K-pop boy band A2O SOUL poses during the group’s global debut showcase at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 12. Courtesy of A2O Entertainment
A2O SOUL, the 15-member boy group launched by K-pop mogul Lee Soo-man, will release its debut album “SUPERSTAR” on Nov. 9, less than a month after unveiling a prerelease single of the same name at its global debut showcase.
The new album will be available at 6 p.m. on music platforms in Korea and abroad, according to the group’s agency A2O Entertainment, Thursday.
The five-track EP is led by “SUPERSTAR,” which also serves as the prerelease single, and a second lead track, “Dancing in the Dark.” The agency describes all five songs as “new synthwave,” a genre label the group coined to define its musical identity.
Lee, the founder of SM Entertainment, set the album’s musical direction and personally picked songwriters he had never worked with before, the agency said.
“SUPERSTAR,” released Oct. 13, was co-written by longtime SM producer Yoo Young-jin, along with HAAN, who worked on The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s hit “Stay,” and GENT!, whose credits include songs for Drake and Doja Cat.
The single climbed to No. 18 on YouTube’s trending music chart and made a strong showing on China’s QQ Music, where it ranked second on the new songs chart, sixth on the popular songs chart and fourth on the global music video chart.
On the QQ Music new songs chart, it trailed only “NEON” by labelmate girl group A2O LITE, giving the agency’s two acts the top two spots.
The physical album will come in three versions, two photobook editions and one platform album, with preorders open at major online and offline retailers in Korea and overseas.