Return After 3 Years With Unprecedented Record: Will the Original K-Pop Pioneer Reshapes the Landscape?

[Anchor]

Producer Lee Soo-man, often called the "pioneer of K-pop," has returned to the domestic scene after three years. The rookie girl group introduced by producer Lee has topped domestic music charts immediately upon debut.

Reporter Kim Gyeong-hui has the details.

[Reporter]

[♬ NEON / A2O LITE]

This is "Neon," the debut song of A2O LITE, a multinational 9-member rookie girl group.

It climbed to No. 1 on Melon's Top 100 chart just 29 hours after release, an extremely unusual and lightning-fast record for a rookie group's debut track.

This song also marks producer Lee Soo-man's domestic comeback project, three years after leaving SM Entertainment.

Previously, producer Lee agreed not to produce music domestically for three years when he sold his SM shares to HYBE.

[Lee Soo-man / Key Producer at A2O Entertainment: What could be different from the past yet still win new love? I have thought deeply about that, searched for it, and tested it.]

Experts note that the success was driven by a combination of public interest in Lee himself, the maximization of original K-pop charms such as a cappella harmonies and flawless synchronized choreography, and the casting of familiar faces reminiscent of BoA or S.E.S.'s Eugene.

[Lim Jin-mo / Music Critic: There is a Zalpha generation feel to it. They didn't miss that, while simultaneously returning slightly to the music of the past SMP (SM Music Performance) era.]

With an average age of just 15—including three 13-year-old members, making them one of the youngest K-pop groups—their ability to pull off intense vocals and choreography close to the limit is also cited as a key factor boosting attention among teens and those in their 20s.

[Mimyo / Music Critic: The way they use the members' voices in harmonies... it's pushed to a level where you think, 'No matter how I think about it, this sounds more like an instrument than a human voice.' That is impressive.]

[Lim Hee-yoon / Music Critic: Right now, it seems driven largely by buzz, but it is clearly content that condenses the charm of K-pop. While we need to keep an eye on things a bit longer, I think they will be able to sustain a certain level of popularity.]

All eyes are on whether the original K-pop commander, who has successfully grabbed the public's attention, can overcome a hiatus of three years and shake up the K-pop landscape.

(Video Editing: Kim Yoon-sung, VJ: Oh Se-kwan, Design: Cho Su-in, Video Source: Mnet M2, A2O Entertainment)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.