Posing the central question of what sets his approach apart, executive producer Lee Soo-man has unveiled a new generation of rookie music groups. Having worked in the K-pop industry over an extended period, he sought answers to questions he continuously asked throughout his career. He has now organically embedded those solutions into new male and female acts.
The producer began by pursuing differentiation through technology, moving beyond conventional still photographs and traditional video formats. He introduced techniques that allow fans to experience and view artists from any desired angle or perspective, breaking free from fixed camera placements and designated positions.
Beyond visual delivery, the project strives for musical innovation, grounded in the belief that the core essence of a singer ultimately lies within music. The agency introduced genres previously unheard in existing K-pop releases. The goal is to present a fresh directional trend to the broader music market.
A2O Entertainment hosted the showcase event titled 'Welcome to Soullight from A2O SOUL A2O LITE' on the 12th at KINTEX Exhibition Center 2 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The company used the occasion to formally introduce its new rookie group projects to the public for the first time.
Expanding Fan Experiences Through Culture Technology
Key Producer Lee Soo-man opened the event by outlining the company's core operational vision. The central focus rests on 'Culture Technology,' which emphasizes merging rapidly advancing tech solutions, such as artificial intelligence, into creative content to build novel fan experiences.
A prominent technological feature showcased was '4DGS' (4D Gaussian Splatting). This system records an artist's movements as digital data across both time and diverse spatial perspectives. A2O Entertainment plans to leverage this technology to deliver remarkably vivid content, including immersive music videos, directly to consumers.
Lee Soo-man has long experimented with combining technological advancements with creative entertainment content. Reflecting on his past work, he recalled using hundreds of cameras in music videos for SM Entertainment acts such as Girls' Generation, SHINee, and TVXQ! to capture members looking as if they were frozen mid-air from various angles.
He added that Gaussian Splatting advances that foundational concept even further. According to the producer, viewers can observe space and everything inside it from whatever position or angle they choose. He defined the system as a camera that creates rather than a camera that merely records changes.
The company also integrated extended reality (XR) technology into its presentation through a collaboration with Samsung Electronics designed to establish a new viewing experience. Lee explained that fans can step directly into the physical space occupied by the artists, observing them from any location or viewpoint they desire.
These technological implementations extend directly into interactive two-way communication channels. Fans will be able to engage in video conversations with artists via dedicated communication applications. The company has also designed live interactive talk shows where multiple fans and artists can communicate in real time.
The Shared Universe of ACE
During the showcase, the agency officially introduced its latest artist roster. Adding to the five-member girl group A2O MAY, which debuted in 2024, the agency unveiled two additional acts: the 15-member boy group A2O SOUL and the 9-member girl group A2O LITE.
Both newly announced groups consist of members holding various nationalities, including South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, and the United States, alongside mixed-race members. The average age across the teams spans the mid-to-late teens.
All three groups share a unified narrative concept designated as 'ACE' (A2O Cosmic Epic). The background setting is a vast cosmos equipped with everything imaginable. At its center lies 'Soullight,' a planet where feelings of love, excitement, and the core sensation of being alive are gradually fading away.
The artists undertake a narrative journey on this planet to recover the disappearing souls. They plan to unfold this fictional narrative through their music releases and stage performances. While each group draws its own story, they collectively complete a single overarching universe.
Members across the teams are not strictly confined to fixed group lineups. Instead, they will actively pursue unit releases, solo endeavors, and various project activities. Depending on which members assemble and what music they present, the central storyline of their universe will expand in varied and colorful directions.
A2O LITE Makes Its Stage Debut
The showcase event featured live debut performances by the new rookie groups, starting with a joint performance that set a strong atmosphere. Dancers from each group, including members A-jing and Siri from A2O LITE, took the stage to demonstrate their skills in specialized dance styles such as popping and locking.
Following the joint stage, A2O LITE performed as a full group. Their narrative portrays a process where the individual emotions and distinct colors of young girls unite to move forward as a single beam of light. Their debut track 'NEON' signals the start of that journey.
The song expresses bold ambition to press forward toward their dreams and beyond. The group notably placed their signature genre, 'Zalpha Pop,' at the forefront of their identity. The track features futuristic electronic sounds reminiscent of science fiction films paired with an addictive melody.
The members appeared on stage wearing white outfits reminiscent of spacesuits, captivating the audience from the start with an intense dance break. Despite the repetitive electronic audio elements, the stage performance remained engaging throughout.
The group delivered sharp, synchronized group choreography without pause. The performance featured sharp angles formed by their arms and wrists alongside dynamic spatial formation shifts. Their confident stage demeanor combined harmoniously with detailed choreography to elevate the overall quality of the performance.
A2O SOUL Presents New Synthwave
A2O SOUL's narrative depicts a journey to find lost souls after leaving the planet 'Soullight' and arriving on Earth. The souls they seek represent essential human emotions that make people feel truly alive, including happiness, love, excitement, and passion.
Their debut track is titled 'SUPERSTAR.' The song introduces a fresh genre termed 'New Synthwave,' characterized by prominent synthesizer sounds. The lyrics express longing and a sense of yearning directed toward a superstar.
An affectionate and emotional atmosphere flows through the entire track, blending a dreamlike melody with poignant vocal deliveries. This establishes a clear musical contrast with the futuristic electronic sound identity presented by A2O LITE.
In their performance, the group fully utilized the inherent strengths of a large-member ensemble. By altering which members took the stage during specific song parts, they showcased varied stage routes and complex choreography. As the track progressed toward its climax, the members escalated their vocal and performance intensity, establishing a distinct narrative structure.
Both A2O SOUL and A2O LITE are scheduled to release their debut singles across major digital music platforms on October 13 at 6:00 PM KST, as reported by Dispatch.
0 Comments
This space aims to broaden the debate on the subject addressed in the news, democratically and respectfully. Comments that violate laws and ethical and moral principles or that promote illegal or criminal activities will not be accepted. Therefore, slanderous, defamatory, prejudiced, offensive, aggressive comments, those that use foul language, incite violence, express hate speech or contain links will be summarily deleted.