“Precision group choreography·confidence, the thrill of meeting again”···The secret behind the ‘NEON’ whirlwind of A2O Lite - 경향신문

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A2O Lite members Siri (left) and Ai-jjing, who became known through the ‘Unmarried and non-marriage’ meme. YouTube screenshot

An AI ‘Unmarried and non-marriage’ challenge video of producer Yoo Young-jin (left) and Lee Soo-man that Sunny of Girls Generation posted on her Instagram. Instagram screenshot

Released on the 13th, the debut single ‘NEON’ by the group A2O Lite(A2O Lite) is sweeping the pop market. Within 29 hours of release, it reached No. 1 on Melon Top 100, the country's largest music platform, and, without a physical album, it lifted a music-show trophy seven days after debut. Social media is overflowing with parody videos using the music and choreography of ‘NEON’, leading to talk of an ‘Etura’ (short for A2O Lite) syndrome. Some analyses add that producer Lee Soo-man's long-held conviction has proven effective.

A2O Lite is the first domestic girl group introduced by A2O(A2O) Entertainment, where SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man serves as key producer. The nine members have an average age of 14.9, which is young even among recently debuting girl groups. A2O Entertainment described ‘NEON’ as a song in a new ‘Zalpha-pop’ genre (a term referring to Generation Z and Generation Alpha).

A2O Lite earned praise by delivering music and performance that faithfully re-create earlier K-pop conventions, offering fans an “old yet fresh” appeal. On top of that, the dance and lyrics of ‘NEON’ went viral as a meme (online trending content), taking over people's algorithms and amplifying its popularity.

What propelled ‘NEON’ was the ‘unmarried and non-marriage’ meme that spread online. The opening line repeated from the start, “Neon and Beyond,” was deemed addictive, and a meme caught on that it sounds like ‘unmarried and non-marriage’. Alongside this, social media saw a flood of AI-composited parody clips of members Siri and Ai-jjing performing the opening choreography. Videos appeared of well-known figures such as Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, as well as drama characters and pets, dancing. Sunny, who belongs to A2O Entertainment, also posted to her social media an AI-composited clip showing Lee Soo-man and producer Yoo Young-jin doing the routine.

The group A2O Lite appeared on SBS Inkigayo on the 26th. Courtesy of A2O Entertainment

‘NEON’ stands well apart from the K-pop formulas that have dominated the scene recently. Most K-pop hits lately run around two minutes and highlight easy chorus moves optimized for short-form challenges. At 3 minutes 28 seconds, ‘NEON’ restores a variety of devices that two-minute tracks often skipped, including a highlight section and a dance break. The choreography is also quite demanding. Jay Black, the choreographer who created the opening routine of ‘NEON’, said, “I was asked to raise the difficulty of the choreography,” adding, “It was highly unusual.”

The group's concept also stands out. Since the 2022 debut of NewJeans, many acts have emphasized the individuality of each member and used everyday clothes as stage outfits, favoring a natural concept. A2O Lite chose the opposite, opting for razor-precise group formations that suggest enormous practice and a deliberately cybernetic concept. Choreographer Gabee, analyzing the dancing of A2O Lite, said it “shows the moves cleanly with no extraneous motion,” calling it “a rediscovered thrill.” Some say this matches the “girl-group ‘thesis-antithesis-synthesis’” formula cited by Min Hee-jin, head of OK Records and producer of NewJeans.

The girl group A2O Lite presents its stage for A2O Entertainment's global idol group debut show ‘WELCOME TO SOULITE From A2O SOUL A2O LITE’ at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the 12th. Yonhap News

Some responses say this music and concept recall groups once under SM Entertainment. The futurist concept has prompted comparisons to S.E.S and f(x). There were also comments that members resemble BoA, Sulli, and Krystal. Online, comments like “It was not SM that matched my taste, it was Lee Soo-man” kept appearing. In short, the music and performance of A2O Lite have stirred nostalgia for SM-style idol production of earlier days.

Pop music critic Kim Do-heon interprets A2O Lite's success as the return of a Lee Soo-man style of production, assessing that “Producer Lee Soo-man has not changed at all from the futurist concept and production methods he has upheld since the past, so it can be seen as a kind of return to the past.” He added, “The return of elements such as precision group choreography and a confident stance, which were reasons the public first came to like K-pop, seems to have satisfied public desire.”

Kim said, “What Lee Soo-man chose was to persuade the public by transforming what is familiar,” and continued, “It appears that adding choreography by Jay Black, who has relatively little experience creating K-pop routines, and collaborating with director Melt Mirror, who also produced music videos for Silica Gel, contributed a new mood.”

In 2023, Lee Soo-man sold his SM Entertainment shares to HYBE and entered into a non-compete agreement in Korea. After roughly three years focusing on management overseas, including China, he unveiled the China-based global girl group A2O MAY in 2024.

However, the 15-member boy group A2O Soul(A2O Soul), which debuted on the same day as A2O Lite, is seeing comparatively weaker traction. As A2O Entertainment has signaled that it will present its artists in various groups, there is interest in whether the success of A2O Lite may later carry over to boy-group popularity through moves such as launching a coed group.

Lee Soo-man, key producer at A2O Entertainment, delivers remarks at A2O Entertainment's global idol group debut show ‘WELCOME TO SOULITE From A2O SOUL A2O LITE’ at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the 12th. Yonhap News