Under the direction of a pioneer of the K-pop industry, Lee Soo Man, one of the newest groups taking on the global scene is A2O MAY, a Chinese group with international dreams.
The five-member group with members from both China and Hawaii debuted in late 2024 and has already set records for Chinese groups.
Their single, “BOSS,” climbed to #32 in U.S. Top 40 Radio, the highest chart placement ever achieved by a Chinese girl group.
“This journey has truly been amazing so far. Also, we are so grateful to have been able to experience this much love, whether as cheers from the crowd or kind comments that our fans shout,” says Shijie.
This young group, with members born between 2005 and 2008, is using their youth and talent to become pioneers in their own genre which they call Zalpha Pop, a genre combining Gen Z emotion and Gen Alpha creativity.
“I think it’s so hard to define Zalpha Pop in just three words, but if I have to choose, I would say Zalpha Pop is diverse, major and performance,” explains Shijie.
While they have only released a few singles, including their most recent, “B.B.B,” which stands for Bigger, Badder, Better, they’ve established their style of empowerment and something they say is unique to them.
“When discussing style, we all talked a lot about our style and agreed that the concept A2O MAY represents is uniquely just A2O MAY, and there are no preexisting categories that we can be placed in,” says Quchang.
The group’s position in the global pop scene is evident, with over 30 million views on the music videos for their latest tracks.
The Chinese music industry, just like the U.S., is large and influential enough to stand on its own, but doing well in both is a rare occurrence.
“Breaking into both the U.S. and Chinese charts at the same time is an incredible honor for us. We know the two markets have different cultures and preferences, so we are focusing on showing who we are as artists while staying open and adaptable. Rather than trying to fit into one style, we want to create music and performances that connect with people everywhere,” explains Miche.
Performing and conducting interviews in English, A2O MAY believes they have what it takes to take the global stage, and say their backgrounds are a big asset in their success.
“Our diverse background influences our identity in many ways. I think our language, first, helps us connect with our fans all around the world, and all of the members can speak both Chinese and English, so I think that really helps and I can’t wait to talk to our fans through our music and connect with our fans from around the world,” says Kat.
Miche, who is also Kat’s twin sister, adds, “I think in addition to language, understanding culture, it’s really important when communicating with our fans, and we’re very lucky that we have multiple languages and cultures on our side.”
A2O MAY performed on their first U.S. stage earlier this year at Wango Tango, the California music festival, something not many rookie groups are able to accomplish this early in their career.
“It was a truly awesome experience and such a memorable first live stage in the U.S. We were really nervous, but as soon as we went on stage, we just locked in and performed to the best of our abilities, and seeing those purple light sticks MAYnia gave us energy and carried us through the performance,” says Quchang.
Chenyu adds, “Now we are dreaming even bigger. Like making it onto the Billboard Hot 100 and performing on huge stages such as Coachella.”
With multiple achievements, record-breaking charts, and a growing global fan base, A2O MAY is bridging the gap of the East and West, paving their own path to international stardom.
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