Lee Soo Man (이수만) is the renowned producer, founder, and former executive producer of a multinational South Korean entertainment company, SM Entertainment (SM엔터테인먼트). After shocking the industry by leaving his agency last year, he’s now making a comeback to the music scene with new company – and new K-pop groups.
A20 Entertainment, Lee’s latest company, recently unveiled a promotional video on its official YouTube channel. The video showcases rookies under the company, that range from different ages and genders. Here are fun facts about A20’s new rookie group:
1. Lee Soo-Man is credited as the producer
A20 Entertainment recently released a one-minute teaser promotional video on its official YouTube channel titled “A20 Rookies ‘Zal-Dance Compilation V1’ Official Video.” The footage showcased 15 rookies in a series of dance clips, with the end credits “Produced by S.M. Lee” displayed towards the end. This little note suggests the legendary K-pop figure will once again hold the title of executive producer for a K-pop group.
2. What Is A20 Entertainment?
A20 Entertainment stands for “Alpha To Omega,” which expresses the meaning of “from beginning to end” and “from start to finish.” In the video description posted on social media, it is stated that A20 Entertainment is a collaborative global artist development platform where rookies will receive training in one of the four groups organised by age. The company also wrote that as they grow, the rookies in the LTB group will transition to HTB, and those who are in LTG will shift to HTG.
3. What Do The Acronyms Stand For?
The company then further explained the meaning of each acronym stated in the rookies’ categories. HTG is an acronym for ‘High Teen Girls’, with the group comprising of girls aged 16 and up. Similarly, LTG is ‘Low Teen Girls’, with female trainees aged 15 and under. On the other hand, HTB stands for ‘High Teen Boys’, which focuses on male trainees aged 16 and up, whereas LTB is ‘Low Teen Boys’ and is composed of boys aged 15 and under.
4. Trademark Application Applied By Lee’s Company
Rumours and speculations of Lee returning to the entertainment industry emerged earlier this year, after his company, Blooming Grace, which focuses on environmental projects, was said to have filed a trademark application for A20 Entertainment. They also conducted auditions for trainees in China and Japan that were held last June.
5. The Company Introduced A New Genre
In the caption of the video posted on their YouTube channel, the agency introduced a new genre called “Zalpha Pop.” This new genre of music indirectly focuses on the Zalpha generation, which is a blend of Generation Z, those who were born in the mid-90s, and Generation Alpha, born in the 2010s.
Unfortunately for those anticipating more news regarding the rookies, their debut date is yet to be disclosed. The company merely teased their debut, writing, “Please join us in supporting these rookies as they develop and debut as artists.” Are you excited for this new wave of K-pop idols?
In the meantime, check out the promotional teaser below:
Sources: The Korea Times, The Korea Herald
Tiana contributed to this article.
