A2O Soul will release its debut EP, “Superstar,” on Nov. 9, roughly a month after introducing itself with a prerelease single of the same name.
The 15-member boy group, produced by Lee Soo-man under A2O Entertainment, will release the five-track album at 6 p.m. through major streaming platforms.
The album will include the prerelease single “Superstar” and second lead track “Dancing in the Dark,” as well as three additional songs built around what the group describes as its new synthwave sound.
“New synthwave,” as defined by A2O Entertainment, is a modern K-pop evolution of 1980s synthesizer-driven music that mixes retro, analog-style synth melodies and atmospheric textures with contemporary pop song structures and vocal arrangements.
A2O Entertainment said Lee oversaw the album’s musical direction and brought in overseas songwriters and producers he had not previously worked with.
“Superstar” features longtime collaborator Yoo Young-jin alongside producers such as Haan, who worked on The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber’s “Stay,” as well as Gent!, whose credits include music by Drake and Doja Cat.
“Superstar,” released Oct. 13, has already entered several charts in China, including No. 2 on QQ Music’s new-song chart, No. 6 on its popularity chart and No. 4 on its global music video chart. The song reached No. 18 on YouTube Korea’s trending music chart.
The track also ranked just behind labelmate A2O Lite’s “Neon” on QQ Music’s new-song chart, placing the two A2O acts at No. 1 and 2, respectively.
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com