Lee Soo-man Girl Groups
Overview
'Lee Soo-man Girl Groups' is a term collectively referring to the girl groups directly planned and produced by Lee Soo-man, the founder of South Korea's representative entertainment agency SM Entertainment. From the 1990s to the present, Lee Soo-man has created numerous girl groups such as 'Girls' Generation', 'f(x)', 'Red Velvet', and 'aespa', writing the history of K-pop girl groups. Recently, he is pursuing a new girl group project through A2O Entertainment, which he established after stepping down from SM.
Main Content
1. Lee Soo-man's Girl Group Philosophy
Lee Soo-man viewed girl groups not merely as music groups but as 'cultural content'. His producing philosophy established the concept of 'planned idols', systematically designing all elements from member selection to training, music, choreography, fashion, and marketing. In particular, 'Girls' Generation' prominently featured the concept of 'girls' and became established as the 'nation's girl group' in the public eye. Lee Soo-man diversified girl group concepts into 'innocent', 'sexy', 'hip-hop', and 'futuristic', giving each group a distinct identity.
2. Major Girl Group Timeline
- Girls' Generation (2007): Debuted as a 9-member girl group, leading the Korean Wave with numerous hit songs like 'Gee' and 'Oh!'. Lee Soo-man emphasized the members' individuality and teamwork, building the 'Girls' Generation' brand.
- f(x) (2009): Differentiated with experimental music and performances, showcasing a unique color through songs like 'Electric Shock' and '4 Walls'.
- Red Velvet (2014): Introduced a dual concept of 'Red' (intense) and 'Velvet' (soft), securing a global fandom with hits like 'Ice Cream Cake' and 'Psycho'.
- aespa (2020): Introduced the 'KWANGYA' worldview integrating AI and the metaverse, emerging as a leading 4th generation girl group with songs like 'Black Mamba' and 'Next Level'.
3. Characteristics of Producing Style
Lee Soo-man placed importance on 'worldview' when planning girl groups. In particular, aespa connected the members' avatars with the real world through a vast storytelling framework called 'SMCU' (SM Culture Universe). Musically, he emphasized sophisticated arrangements and addictive choruses, known as the 'SM sound'. The training system involved early discovery of members through a pre-debut system called 'SM Rookies', educating them in various areas such as dance, vocals, language, and acting.
4. Lee Soo-man's Departure from SM and A2O Entertainment
In 2023, Lee Soo-man left SM Entertainment after a management dispute. Subsequently, in 2024, he established A2O Entertainment and began a new girl group project. A2O stands for 'Art to One', and Lee Soo-man is preparing a girl group here through 'AI-based training' and 'global auditions', evolving the existing SM system. In early 2025, A2O announced the debut of its first girl group and released teaser content.
Latest Trends
As of 2024-2025, Lee Soo-man's girl group project is developing in two main directions. First, A2O Entertainment is advancing SM's existing 'Culture Technology' to attempt member selection and content production using AI and big data. Second, Lee Soo-man is targeting the global market by preparing a multinational member lineup and multilingual songs in English, Chinese, etc. In March 2025, A2O announced a girl group audition aiming for a 'debut in the second half of 2025' through its official social media, collaborating with trainers from SM. Additionally, in a recent interview, Lee Soo-man emphasized that 'the future of K-pop is collaboration between AI and humans' and revealed plans to introduce augmented reality (AR) technology into girl group performances. Meanwhile, SM Entertainment continues to maintain its girl group lineup with activities by 'aespa' and 'Red Velvet' even after the Lee Soo-man era, but concerns about a decline in creativity due to his absence have been raised.
Related Topics
- [[SM Entertainment]]
- [[Girls' Generation]]
- [[aespa]]
- [[K-pop Girl Groups]]
- [[A2O Entertainment]]