A2O LITE Lands Melon's Top Spot With Debut Track 'NEON'

A2O LITE, the new girl group from SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo Man, hit No. 1 on Melon's Top 100 with its debut track "NEON" at 11 p.m. KST on October 14, 10 a.m. ET, one day after debuting.

Soompi reports that the nine-member act officially launched on October 13 through a new agency Lee Soo Man recently founded. It debuted the same day as the 15-member boy group A2O SOUL. "NEON" arrived at 6 p.m. KST, 5 a.m. ET.

The two groups mark Lee Soo Man's return after two years and five months, adding 24 new faces to the industry. Their teenage members come from countries including South Korea, China, Japan and Thailand, and each one appeared in an individual trailer ahead of the debut.

The rollout began on the afternoon of October 12 with a global debut showcase, "WELCOME TO SOULITE From A2O SOUL A2O LITE," at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.

According to allkpop, members Ayune, OA and Aijing, all born in 2013, debuted at 13, a record for the youngest girl group members to debut in K-pop history. Main dancer Aijing has also drawn comparisons to BoA's early years for her powerful dancing and long, straight brown hair.

The chart win comes days after a Korean online community discussion pointed out that HYBE's new girl group TUIDE ranked No. 108 on Melon with its debut song, missing the Top 100. Posters called it the first HYBE girl group debut to fall short of that mark, after LE SSERAFIM, NewJeans and ILLIT.

Both groups share a storyline set on SOULITE, described as a virtual planet where anything a person wants can be created. Its 15 boys and nine girls have one thing in common: a sense of emptiness deep inside.