A2O LITE: The 5th Generation Girl Group Created by Lee Soo-man

These days, when I listen to Korean idol music, I really feel my age.

I'm an aunt living in San Francisco, and my mental image of idols is still stuck with Girls' Generation, Super Junior, and TVXQ.

But there's a new girl group produced by Lee Soo-man called A2O LITE.

At first, I thought it was the name of a budget model of the Samsung Galaxy.

I wondered if a phone like the A20 Lite had just come out. But it turns out there are nine members in this girl group.

What's even funnier is the description of them as a 5th generation idol group.

What does 5th generation even mean?

As far as I know, the 1st generation was H.O.T, Sechs Kies, and S.E.S, and the 2nd generation included Girls' Generation, Wonder Girls, and Super Junior, right?

Then BTS and BLACKPINK came along, followed by NewJeans and aespa, and suddenly we're at the 5th generation.

At this rate, by the time I turn 60, there will be a 12th generation of idols.

I laughed even more when I saw the members' names.

Mercy, Aiching, Bora, Lada, Young, Himeki, Oa, Ayun, Siri. With nine names, it's hard to remember them all.

Mercy sounds French, Aiching seems like a character from a Japanese anime, Lada sounds like a car name, and Siri reminds me of the Siri that responds when you call it on an Apple iPhone.

But what surprised me even more was the music. At first, I turned on the video just to see what kind of song they had with such unique names.

But to my surprise, they dance incredibly well.

With nine members moving in perfect sync, I couldn't help but admire them as I watched.

How much do today's idols practice, anyway?

The music is also quite addictive.

The bass thumps, and each member has a different voice, making it enjoyable to listen to.

The genre is called Zalpha Pop, which combines Generation Z and Generation Alpha.

It seems like we now have to study music genre names to understand them.

But as I listened, I felt a strangely familiar vibe.

It felt like a mix of the unique glamour of Girls' Generation and the group performances of Super Junior.

If Girls' Generation and Super Junior had a child, I think this group would be it.

Of course, this is just my personal feeling. Haha.

But then, a name that I was really happy to see came up.

It's none other than Sunny from Girls' Generation.

She participated as a producer and vocal director.

I can't believe that the Sunny we knew is now guiding the songs of her juniors!

This was the moment I felt the passage of time the most.

Sunny, who used to sing with her cute voice in Girls' Generation, is now involved in creating new idols.

When I think about it, Lee Soo-man is truly an amazing person.

He has been creating groups like H.O.T, S.E.S, TVXQ, Super Junior, and Girls' Generation since the beginning.

Now, he is introducing another generation of idols with a new company and a new system.

Musical tastes vary from person to person, but it seems that the knack for creating idols doesn't easily fade away.

Honestly, I don't even know the names of many idol groups these days, and I have a hard time distinguishing the members' faces.

But for some reason, A2O LITE makes me want to look them up again.

I started by laughing at their name, then was amazed by their dance, and while listening to the music, I was surprised again when I saw Sunny's name.

This makes me curious about their next new song.

However, I need to check the exact rankings and dates for things like being number one on Melon and their popularity on overseas charts.

Now, when I see idols, they don't feel like younger siblings anymore; it's almost like I'm looking at my nieces and nephews.

But I still have to acknowledge when they're good.

It's amazing that Lee Soo-man is still able to create such groups, and it's heartwarming that Sunny is involved in the production.

The real question is when I'll remember all nine members' names.