[TF Focus] The 'Familiarity within Novelty' in A2O SOUL·LITE's Music

While the images emphasize new technology and differentiation, the music pursues familiarity.SOUL's vocals and LITE's performances clearly show 'K-pop grammar.'SM Entertainment's key producer Lee Soo-man attended the debut show 'WELCOME TO SOULITE' for A2O SOUL and A2O LITE at KINTEX in Ilsan on the 12th and gave a presentation. /Reporter Kim Sung-ryeol[THE FACT|Reporter Choi Hyun-jung] A2O SOUL and A2O LITE, which are promoting 'newness' and 'difference,' are pursuing 'familiarity' in their music, drawing attention to the results.SM Entertainment's key producer Lee Soo-man declared the official domestic launch of A2O SOUL and A2O LITE at their debut show 'WELCOME TO SOULITE' held on the 12th at Hall 9, Exhibition Center 2, KINTEX, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.At this debut show, the 'newness' and 'difference' that producer Lee Soo-man highlighted as characteristics of SM Entertainment were evident. The format of a 'debut show' itself was different from typical group debuts.'WELCOME TO SOULITE' proceeded with a presentation by producer Lee Soo-man, followed by stage performances by A2O SOUL and A2O LITE. During this process, specific member introductions and song explanations were omitted.This approach differs from typical media showcases, which include photo opportunities, stage performances, music video and song introductions, and Q&A sessions to promote new songs as much as possible.Furthermore, unlike the unwritten rule among artists from the same company to avoid overlapping promotions, SM Entertainment took the unconventional step of debuting boy group A2O SOUL and girl group A2O LITE on the same day.In addition, producer Lee Soo-man emphasized 'Culture Technology' in his presentation, dedicating significant time to introducing 'content utilizing new technologies' such as '4DGS (4D Gaussian Splatting),' which uses multiple cameras to render videos in 3D, and 'Blooming Talk,' which incorporates AI technology.At the actual debut show, 'Blooming Talk' demonstration devices, equipped with AI to enable real-time conversations with videos of A2O SOUL and A2O LITE members, were installed to emphasize 'promoting new technology.'The group A20 SOUL's debut song 'SUPERSTAR' features a sound that reinterprets 80s synth-pop in a modern way. This musical style is similar to that of Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd. /Reporter Kim Sung-ryeolInterestingly, while SM Entertainment actively adopts new technologies to cultivate an image of 'newness' and 'difference,' the music of A2O SOUL and A2O LITE actually evokes a 'familiar scent.'First, the boy group A2O SOUL describes their genre as 'New Synthwave,' stating that they reinterpret 80s synthesizer music in a modern way.As they say, A2O SOUL's debut song 'SUPERSTAR' begins with sparkling synth arpeggios and layers a poignant and nostalgic melody over a bright and upbeat rhythm, creating a simultaneous retro and modern feel.Savvy music fans might already have an artist in mind after hearing this description. That artist is Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd.As is well known, The Weeknd achieved immense success by modernizing and sensually interpreting 80s synth music, and his method of blending retro textures with modern aesthetics is almost identically reproduced in 'SUPERSTAR.'This is not a minority opinion. Comments from readers on the American K-pop review site The Bias List also mention The Weeknd's music, and overseas social media discussions suggest a 'The Weeknd style.'The biggest reason why A2O SOUL's 'SUPERSTAR' feels familiar upon first listen is this.Of course, this does not mean that A2O SOUL's 'SUPERSTAR' is a direct imitation of The Weeknd's music. A2O SOUL adds K-pop grammar, such as section design for performance, vocal harmonies and role distribution leveraging the strengths of a large group, and organic integration of music and choreography, to create differentiation within 'New Synthwave.'While A2O SOUL's 'SUPERSTAR' feels familiar due to a 'clearly identifiable reference,' A2O LITE's debut song 'NEON' is somewhat more complex.In their debut song 'NEON,' the group A20 LITE blends electronic music with various elements that have been popular in the K-pop scene. This is why their music sounds familiar. /Reporter Kim Sung-ryeolIf one were to describe the genre of 'NEON' in a single sentence, it would be closest to 'electronic dance music that skillfully blends characteristic elements built up in K-pop since the 2000s.'From a genre perspective, 'NEON' is based on 4/4 time electro house, enhanced with gritty bass that provides dynamic sensibility, rhythmic female vocals and repetitive chants, and the connection between vocal hooks and electronic drops.Electro house remains a popular genre in K-pop today, and the method of creating rhythm with rhythmic vocals is often employed by K-pop girl groups when performing electronic pop.Additionally, the repetitive use of the phrase 'Neon and beyond' as an electronic sound itself is reminiscent of 'Lean On,' a major hit released in 2015 by Major Lazer and DJ Snake.In summary, 'NEON' can be described as a song that gathers various elements of electronic dance music established since the 2000s, refines them in a modern way, and then reinterprets them in a K-pop style.In other words, 'NEON' feels familiar not because of a specific song, but because of the overlap of familiar musical elements from various eras.Another interesting point here is that while both 'SUPERSTAR' and 'NEON' incorporate 'K-pop style' within familiarity to create differentiation, the methods of execution differ.Key characteristics of 'K-pop style' include repetitive hooks, the arrangement of rap/chants/vocals, dance breaks, group vocals and harmonies, dramatic section transitions for performance, and vocal climaxes in the latter half.In this regard, 'SUPERSTAR' focuses on vocal harmonies and climaxes, pursuing a smooth mood with natural section transitions, while 'NEON' concentrates on dramatic section transitions, distinct dance breaks, and strongly repetitive chants and hooks, aiming for dynamic energy.Simply put, 'NEON' relatively emphasizes K-pop grammar in its performance, while 'SUPERSTAR' does so in its vocals.Both A2O SOUL and A2O LITE aim to differentiate themselves from existing genres by incorporating 'K-pop grammar' into their music. Among these, A2O SOUL's 'SUPERSTAR' relatively highlights these characteristics in its vocals, while A2O LITE's 'NEON' does so in its performance. /Capture from A2O Entertainment YouTube ChannelIn fact, producer Lee Soo-man had already hinted at this 'familiar music' for A2O SOUL and A2O LITE.During the debut show, producer Lee Soo-man introduced A2O SOUL and A2O LITE by saying, "As long as K-pop is classified as music, the most important thing is ultimately the song. To give a feeling of 'being different from the existing,' it must start with the song. However, it's best if people react with 'Ah, this is good!' before trying hard to find what's different. I hope people will first 'enjoy' A2O SOUL and A2O LITE."Ultimately, this means that in terms of music, 'goodness' was prioritized over 'difference.' This can be seen as the reason behind their choice of 'familiar music' amidst their efforts in 'newness and difference.'And among these 'familiar music' pieces, 'NEON' is the one that is eliciting a stronger initial reaction. A2O LITE's 'NEON' entered the Melon daily chart at 59th place on the day of its release on the 13th and reached the top of the TOP100 chart at 11 PM on the 14th. This is the shortest period to reach number one among debut songs since Melon introduced the TOP100 chart.A music industry official commented, "It seems that people are showing interest first because 'NEON' is closer to recent K-pop trends, and the fact that three members of A2O LITE were born in 2013 has also become a topic of discussion. I believe A2O SOUL will also receive a good response once they officially start music show promotions and 'SUPERSTAR' becomes more widely known."laugardagr@tf.co.kr[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]