Since mid-October, there has hardly been any other topic in the K-Pop scene than A2O. We are talking about the two idol groups A2O LITE and A2O SOUL, produced by K-Pop legend Lee Soo Man, the founder of SM Entertainment. Fans are raving that the “SM sound” is back, but they also criticize that the members’ average age is very low. Did you miss the hype? We explain everything so you can join the conversation!
Since yesterday, you can pre-order A2O SOUL’s debut album “SUPERSTAR” in our shop. It will be released as soon as November 10, so it’s high time to learn more about the boy group!
There are two photobook versions called “SOUL” and “CONSTELLATION”, each containing a photobook, a paper mobile, a lyrics paper, a CD and 3 photocards. They include a little bit of everything, making them the perfect starter pack for your collection. The “CARABINER” version is a bit more special: besides 5 photocards, it also contains an individually designed carabiner and a name tag. On top of that, there is a QR card and a credits paper.
LEE SOO MAN & A2O ENTERTAINMENT
When it comes to A2O, the return of Lee Soo Man is the center of attention. But why was he gone in the first place?
In 2023, Lee Soo Man sold his shares to HYBE and signed a contract in which he agreed not to produce any music in South Korea for three years. He then founded A2O Entertainment in Singapore and debuted a girl group called A2O May as early as 2024. The group mainly targets fans in China and the USA and stormed numerous charts there with its single “Love Got Me Ooh”.
The name A2O (“Alpha to Omega”) stands for an ongoing creative process with no fixed beginning or end.
When the contract period expired in February 2026, Lee Soo Man immediately started working on his comeback. In April, the so-called “A2O Zalpha Audition” began, open to all nationalities and genders.
On October 12, Lee Soo Man made his first public appearance in Korea in over two years at the debut show “Welcome to Soulite From A2O SOUL A2O LITE”. He introduced the two new groups and presented his vision for A2O. Besides the music, which he has been calling “Zalpha-Pop” since 2024, he is above all focused on the new camera technology called 4DGS, which was developed together with Samsung Electronics.
A2O SOUL & A2O LITE
Both groups exist in the same fictional universe, “A2O Cosmic Epic”, which is set on the equally fictional planet “Soulite”. Still, each of them has its own identity. The concept is reminiscent of SM Entertainment’s KWANGYA universe, which was also created by Lee Soo Man.
At the debut show on October 12, the girl group A2O LITE performed its first single “NEON” and the boy group A2O SOUL performed “SUPERSTAR”, the title track of its debut album of the same name, which will be released on November 10.
A2O SOUL is a boy group with 15 members from Korea, China, Japan, Thailand and the USA.
Members: Alure, Ayden, Gaku, Hansung, June, Lucien, Moon, See-One, Seoha, Sono, Sora, Tai, Teo, Zai & Zet.
The pre-release single “SUPERSTAR” was released on YouTube on October 13 and is considered “New Synthwave”, shaped by delicate melodies and synthesizer sounds.
After just one day, the music video for “SUPERSTAR” reached one million views and No. 18 on the YouTube trending music charts!
A2O LITE is a girl group with 9 members from Korea, China, Japan, Thailand and the USA.
Members: Young, Oa, Ayune, Aijing, Himeki, Rada, Xili, Vora & Merci
On October 13, the girl group released its first single “NEON” together with a music video on YouTube. The song is shaped by heavy bass sounds and an intense sound and is considered an example of the “Zalpha-Pop” brand.
A2O LITE’s success is even bigger than A2O SOUL’s. “NEON” topped the Melon Top 100 chart after about 29 hours, and the accompanying music video was viewed around 3.7 million times on the first day!
Beyond the charts, interest in the two idol groups is also huge:
According to anonymous insiders, they are said to have received over 50 advertising requests in just one day. Fans especially praise the nostalgic SM sound and are already comparing the young talents to SM stars such as Girls’ Generation, f(x) or BoA. The vocals, harmonies and elaborate choreographies are also well received!
DEBUT AT 13: THE AGE DEBATE
Of course, where there is praise, criticism is never far away – and rightly so. Fans criticize that the members are far too young, as the average age is just 15. The members of A2O SOUL are 14-19 years old, those of A2O LITE only 13-17.
We have looked into this topic several times and recently found that the number of idols younger than 16 has increased sharply. And this trend continues. Between 2000 and 2024, we counted a total of about 7 K-Pop idols who debuted at the age of 13. A2O LITE brings together three 13-year-olds in a single group.
On top of that, idol groups used to have only one or two members under 16, if any at all, which already sparked discussions back then. And although the topic is far from new and 14- or 15-year-old idols now debut almost regularly, it is striking that two thirds of A2O LITE’s members are younger than 16.
By the way, the record for the youngest idol is still held by Seo Ha of Queenz Eye. She debuted less than 2 months after her 13th birthday. The youngest member of A2O is Aijing. She is just 13 years and 5 months old.
Find out more about the youngest idols here!
Even before A2O LITE’s debut, fans announced that they would not support the group and once again raised the question of whether such young children are really ready for the intense training, all the schedules and the public pressure. After the debut, 13-year-old Oa sparked further discussion with a very short dress.
Despite recurring criticism, there is no legal minimum age for a debut in South Korea. Those under 15 may work a maximum of 35 hours per week and not between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. However, these rules do not apply to pre-debut training.
THE 2ND CONTROVERSY: AI VERSIONS OF A2O
At the debut show on October 12, there was a phone service where fans could interact with AI versions of the A2O members via voice or video call. To create the digital avatars, the members’ appearance and voices were fed into AI software, whereupon netizens accused A2O Entertainment of exploiting minors. Some even suspect that AI was also used for the music.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR A2O?
With the debut album “SUPERSTAR”, the next important step is already coming up for A2O SOUL. Things will surely get exciting for A2O LITE soon too after the success of “NEON”. It remains to be seen how A2O Entertainment will respond to the ongoing criticism.
We are also curious to see how Lee Soo Man will develop his vision of “Zalpha-Pop” and what role new technologies like “4DGS” will play in it.
Will you keep an eye on A2O?
Any questions? The most important A2O terms at a glance:
Zalpha-Pop
“Zalpha-Pop” is more of a brand than a fixed musical genre. The term combines Gen Z and Gen Alpha and is meant to describe the music of a young generation that grew up digital. “NEON” by A2O LITE is considered an example of “Zalpha-Pop”.
4DGS
“4DGS” is short for “4D Gaussian Splatting” (4DGS) and refers to a technique in which many cameras film a performance simultaneously from different angles. Thanks to the data, a three-dimensional representation can be assembled, making it possible to create new camera movements even after filming. According to reports, this technique has already been used in the music videos “NEON” by A2O LITE and A2O SOUL.
Sources: A2O social media channels, A2O Entertainment, Korea Herald, Korea JoongAng Daily, Korea Times, SBS News, StarNews Korea, Harper’s Bazaar Korea
