A2O MAY, a multinational girl group formed overseas by former SM Entertainment producer and founder Lee Soo-man, is set to appear on a Korean music broadcast for the first time since their debut.
Composed entirely of members who are Chinese or Chinese-American, A2O MAY has focused its activities mainly on the United States and China following their global debut, making this their first entry into the domestic market.
According to A2O Entertainment, following the release of their new song "Love Got Me Ooh," A2O MAY has been named as a candidate for pre-voting on Mnet's "M Countdown," confirming their first domestic music show appearance. The agency explained that reactions have continued to pour in on domestic online communities and social media following the release of their music video.
A2O MAY is a five-member group that debuted on December 20, 2024. In the U.S., starting with their debut track "Under My Skin" and followed by "BOSS," "B.B.B (Bigger Badder Better)," and "PAPARAZZI ARRIVE," they have entered the Mediabase TOP40 mainstream radio chart eight times. "PAPARAZZI ARRIVE" tied for No. 1 with Justin Bieber on the U.S. TOP40 Airplay "Most Added" chart. The group has also performed on the official pre-shows for "Wango Tango" and New York's "Jingle Ball," and achieved milestones such as entering the TOP10 of the Billboard Emerging Artists chart.
In China, their first EP "PAPARAZZI ARRIVE" climbed to the top ranks of major QQ Music charts, and their new song "Love Got Me Ooh" debuted at No. 1 on the QQ Music New Songs chart. On July 19, "Love Got Me Ooh" and its coupled track "Rain On My Parade" claimed the No. 1 and No. 2 spots side by side on the QQ Music Real-Time Listening Popularity Chart.
Following a management dispute within SM Entertainment in 2023, Lee Soo-man left SM and established Blooming Grace along with its subsidiary A2O Entertainment. A2O MAY is the first group he has presented since leaving SM, featuring a lineup entirely of local members without any Korean members. Industry insiders interpret this as a reflection of Lee's localization phase from his previously proposed "Hallyu 3-Stage Theory," which involves transplanting K-pop production methods to local groups.
A2O Entertainment plans to unveil its first domestic rookie debut team in the second half of this year.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)