Lee Soo-man's new girl group A2O Lite tops Melon chart

A2O Lite, the maiden girl group spearheaded by former SM Entertainment executive Lee Soo-man, made history by topping Korea's leading music streaming service Melon within just two days of its debut single's release. The group's lead track, Neon, soared to the top of Melon's Top 100 chart just 11 p.m. on Wednesday, an impressive 29 hours after its launch on the previous day, as reported by music industry insiders.

However, this extraordinary achievement was short-lived as the group plummeted to the sixth position the following morning. By Thursday morning, Soyeon's duet with Kian84, I'm Gonna Toesa, reclaimed the number one slot on the chart. A2O Lite, a nine-member ensemble, was inaugurated by A2O Entertainment, the venture created by Lee following his departure from SM Entertainment.

Concurrently, Lee unveiled A2O Soul, a 15-member boy group, at a media presentation in Goyang, just outside Seoul. He returned to the domestic K-pop sphere after a three-year non-compete contract with SM expired earlier this year, a term he willingly accepted upon relinquishing his ownership stake in SM Entertainment.