{"id":80086,"date":"2025-12-24T13:13:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T13:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/80086\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T13:13:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T13:13:10","slug":"zalpha-pop-pioneers-a2o-may-bring-holiday-magic-to-nyc-amnewyork","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/80086\/","title":{"rendered":"Zalpha Pop pioneers A2O MAY bring holiday magic to NYC \u2013 amNewYork"},"content":{"rendered":"

A2O MAY capped off their one-year anniversary on a festive high, bringing holiday magic to Z100\u2019s All Access stage earlier this month.\n<\/p>\n

Just four months ago, Chenyu, Shijie, Quchang, Miche, and Kat first arrived in New York City, wide-eyed and eager to introduce their sound to an international audience with the release of their debut album, PAPARAZZI ARRIVE. On Dec. 12, the group reached a major milestone, making their New York performance debut at Hammerstein Ballroom as part of Z100\u2019s Jingle Ball All Access Lounge.<\/p>\n

amNewYork got a backstage look at how these Zalpha pop pioneers prepared for their Big Apple moment. Dressed in dystopian rock-inspired outfits, the girls gathered in a green room cluttered with winter coats, reflecting on the whirlwind journey that brought them to one of New York\u2019s most iconic stages.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our first time performing in New York,\u201d Shijie said. \u201cI think we\u2019re going to show our crazy side on stage. We really want the audience to catch our energy. It\u2019s going to explode.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kat nodded her head and echoed the excitement, sharing just how meaningful the moment was for the group.
\n\"A2O<\/a>A2O MAY at Jingle Ball.Photo by Amanda Moses\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our first time at Jingle Ball, and we grew up watching the show and seeing so many artists perform here,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing here means so much to us. This is our second time in New York and our third visit to America. It already feels like home. Today we\u2019re not just performing one or two songs, but multiple songs, so we\u2019re really ready and can\u2019t wait to feel the energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Front-row barricades at Hammerstein Ballroom were lined with MAYnia, the affectionate name for A2O MAY\u2019s fanbase. These eager supporters waved photocards, held handmade signs reading \u201cWelcome to New York A2O MAY,\u201d and screamed in anticipation. One devoted supporter even brought her baby to the show, earning a meet-and-greet wristband with the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re so excited to see A2O MAY!\u201d a group of fans screamed after winning their meet-and-greet passes.\n<\/p>\n

For the members, seeing their fans front and center at the holiday festival in New York was a powerful moment.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the time we see fans in LA, so it feels really different, and really special, seeing them here in New York,\u201d Miche said. \u201cWe\u2019re at Jingle Ball, and we can already see our fans. It\u2019s such an amazing opportunity to perform at Hammerstein Ballroom. It\u2019s beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quchang believes that this performance was a major turning point in their career, solidifying their place on the global stage.\u00a0
\n\"A2O<\/a>A2O MAY at Jingle Ball.Photo by Amanda Moses\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a huge stepping stone for us to perform at Jingle Ball on such a big stage,\u201d she told amNewYork. \u201cIt\u2019s such an honor. We didn\u2019t expect things to grow this fast, so we\u2019re really happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Known for spotlighting the most viral artists of the season, iHeart\u2019s Jingle Ball welcomed A2O MAY just months after the release of their debut album, which was a remarkable achievement for a rising group. PAPARAZZI ARRIVE charted on Top 40 radio, marking the third time the group has landed on the chart, while their Spotify monthly listeners have surged to nearly 900,000.<\/p>\n

Still processing their rapid rise, the members reflected on what it means to live out dreams they once imagined as children and offered advice to others hoping to do the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust go for it,\u201d Miche said. \u201cNone of us expected to be doing what we\u2019re doing now. Sometimes your family might not be supportive at first, mine wasn\u2019t, but when they see what you\u2019re building, they start to believe. You don\u2019t have to care about other people\u2019s words. Just go for it, and they\u2019ll see what\u2019s shining in you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A2O<\/a>A2O MAY at Jingle Ball.Photo by Amanda Moses<\/p>\n

Under deep crimson lights, A2O MAY tore through performances of \u201cBoss,\u201d \u201cUnder My Skin,\u201d \u201cB.B.B (Bigger Badder Better),\u201d and \u201cPaparazzi Arrive.\u201d With fast-paced choreography, confident vocals, and undeniable stage presence, the group delivered a Jingle Ball performance filled with the kind of holiday magic only Zalpha pop stars can bring.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor our MAYnia, this opportunity means everything,\u201d Chenyu said. \u201cFrom this stage, we\u2019re going to meet even more people who support us. We were so excited to see you all.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the paparazzi arrive, A2O MAY are more than ready to command the spotlight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A2O MAY capped off their one-year anniversary on a festive high, bringing holiday magic to Z100\u2019s All Access…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":80087,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[39693,8311,6037,2538,9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":{"0":"post-80086","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-staten-island","8":"tag-a2o-may","9":"tag-jingle-ball","10":"tag-k-pop","11":"tag-music","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-city","14":"tag-nyc","15":"tag-staten-island","16":"tag-staten-island-headlines","17":"tag-staten-island-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80086\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}