[Edaily Starin KIM HYUNSIK Reporter] "A shock in and of itself."

Just as the lyrics of their debut song suggest, they’ve been shaking up the music industry since their debut. A2O LITE, a rookie girl group produced by Lee Soo-man—founder of SM Entertainment (SM) and known as the “Godfather of K-pop”—is taking the domestic music charts by storm.
According to music industry sources on the 16th, “NEON,” released by A2O LITE at 6:00 p.m. on the 13th, reached No. 1 on Melon’s Top 100 chart by 11:00 p.m. on the 14th. It easily surpassed existing hits such as IZ*ONE’s Soyeon’s “I’m Quitting” and Lisanne’s “LOVE ATTACK.”
This achievement came just 29 hours after the track’s release. It marks the fastest time a rookie group’s debut song has reached the top of the Melon Top 100 chart since the chart’s introduction in 2021.
A2O Light is a girl group produced by A2O Entertainment, a company newly established by Lee Soo-man—a producer and former singer—after he left SM. The group consists of nine members: Young, A-Yoon, and Bora (all from South Korea); Himeki (Japan); Siri, Merci, and Ai-Ching (all from China); Rada (Thailand); and Oa (U.S. and Japan).
Previously, Lee Soo-man agreed not to engage in music production activities in South Korea for three years when he sold SM’s shares to HYBE in 2023. Since the non-compete agreement expired last February, A2O Light has garnered attention even before its debut as the group Lee Soo-man unveiled to mark his return to the domestic K-pop market.
A2O Light’s debut song, “Neon,” is a pop track that blends a heavy bassline with an intense beat. It conveys the group’s ambition to strive for greater heights rather than rest on their current success. The repeated lyric “Neon and Beyond” creates an addictive quality. Another distinctive feature is the use of layered choruses and a cappella sections to add richness to the track.

Recently, the K-pop scene has seen a succession of “easy-listening” tracks featuring short songs under three minutes and catchy melodies. There has also been a noticeable trend toward emphasizing “highlight choreography” that works well on short-form platforms, which have become key promotional channels.
In contrast, A2O Light has sought to differentiate itself with a 3-minute-28-second track featuring an intense sound and a rich chorus. Their performance also places greater emphasis on intricate group choreography rather than highlight moves tailored for short-form platforms. They are garnering a positive response by showcasing so-called “precise group choreography,” where the movements of all nine members are perfectly synchronized.
Pop music critic Hwang Seon-up told Edaily, “In a landscape where the adoption of Western trends, choreography designed for short-form platforms, shorter song lengths, and easy-listening music have become almost formulaic, it seems that quite a few people are welcoming the arrival of ‘A2O Light,’ which slightly deviates from that trajectory.”
◇Collaboration with Yoo Young-jin… Revival of the SMP Style
Hit producer Yoo Young-jin, who followed Lee Soo-man from SM to A2O Entertainment, participated in writing the lyrics and composing the music for “Neon.” During his time at SM, Yoo Young-jin contributed to the production of hit songs for popular artists spanning multiple generations, including H.O.T., S.E.S., Shinhwa, BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, SHINee, EXO, NCT, and aespa. Consequently, “Neon” is drawing reactions that it evokes the SMP (SM Music Performance) style once showcased by SM’s artists.
A2O Light’s music video and stage performances are generating significant buzz online, and derivative content—such as reaction videos and dance covers—is also appearing in rapid succession.

Critic Hwang stated, “In particular, this long-awaited return to the SMP style—driven by intense sound and layered choruses—revives the unique aesthetics of K-pop that had faded for a while following Lee Soo-man’s departure from SM,” adding, “This is why those who have followed K-pop for a long time sense what is known as the ‘essence of K-pop.’”
He continued, “Their fierce performances, which allow for not even the slightest error or lapse in focus, rekindle the meticulousness and tenacity that have recently faded somewhat in K-pop,” and “A2O Light’s presence stands out even more because it serves as a fresh reminder of what thorough synchronization, perfection, and—by extension—‘skill’ and ‘performance’ truly mean, qualities that were once considered core virtues of K-pop,” he assessed.
A2O Light also topped the new song chart on QQ Music, China’s largest music streaming platform, with “Neon.” The music video also garnered attention by reaching No. 1 on YouTube’s “Trending in Korea” list shortly after its release.
The key challenge moving forward is turning this initial buzz into sustained popularity. It remains to be seen whether the positive response—driven by a sense of nostalgia for SM’s classic musical style—will extend beyond a temporary phenomenon and translate into continued interest in their follow-up tracks and activities.

Shortly after their debut, a controversy arose involving the mother of Chinese member Ai Zhing. It was revealed that Ai Zhing’s mother—who had garnered attention as the “Little BoA”—had been embroiled in debt disputes, including unpaid employee wages, related to an education business she previously operated.
In response, Ai-Ching’s mother issued an apology via her social media accounts and stated that she is discussing solutions with the affected parties. She also emphasized that Ai-Ching has no connection to the dispute. It remains to be seen whether this matter will be resolved amicably or if additional allegations will emerge, causing the controversy to escalate.
Meanwhile, Lee Soo-man also unveiled the 15-member boy group A2O SOUL alongside A2O Light. “SUPERSTAR,” released by A2O SOUL on the 13th, has also garnered attention on international music charts, reaching No. 3 on China’s QQ Music New Songs Chart.