Lee Soo-man's A2O LITE Aces the Dreaded Music Show Encore, Draws Praise for Live Vocals

Rookie girl group A2O LITE has won two music show trophies just eight days after debuting. The group also drew attention for its live vocals during the encore stages following each win.

On Oct. 21, A2O LITE took first place on MBC M's "Show Champion" for the third week of October with its debut song, "NEON." The day before, the group won its first-ever trophy on SBS Life's "The Show." The back-to-back wins gave the group two trophies in just two days.

A2O LITE released "NEON" and started promotions on Oct. 13. The group secured its second win just eight days later.

On Korean music shows, the winning act performs an encore right after the No. 1 announcement. These stages have a reputation for being challenging for performers. During the encore, very little pre-recorded vocal track is played, so the members' real live singing is easy to hear.

A2O LITE handled it like a much more experienced group. At its first encore on Oct. 20, members Siri, Aijing and Bora, who lead the song's dance break, coordinated with one another and delivered the section just as they would on the main stage. Meanwhile, the other members gathered in a small huddle behind them. Immediately after the dance break, the whole group came together for the group choreography.

The choreography shifted to slower-paced moves following the intense performance, with movements designed to highlight the members' visuals.

After the group was named the winner on "Show Champion" on Oct. 21, member Youngeun delivered an acceptance speech on behalf of the group.

"We really didn't expect this, so first I want to say thank you," she said. "I'm so happy to receive such a meaningful award twice. It feels like all the work we've put in is paying off."

"It makes me want to work even harder," she added.

Youngeun also thanked Lee Soo-man, the chief producer at A2O Entertainment, and SUNNY of Girls' Generation, who also worked as a producer for the group. Bora shared a message for fans, and Rada spoke to overseas fans in English.

For a rookie group, a first trophy is a milestone. For A2O LITE, the encore stages offered another opportunity to make an impression. They showed that the group could sing live, even with limited backing support, barely a week into its career.