Always Ready For ‘Paparazzi Arrive’

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA – MAY 10: Miche, Shijie, Chenyu, Kat and Quchang of A20 MAY visit the Trü Frü backstage portrait studio at iHeartRadio’s 102.7 KIIS FM Wango Tango concert on May 10, 2025 in Huntington Beach, California. (Photo by Sara Jaye/Getty Images for Trü Frü )

Getty Images for Trü Frü

It was a very warm afternoon in West Hollywood in October, and global pop artists A20 May were craving some old-fashioned Italian food at Angelini Osteria.

The group – which consists of members Kat, Miche, Shijie, Quchang, and Chenyu – have been on a hectic, tight schedule since arriving from Shanghai, moving from one press event to another, including their public showcase before influencers, press, and music-industry leaders. Though the travel and jet lag took some time to adjust to, the girls, ages 17 to 20, were excited to be there.

The girls were shy at first as they introduced themselves. To break the ice, I introduced myself in the very little Chinese I knew, telling them of my mixed Chinese background. They are surprised to learn that I’ve traveled across China to visit friends and family, and Shijiie, who hails from Shanghai, asks which city I liked best. When I reveal it’s Shanghai, she smiles proudly, excited that people love her city. She begins telling me about some local spots in Shanghai I must visit, promising to provide notes when I visit. Chenyu, who was also born and raised in Shanghai, concurs, telling me about the fusion foods gaining popularity there. She says, “Fusion is really popular right now, and there are a lot of kids who like it.”

All five girls are from China, though twins Miche and Kat were born in Hawaii but moved back when they were three. Kat reveals, “We moved to China very early. We didn’t get a chance to [really] live in Hawaii, but hopefully, we can visit soon.”

Though they are all of Chinese descent, the group doesn’t consider themselves “C-pop” but rather a global sound called “Zalpha Pop,” a blend of Gen Z and Alpha, featuring futuristic pop sounds and beats for a worldwide audience.

They debuted last December, with their first digital single, “Under My Skin,” under legendary K-pop titan Lee Soo-man’s new company, A20 Entertainment. The song, an English and Chinese remake of K-pop group TVXQ’s hit “Mirotic,” reached the U.S. Mediabase Top 40 Chart, a first for a Chinese girl group. Their second single, “Boss,” debuted even higher on the chart. This past October, the quintet released their first EP, Paparazzi Arrive. Within a month, it ranked 8th on the Billboard Emerging Artists chart and 40th on the Top Album Sales the month following release. They’ve been promoting the album for the past few weeks and are prepping for shows in December, including iHeartRadio Z100’s Jingle Ball in New York this Friday.

Right after their U.S. promotions, they head back for the holidays for a quick break, then get back to more music. Kat says, “We’ll have a few days to adjust to the jet lag, but we are getting used to not having break days. That’s the life of an artist, to reach our goals.”

Though it’s been almost a year since their debut, the girls lived very different – and impressive – lives before they became trainees only two years ago in 2023. They’ve always known, all their lives, that they were destined to become performers on a global stage.

Shijie grew up dancing and fell in love with the art form. She began studying it as a major in school. Before she was accepted as a trainee in A20 Entertainment, she was set to study at the prestigious California Institute of the Arts as a Dance Major. She decided to leave the university to pursue her dream of becoming an idol after being told she had made it into the company.

“I learned dance just for fun at six or seven years old,” Shijie says. “When I was 10 years old, I found out that it could be a major, then I became very serious to learn dance, went to dance school for six years. Then, over the past two years, I received an invitation to audition from [A20]. [The rest] was history.”

Quchang had a similar story. After graduating from high school in China early, she was accepted into Berklee College of Music, one of the world’s leading institutions for contemporary music. She smiles shyly, “With a full scholarship.”

Before their debut, the accomplished 18-year-old singer juggled being both a student and idol: filming and recording her parts of the songs and then flying to Boston for her exams the next day. It became too much when the group debuted and began global promotions, so she deferred her admission for another year.

“We were shooting our music video for “B.B.B (Bigger Badder Better” [with A20 LTG] when I was in school,” Quchang describes. “When we were filming, I’d fly back to Beijing for the auditions, [fly to take] the exams, then back to Korea in one or two days.”

Both Kat and Miche have always wanted to be performers. It had been part of their childhood: rapping, dancing, and singing together. They’ve even competed in Latin Dance competitions.

The company initially recruited Kat to audition, but could not leave her twin sister behind, so she sent Miche’s profile to the staff as well. They both ended up auditioning together.

“They literally noticed that we were twins, so Lee Soo-man had the idea of forming us as a unit,” says Miche. “He told us that we would be a good unit and that it was a fresh and new thing to do. So we ended up being a unit.”

But don’t assume that just because they’re twins and in the same group, they’re exactly alike. In fact, the girls are very different in personality and taste. While both are dominant on stage, the very social, talkative Kat remains that way as an extrovert, while Miche is more reserved and introverted.

“I’m actually an introvert,” Miche admits. “That didn’t stop me from wanting to do this. I’m just a little bit shy off stage. I’m afraid to make eye contact with the audience. I’m still trying.”

The duo says there are good and bad things about being twins in the same group: they love having each other, but people often mistake them for each other, despite their very distinct looks.

“They will always say they have a hard time telling the difference,” says Miche. “We tell people we are different, but they always see us as one person. Sometimes, it can be a little bit frustrating.”

Kat adds, “Sometimes we just feel like we’re not respected as two different people, but people are starting to see our different personalities, interests, and our style. We even sound and dance [differently].”

The youngest member, Chenyu, is quick to defend herself when she’s called the “baby” of the group. She proudly states that she’s the “biggest” of the members, meaning the tallest. She sometimes acts like an elder sister, which she credits to her upbringing as a former child model.

“In my daily life, I’m very responsible,” Chenyu says. “I was a model before I came to the company, so I am just a little more mature [than people my age].”

Chenyu credits idols like Blackpink’s JENNIE for inspiring her to strive for this career. The 17-year-old resembles the Korean pop star, causing Chenyu to squeal with excitement. She confesses, “I’ve always aspired to be like JENNIE since I was seven. I love Blackpink, but JENNIE. I want to be like JENNIE. She’s always my favorite.”

Kat is excited to talk about her role model when she notices the Swiftie-like friendship bracelets on my wrist. She shares that she’s been a huge Taylor Swift fan since she was 9 or 10. Her mother would play the “Love Story” music video, and Swift’s beauty and talent would enchant Kat. She recalls, “I’ve never seen a girl that’s so beautiful. I started looking up to Taylor Swift and truly fell in love with her music. She made me realize I really love music and I want to become a singer like her.”

Quchang paused, reflecting on her taste in music, saying she really listens to all kinds of music, but she does like Adele. Kat giggles, revealing their nickname for Quchang: “Little Adele.” She was given that name because she sounds exactly like Adele. The entire group was relieved when Quchang was announced as joining their unit, as her voice matched theirs perfectly.

“We were actually very happy,” Kat smiles. “Now somebody gets to handle all the turning notes so we don’t have to be frustrated.”

Shijie’s inspiration was never a real person, but a fictional one: Barbie.

Not just any Barbie – Princess Barbie.

“Seriously, when I was little, I really fell in love with the Barbie movies,” Shijie grins. “I wanted to go to princess school, so I asked my mom if there were any princess schools in Shanghai. She said there’s a dance school if you want to go. I thought, oh, they must be quite similar. Then, I went to ballet every day, so it was tough.”

Kat quips, “Her mom scammed her.”

Miche loves and respects all musicians, appreciating every song and effort that goes into creating that art form. But she has no role model or artistic inspiration. She wants to be her own idol.

“I just want to be me,” says Miche. “[The artists] are all good. They can sing, dance, and look good. I love them all, but I want to be myself.”

With the year almost over, and them reaching their first anniversary, A20 May is excited to show more audiences and their fans (nicknamed “MAYnia”) their talent, unity, and fun nature onstage. They’ve already performed at iHeartRadio’s LA Wango Tango, the Tencent Music Entertainment Awards in China, Universal CityWalk Hollywood, Starberry Music Festival, on FOX5’s Good Day New York, and more. They hope to do even more in the new year, a wider music festival like 88Rising’s Head in the Clouds Music Festival and Coachella.

Chenyu loves to rap, so she’d love to perform with Indonesian rapper Rich Brian, who is signed to 88Rising and a regular performer at the festival. She shouts out, “History,” when asked her favorite song by the rapper.

Quchang really would like to perform their unit song, “Melody,” which she sings with Shijie and Chenyu. They’ve never gotten to perform the soft R&B Chinese ballad live. Quchang says, “I really want to sing it loud in front of a live audience.”

Kat and Miche praise the unit, agreeing they love that song from the album. Kat says, “Melody really sticks in my mind. We weren’t part of the “Melody” unit, but we sing it by ourselves.”

Chenyu interjects, “I love [Kat and Miche’s unit song] ‘Sweat’ too!”

Miche, sitting next to Chenyu, leans in to her affectionately, appreciating the sweet comment.

The group is excited to write, create, and perform more songs for future singles and albums, which Lee Soo-man gives them the freedom to pick and choose what they want. Quchang chose “Black Sheep” as her solo for the album.

“We actually get to join in on the process of picking the songs,” says Kat. “We’re not being assigned songs or choosing from a set of songs; we actually get to make decisions as well. That’s the part that we are very thankful for. [Producer] Yoo [Young Jin] and Mr. Lee are very open-minded to have our opinions and make changes if we want to.”

With Lee Soo-man’s discography, the girls have some to play with if they want to. As a fan of Girls’ Generation, Chenyu would love to sing their hit song, “Voice.” She says, “Girls’ Generation was the first girl group that we knew, and we all really liked. We love [the song] so much.”

Shijie begins singing a bit of Lee Soo-man’s 1994 hit, “Happiness,” revealing they sang it to him for his birthday. She says that song is a classic that they could add their sound to. They all agree that there are just so many good options to choose from.

As the luncheon came to an end, the girls said their goodbyes and prepped for their next event, full of energy, excitement, and delicious Italian food.

A20 May are set to appear at iHeartRadio Z100’s Jingle Ball at the All Access Lounge on Friday, December 12 in New York. You can request tickets here.