I just listened to A2O Lite’s “Neon” and I am totally addicted. I haven’t been so obsessed with a new group and debut song in a really, really long time.
A2O Lite’s members are full of confidence, which they have in spades because they know they have talent. Their eyes are sharp, and so are their dance moves. It’s a long song (more than 3 minutes!) with choruses, pre-choruses, a bridge, high note and dance break. The visuals fit, the outfits fit, and all the girls are incredibly talented. How could they not succeed?
I am a massive gg stan, and ever since NewJeans have had their lawsuit, I have been extremely disillusioned by the way ggs have been debuted, pushed and marketed. Despite all the controversy NewJeans had, they had a very distinct sound, concept, and all the girls were really talented. I still remember watching the stage for “Attention” and how refreshing the lyrics and choreography was. The members also perfectly fit NewJeans as a group – they were so well chosen. NewJeans was so impactful that they essentially defined an entire era of kpop where we consistently had relaxed, easy-listening releases only, to the point where people were sick of it. Did NewJeans invent the concept of easy listening? No, of course not. But you can’t really deny that they still were big enough and successful enough that they likely did contribute to a trend towards easy-listening songs. The kpop space has not really been the same since then.
I am so tired of “growth idols”, idols who are not in any way ready to debut and “improve” afterwards, even though we have multiple interviews from idols who say they often regress after debuting because their schedules are so busy they no longer have time to practice. It is cruel to the idol, but also to the audience, who are expecting a certain level of talent.
I am also tired of “influencer” idols who represent “aspiration” and “luxury” even though they just debuted and the company is in debt because they had to train them. MEOVV is a good example of this. Their first song has the line “wons and yens and dollars”. What wons and yens and dollars? You just debuted! I’m sick of designer clothing when the members haven’t succeeded yet. I’m tired of getting told to like an idol because their background is apparently wealthy. I don’t care about how wealthy they are. I am sick of idols who can’t or simply choose to no longer dance because it doesn’t affect their bottom line, and idols who hyperfocus on looking pretty from every single angle instead of dancing properly. I am sick of idols being literally nothing but a walking, talking billboard, because if you can’t do your job, dance and sing, then, I’m sorry, that is all you are.
Standards have also been going down across the industry. Groups are boring, and the concepts vague and messy. I have no idea what Hybe is doing. Hybe gg groups have very vague concepts. What is the concept for Tuide? I should love Tuide, but I don’t. What is the concept for Sun Kiss? It’s an easy listening song, but the music video was oddly muted. Why were they dressed in girl-scout type outfits for one of their stages? Or white clothes and uggs for another stage? The concepts don’t align with the songs and the outfits. The dance was unmemorable. None of the members stood out to me, except Yi Hani and the only thing I know about her is – her British background. There’s nothing wrong with that, except that I’m sick of a “resume” style approach to an idol where their background is doing the heavy lifting of creating interest instead of the song or member’s talent.
We have been far too forgiving of mediocrity in the kpop space. If you watch debuts from even 2018, you can tell how polished and strong kpop idols are. It is what makes them, admirable, what makes them idols. They’re called idols for a reason, right? They were never idols because they advertised for whatever luxury brand is trending at the moment. They were called idols because of their sheer talent. “Oh, even somebody so young is working hard to chase their dreams and achieving them”.
A2O Lite has none of these issues. There is an incredibly clear concept which carries through in every aspect of their debut. This is reflected in the outfits, the white, futuristic-style clothes which both aligns with the concept as well as emphasising the choreography. They aren’t hiding behind prestige, or a wealthy background or designer labels. The dance is impactful, the members are incredibly in sync. The visuals of the members harmonise well together while again, being memorable as individuals. The song is addictive, and it clearly shows that A2O Lite will have a distinct sound.
The A2O Lite members are clearly talented and well trained from the get-go. They want to show off the hard work, the sweat and tears they’ve put in to preparing for their debut, and it makes them stand out. It is so refreshing to not be forgiving of an idol’s mistakes but instead be impressed and enthralled by their performance.
So, despite everything, I will be watching and looking forward to what A2O Lite have to show. I know there are problems with the group. But it’s been such a long time since we’ve had idols who want to be idols, that I feel compelled to support them.
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