A2O LITE, Global Fans Also Recall "SM's Golden Era" and Show Interest... Criticism That "They Are Too Young" [K-EYES]

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"Lee Soo-man Creates the SM Sound Outside of SM"... Overseas Fan Reactions to A2O LITE's 'NEON'

A2O LITE, the rookie girl group that former SM Entertainment Chief Producer Lee Soo-man debuted for the first time in Korea after leaving SM, drew attention from overseas K-pop fans as their debut song topped the Melon chart.

A2O LITE's debut track 'NEON' reached No. 1 on the Melon TOP 100 at 11 p.m. on the 14th, approximately 29 hours after its release at 6 p.m. on the 13th. This is the shortest time to reach the top with a debut song since Melon revamped its charts in 2021. It is an overwhelming speed compared to NewJeans' 'Attention,' which took eight days to reach No. 1, and All Day Project's 'FAMOUS,' which took three days. The song also claimed the No. 1 spot on Bugs.

Overseas fans shared chart movements in real time on X (formerly Twitter), watching the process of it reaching No. 1. According to the overseas K-pop chart account 'K-POP Chart' (@kchartsmaster), 'NEON' entered Melon at No. 43 at 11 p.m. on the 13th, then jumped to No. 10 at 9 a.m. and No. 2 at 9 p.m. on the 14th.

The reaction was intense. Overseas fans cheered with comments such as "Lee Soo-man, you are crazy," "I am addicted to Neon. Well done, Grandpa Lee Soo-man," "Wait, I think I really fell for it," and "New Artist of the Year is a sure thing." A post by a Japanese fan introduced on the Taiwanese K-pop site K-POPdays read, "A2O LITE is too monstrous. They just hit No. 1 on Melon's real-time chart."

In particular, many reactions evoked the "SM Golden Era." On the online community Reddit, posts included "Lee Soo-man has literally created an SM group outside of SM," "It sounds more like old-school SM than recent SM releases," and "It is good to listen to Yoo Young-jin's new music again. Those harmonies!" Users left opinions that it reminded them of f(x), Girls' Generation, and SHINee, praising the vocals, high notes, and harmonies.

Reactions continued on the overseas K-pop community AllKPop Forum as well, with comments such as "The chorus won't leave my head. It sounds like SM from 2010 to 2013" and "I hope this success brings back real songs, long tracks, and bridges." 'NEON,' which is three minutes and 28 seconds long and features a dance break, high notes, and a cappella harmonies, is evaluated as different in character from recent K-pop, where short challenge-oriented songs are mainstream.

There are also cynical views. Harsh criticism included "It is just a song that repeats 'Neon Neon Neon,' yet it is overrated because Lee Soo-man made it," while another forecast stated, "With his wide industry connections, it will do well in Korea, but it will not gain much popularity overseas."

There were also many voices expressing concern about the members' ages. A2O LITE consists of nine members from South Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, and the United States, with an average age of 15 and three youngest members who are 13 years old. One Reddit user expressed the opinion that the debut timing should have been delayed because the members are too young. On X as well, reactions such as "Looking at their ages... oh no" emerged.

'NEON' was produced by Yoo Young-jin, who had collaborated with Lee Soo-man during his time at SM. A2O LITE took the stage for its first music show appearance on Mnet's 'M Countdown' on the 15th, alongside A2O SOUL, a 15-member boy group that debuted on the same day.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original