Legendary producer Lee Soo-man has officially ended his three-year absence from the South Korean music scene. On Monday, 12 October 2026, the SM Entertainment founder held an elaborate joint showcase at KINTEX in Goyang to introduce his latest music venture: nine-member girl group A2O Lite and fifteen-member boy group A2O Soul.
The launch marks Lee’s formal domestic return following his exit from SM in early 2023. At the time, Lee sold his equity stake to HYBE Corporation for roughly 520 billion won, agreeing to a strict three-year non-compete clause that barred him from producing music in South Korea.
With that restriction expired, his Singapore-headquartered company, A2O Entertainment, has stepped into the spotlight with digital singles “NEON” from A2O Lite and “SUPERSTAR” from A2O Soul.
Both acts exist inside a shared sci-fi setting called the A2O Cosmic Epic, centred on the fictional world of Soulite. The stage setup matched that vision, featuring metallic silver trees and futuristic sculptures.
Bringing 4D Gaussian Splatting to Music Videos
Lee delivered a thirty-minute presentation that felt closer to a Silicon Valley tech keynote than a standard entertainment press conference. He highlighted 4D Gaussian Splatting (4DGS), an imaging technology that captures performers from dozens of camera angles to reconstruct their choreography inside interactive three-dimensional digital space.
Lee pointed to his early experiments with visual effects when explaining the hardware setup.
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“We collaborated with Samsung Electronics to realize the ‘Matrix filming system’ we had previously used in music videos for groups like Girls’ Generation, SHINee, TVXQ, and BoA, where the camera revolves around a subject suspended in the air,” Lee said. “It is the most advanced form in the evolution of recording devices called cameras and perhaps the final form.”
Lee also confirmed plans to debut Blooming Talk later this month. The interactive app connects users directly with artificial intelligence chat companions built from the digital likenesses and vocal models of A2O performers.
Multinational Lineups and Longtime Collaborators
Both groups feature young talent drawn from across Asia, with member ages stretching down to thirteen.
A2O Lite brings together performers from South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, and the United States, including Yeong, Himeki, Bora, Siri, Rada, Merci, Ah-yoon, Oh-a, and Ai-ching.
A2O Soul features Moon, Sora, Seo-ha, Theo, Gaku, Jun, Han-seong, Si-won, Aluer, Tai, Sono, Lucien, Zai, Aiden, and Jet.
Lee assembled familiar partners to guide the music and training. Master producer Yoo Young-jin, responsible for historic hits by H.O.T., TVXQ, and aespa, wrote and composed both debut tracks. The songs feature his trademark layered vocal harmonies and crisp electronic beats.
Former Girls’ Generation member Sunny directed artist development, overseeing the talent pipeline under the A2O Rookies banner.
With tracks “NEON” and “SUPERSTAR” out worldwide, Lee Soo-man has made his move to test whether his tech-heavy formula can capture global pop charts once again.
