The light emanating from A2O LITE's "NEON" has dazzled K-pop's eyes. As of October 26, the music video for "NEON" has surpassed 26.59 million views, and colorful neon signs sparkle atop various music broadcasts and music charts.

"NEON" awakened K-pop's distant future. The naming of "Zalpha Pop" and the bold ambition to unite technology and humanity are part of producer Lee Soo-man's consistent promotional strategy. The opening dance of Siri and Aitzing, who bend and twist their bodies at the second level and flexibly control energy, has awakened K-pop to the fun of "visual music." The synchronized formation dancing of nine members in white costumes, moving in precise unison, triggers nostalgia for meticulous physical control and the collective movements known as "knife formations."

Whether it is a completely novel spectacle or a revival of familiar K-pop grammar is not the crucial distinction. What is clear is that even those without great interest in K-pop are engaging with "NEON." Drawn first by precise movements and mechanically unified vocal layers, they draw closer, wanting to learn more about the mysterious girls in the music video.

A2O LITE in the "NEON" music video also plays with K-pop. They reach out to touch unique objects, toss and catch them. They determine the direction of their hands and give purpose to their movements. Girls perform intense dances and act before the camera, observed by yet another third camera. As futuristic graphics flicker, light and darkness intersect, and inside a spaceship flying toward a bright utopia, only the nine faces with fingers brought to their eyes remain.

Two key figures who designed A2O LITE's visual identity were asked about the process of working with a sense of playing with the future: art director Ha Ye-jin and music video director MeltMirror. The following is a Q&A.

- What image came to mind when you first heard "NEON"?

Ha Ye-jin "It was a game. A game that endlessly progresses to the next level, with little intention of stopping. From the moment the music starts until it ends, I felt a continuous sense of ascent without rest. Interestingly, while listening to this song, the image of the past came to mind before the future. The image of the future that we imagined in childhood. The technology back then was less sophisticated than now, but imagination about the future seemed much freer and more optimistic. I wanted to bring together analog sensibility and the artificial future image that the past had imagined with the girls of today."

- What was the starting point for materializing that image?

Ha Ye-jin "I took 'Gen X Soft Club' aesthetics, which emerged at the end of the 20th century, as my starting point. I was interested in the future that past popular culture imagined, especially the optimistic energy felt in games and digital imagery from the 1990s and 2000s. As the title "NEON" suggests, I thought of neon colors, digital textures, and devices reminiscent of games. The important thing was ensuring that these elements did not remain as mere flashy decoration. I assigned them the role of making the energy of the music and the presence of the girls clearer."

- Director MeltMirror, you gained attention through aespa's "Whiplash" music video by imparting unique kinetic energy to the members. What kind of movement did you want to show in "NEON" this time?

MeltMirror "The kinetic energy in 'Whiplash' was created entirely through the mechanism of camera equipment operation. The kinetic energy in 'NEON' started from play. The core was showing 'intricate play expressed by the members.' Following the song's composition where part members change at average 3-second intervals, it was work that simultaneously satisfied explanation and play. It was really difficult. But it was enjoyable."

- How did you connect choreography and movements involving devices?

MeltMirror "The choreography had very high completeness from the first draft. I had many considerations about what to highlight with angles and what to leave empty. Because the initial draft had high density, I wanted to position the camera in a clean and orthodox way to provide pleasure. Based on full choreography footage of the members that I shot separately, I produced various versions of animatics. I selected the draft that felt cleanest and reflected it in the music video. For movement sections excluding choreography and sections involving manipulating specific devices or playing, I also made efforts to incorporate them as movements that inherited the actual choreography of those sections."

- What did you prioritize in camera work and editing to clearly show the members' movements?

MeltMirror "First, I worked to present the choreography in a clean way. And creating impact was a task. I believe well-structured choreography has clear impact points. While editing the 'NEON' music video, I framed angles and edited choreography sections thinking of viewers as if they had come to watch an action movie. The 'NEON' choreography especially had many movements based on tutting. Since the basic composition of tutting creates right angles and vertical and horizontal lines, it's a good aspect for drawing strong kinetic energy at once."

- When filming the opening featuring Siri and Aitzing, which became a major topic of discussion, what were your concerns?

MeltMirror "As a director, rather than thinking it was attractive, I was quite worried whether people would lose concentration from the start since the music video began in such a simple way. So I also edited this section with emphasis on impact from an action movie perspective. Beginning the movement with variations of short tight shots and continuing the kinetic energy with wide shots. And the goal was to keep viewers from feeling fatigue while following the members' movements."

- While bringing nine members together as one team, how did you want to reveal each individual's differences?

Ha Ye-jin "I thought it was important for them to appear as one team. I felt that the sense of unity created by shared costumes could make the movements and rhythm of the formation dancing more distinct. I envisioned more conceptual team outfits suited to the mood of the song, while varying small details and points for each member so that individual personalities would shine through. In this process, manager Jang Hee-jun implemented these subtle differences very delicately. On the other hand, I wanted to maximize each member's individual face and charm. For example, Bora originally had long straight hair, but I thought a bob cut would actually reveal her unique charm much more clearly. Aitzing originally had black hair, but I felt she had a face that suited sunlight as if she had grown up in Hawaii. So I wanted to brighten her face with a light brown hair color."

- The "NEON" music video captures both an artificially designed world and the members' natural appearances. The flow from the opening set to finishing with dancing in an open garden was particularly striking.

Ha Ye-jin "You're referring to the scene where after following a meticulously designed game-like world, the camera suddenly shows the landscape outside that world? The filming staff naturally passed through the frame, and we created a moment where viewers face the girls' faces under natural light instead of artificial lighting. I remember applauding with director MeltMirror when first conceiving that scene. I wanted it to feel as if the girls who existed in a virtual world until moments before were suddenly standing in the same space as us in reality. I thought that when briefly escaping from a perfectly crafted image, their purity and vitality could actually become clearer."

- How does the "TECH WORLD" concept photo shot with photographer Choi Na-rang connect to the music video?

Ha Ye-jin "In the music video, I wanted to show a moment of briefly escaping the intricately designed virtual world and encountering real girls. In the concept photos, conversely, I wanted to create an image where real girls exist in a future world we cannot easily reach. We started from opposite directions, but I think we ultimately held the same question. How do we view human existence within an artificial world?"

- How do you want A2O LITE to be remembered through "NEON"?

MeltMirror "I hoped A2O LITE would appear as beings with 'prepared joy.' Furthermore, when fans watch this music video 10 or 20 years from now, I wanted to create meaningful footage so that their passion for A2O LITE would not be something to feel ashamed about."

Kim Do-heon (Popular Music Critic) / zener1218@gmail.com

<Photo source=A2O Entertainment>

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