"Perfectly in Sync!" "Sooman Oppa's Looking Spry"... AI Changes K-Pop's Hit Formula with a Challenge Using Celebrities' Faces

"NEON" Lyric Parody: "Ihon and Bihon"
Hits No. 1 on Melon's Top 100 Just 29 Hours After Release
AI Face-Swaps Replace Dance Challenges, Changing the Format
Image Rights, Copyright Protection and Sustainability Remain Challenges

Lee Sooman and Yoo Youngjin dance to A2O LITE's debut song "NEON." Source: Sunny's social media.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way new K-pop songs are promoted. Instead of singers performing dance challenges themselves, AI parody videos that put dance moves on celebrities' faces have emerged as a new driver of hits. The debut song "NEON" by rookie girl group A2O LITE is a prime example. Videos of Lee Sooman and Yoo Youngjin, as well as Choi Minsik and Yoo Jitae from the film "Oldboy," dancing to the song have spread widely, drawing attention to a new promotional approach in which fans create content themselves.

According to the music industry on October 20, A2O LITE, a nine-member girl group produced by A2O Entertainment key producer Lee Sooman, is causing a sensation with "NEON," released on October 13. The song reached No. 1 on Melon's Top 100 at 11 p.m. on October 14, just 29 hours after its release. It is the fastest a debut song by a rookie group has reached the top since the chart was revamped in 2021. It also took first place on the daily chart on October 18, and its official music video has surpassed 13.6 million views.

The hit began with parodies of the lyrics. Listeners said the chorus, "Neon and beyond," sounded like "mihon and bihon" or "ihon and bihon" in Korean, prompting a flood of videos singing altered versions such as "wiyeom and biyeom." The trend spread as well-known influencers joined in.

The group A2O Light performs at “Welcome to Soulight from A2O Soul A2O Light,” the global debut showcase for A2O Entertainment’s idol group, at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the 12th. Yonhap News Agency

AI-generated videos then fanned the flames. They put famous people's faces on the opening choreography, in which members Siri and Aiching dance facing each other. On October 15, Girls' Generation's Sunny posted an AI video on social media (SNS) showing Lee Sooman and Yoo Youngjin dancing side by side. Parodies featuring actress Ji Yeeun, dancer Vata, and characters from films and TV dramas followed. The same music and moves offer a different kind of fun depending on who is dancing.

This trend stands apart from traditional K-pop dance challenges. A prominent example is Zico's "Any Song" in 2020. Videos of Zico dancing with artists such as Hwasa and Chungha became popular, prompting a surge in participation from the general public. Since then, entertainment agencies have promoted new songs by creating short routines that are easy for anyone to follow and filming them with other singers or influencers.

Actress Ji Yeeun and dancer Vata dance to A2O Lite's "Neon." Studio Modak

By contrast, "NEON" has not followed the established formula for hits. While songs under three minutes, suited to short-form content, are becoming more common, it runs 3 minutes and 28 seconds. The song, written by Yoo Youngjin and U.S. producer Dem Jointz, features a powerful beat, a cappella harmonies, high notes, and even a dance break. The choreography is also challenging. Choreographer J Black said, "I sent them a draft, but they asked me to make it more difficult."

The difficult choreography has been transformed by AI into a form of entertainment anyone can enjoy. Traditional challenges required people to learn the choreography and film themselves, but with this one, the fun depends on which characters appear and who is paired with whom. Promotion has evolved beyond an agency-led approach into a model in which users create and spread new parodies.

Still, it is too early to conclude that AI parodies have become a new formula for hits. Their impact on music-streaming performance is difficult to verify, and they also raise issues involving image rights and copyright.

Bridget Evans, Spotify's global business marketing lead, said, "Companies confuse responding quickly to trends with doing something meaningful for the public." Gaurav Sharma, founder of U.S. music platform Hook, stressed, "The question is not whether to choose AI or singers; what matters is whether technological innovation and the participation of rights holders can go hand in hand."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.