Thai singer RADA makes K-pop debut with A2O LITE
The 15-year-old is the nine-member group’s only Thai performer. Its debut single NEON reached No. 1 on Melon’s Top 100 chart.
Rada Kanjanapruk, a 15-year-old singer from Thailand who performs as RADA, has entered K-pop with A2O LITE. The group released NEON, its first single, on 13 October, following a showcase introducing its members in Goyang, South Korea.
NEON took about 29 hours to reach the top of Melon’s Top 100 chart, then fell to sixth the next morning. A2O Entertainment, established by former SM Entertainment chief Lee Soo-man, launched A2O LITE as one of two new groups.
The group’s profiles identify Rada as its main vocalist. She is the only member from Thailand; her fellow performers come from South Korea, China and Japan, while member Oa is Japanese-American.
Rada’s earlier credits include voicing young Anna for the Thai dub of Frozen 2. Also a pianist, she says her singing lessons started when she was four. At 10, she took first place in the Young Singers classical category of the American Protégé International Vocal Competition in 2021. She had previously received a Platinum Trophy Award at the 1st Bangkok Classical Music Festival in July 2019.
