and earned the daesang for Song of the Year at the 19th Korean Music Awards—making aespa only the second girl group to receive the honor. Their debut EP Savage (October 2021) achieved a "perfect all-kill" on Korean charts and debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200—the highest-charting debut album by a K-pop girl group at the time.11

In 2024, aespa's first studio album Armageddon was led by "Supernova," which topped Korea's Circle Digital Chart for eleven consecutive weeks—earning Song of the Year at both the 2024 MAMA Awards and Melon Music Awards. Their fifth EP Whiplash made aespa the first K-pop girl group with six consecutive albums in the Billboard 200's top 50, while the title track reached number eight on the Billboard Global 200—the group's first top-ten entry on the main global chart.12

Beyond music and fashion, Giselle has demonstrated a commitment to animal welfare. In June 2022, the non-profit organization Yuhengsa revealed that they had received an anonymous donation of 10 million won (approximately $8,000 USD). When the organization discovered the donor was Giselle, they posted publicly: "We heard that Giselle, who was interested in the issue of abandoned animals, always kept an eye on Yuhengsa, and that's why she sent us such a large donation."13

In interviews, Giselle has spoken candidly about her artistic aspirations. "I wanted to be an actor and also a fashion designer," she told Knowing Bros in October 2021. "Then one day I suddenly had the thought that I wanted to be a singer." She cites Ariana Grande, Stevie Wonder, and Blink-182 among her primary musical influences, and has expressed a desire to explore R&B and rock ballads to complement her rap-focused discography. As aespa continues to break records and redefine fourth-generation K-pop, Giselle remains the group's linguistic bridge and creative force—a performer whose unconventional path through SM's legendary audition system continues to inspire aspiring artists worldwide.14