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Draft:A2O Entertainment

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A2O Entertainment
Native name
A2O엔터테인먼트
TypeSubsidiary
Industry
  • Music
  • entertainment
  • technology
FoundedMay 3, 2024; 2 years ago (2024-05-03)
FounderLee Soo-man
HeadquartersSingapore

A2O Entertainment Ltd. (Korean: A2O엔터테인먼트; Chinese: A2O娱乐) is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 2024 by Lee Soo-man. It is based and headquartered in Singapore.[1] The company's name is an abbreviation for "alpha to omega", and signifies the company's global fans and artists sticking together from the beginning (alpha) to the end (omega).[2]

History

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2024–2026: Establishment, and debut of A2O May

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In early 2023, Lee Soo-man sold his 14.8% stake in SM Entertainment to Hybe Corporation. As part of the agreement, Lee would be forbidden from working in the South Korean entertainment industry for the next three years.[3] Shortly afterwards, Lee formed the corporate governance management company Blooming Grace.[4] Lee filed the trademark for A2O Entertainment as a subsidiary of Blooming Grace on May 3, 2024.[5]

On October 25, 2024, A2O Entertainment unveiled fifteen trainees split into four groups: A2O HTG,[a] A2O LTG,[b] A2O HTB,[c] and A2O LTB.[d] Lee stated that A2O's music would be in the genre of "Zalpha-pop", which would which would have a target audience of Generation Z and Generation Alpha.[5][6]

The first group to debut under A2O Entertainment was A2O May, composed of five graduating members of A2O HTG. They debuted on December 20, 2024, with the song "Under My Skin", a cover of "Mirotic" by TVXQ released in both English and Chinese.[7][8] During Lee's restriction from working in the South Korean entertainment industry, A2O May promoted in China and the United States.[9][10] The group's singles "Boss" and "Paparazzi Arrive" both charted on Billboard's US Pop Airplay chart.[11][12] After Lee's restriction on work in the South Korean entertainment industry was lifted in 2026, A2O May began to promote on South Korean music shows.[13] They appeared on M Countdown to promote their single "Love Got Me Ooh" on August 6.[14]

2026–present: A2O Lite, A2O Soul

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On October 8, 2026, A2O Entertainment announced that it would be debuting two groups: A2O Lite, a nine-member girl group, and A2O Soul, a fifteen-member boy group.[15] Both groups made their first public appearance on October 12 at the A2O Debut Show, which was hosted at KINTEX. The following day, both groups released their debut digital singles: A2O Lite's "Neon" and A2O Soul's "Superstar".[1][16] "Neon" reached #1 on the Melon Chart within 29 hours of its release, making it one of the fastest songs to do so.[17][18]

At the A2O Debut Show, Lee provided a demonstration for a new technology called 'four-dimensional Gaussian splatting', abbreviated as 4DGS. The technology would produce immersive virtual reality content that would allow three-dimensional scenes to be reconstructed and viewed from different angles. There was also a demonstration of A2O's fan communication service, Blooming Talk, which will allow fans to interact with generative AI chatbot versions of group members.[19]

Artists

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Notes

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  1. ↑ High Teen Girls; female trainees aged 16 or older
  2. ↑ Low Teen Girls; female trainees 15 or younger
  3. ↑ High Teen Boys; male trainees 16 or older
  4. ↑ Low Teen Boys; male trainees 15 or younger

References

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  1. 1 2 Pyo, Kyung-min (October 12, 2026). "SM founder Lee Soo-man returns home with tech-driven double debut". The Korea Times. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  2. ↑ Bernardo, Jaehwa (October 14, 2026). "Meet A2O LITE, A2O SOUL: K-pop 'architect' unveils new groups". ABS-CBN. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  3. ↑ Kim, Jae-heun (June 6, 2024). "SM Founder Lee Soo-man might be returning to K-pop". The Korea Herald. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  4. ↑ Yoo, Hong (October 27, 2024). "SM founder Lee Soo-man is back with A2O Entertainment". The Korea Herald. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Chae, Hye-seon (October 28, 2024). "SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man unveils new agency, A2O Entertainment". JoongAng Daily. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  6. ↑ Oh, Eun-sun; Park, Su-hyeon (October 28, 2024). "Lee Soo-man returns to K-pop with new agency A2O Entertainment". The Chosun Daily. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  7. ↑ Yoon, So-yeon (May 12, 2025). "A2O May becomes first Chinese act to perform at major U.S. music festival". koreajoongangdaily. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  8. ↑ Mao, Moren (February 15, 2025). "K-pop Guru Lee Soo-man Debuts New Group, A2O MAY - RADII". Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  9. ↑ Inoue, Todd (November 6, 2025). "Meet A2O May, the girl group making 'Zalpha Pop' for a global generation". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  10. ↑ Hankookilbo (June 27, 2025). "A2O MAY breaks China's hallyu ban with national music show debut". The Korea Times. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Pop Airplay, Week of July 26, 2025". Billboard.
  12. ↑ "Pop Airplay, Week of December 13, 2025". Billboard.
  13. ↑ OSEN (August 18, 2026). "Lee Soo-man's Chinese Girl Group A2O MAY Arrives in Korea". The Chosun Daily. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  14. ↑ Kim, Dae-eun (August 2, 2026). "한국인 없는 '이수만 걸그룹' A2O MAY, 韓음방 첫 출격" [Lee Soo-man's Girl Group A2O MAY, with no Korean Members, to Make First Appearance on Korean Music Show]. Maeil Business (in Korean). Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  15. ↑ Lee, Seung-hoon (October 8, 2026). "[공식] SM 떠나 A20 설립한 이수만..男·女그룹 12일 동시 데뷔 확정" [[Official] Lee Soo-man, Who Left SM to Establish A2O… Simultaneous Debut of Boy and Girl Groups Confirmed for the 12th]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  16. ↑ Soo-jung, Yoon (October 12, 2026). "Lee Soo-man Returns with New K-pop Groups A2O Soul, A2O Lite". The Chosun Daily. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  17. ↑ Yonhap (October 14, 2026). "Lee Soo-man's new girl group A2O Lite tops Melon chart". The Korea Times. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  18. ↑ Jae-heun, Kim (October 15, 2026). "A2O Lite tops Melon faster than NewJeans". The Korea Herald. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  19. ↑ Shin, Ha-nee (October 14, 2026). "Has Lee Soo-man's cutting-edge tech unlocked a new worry?". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  20. ↑ Lee, Ji-hyun (September 20, 2026). "Sunny Leaves SM and Makes a Surprise Return to Korean Variety Shows After Three Years, Forming 'Cheol-Tak-Sunny' with Lee Seung-chul and Tak Jae-hoon". Sports Chosun. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
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