ZeroBaseOne steals spotlight with million-seller 'Youth in the Shade'

ZeroBaseOne, also known as ZB1, is the band formed with the top nine finalists of Mnet’s hit audition show “Boys Planet,” which ended in April. As the show was a success among K-pop fans both domestically and abroad, ZeroBaseOne was setting ...

Boy band ZeroBaseOne, also known as ZB1, performs its B-side track “New Kidz on the Block” during its debut showcase at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul’s Gwangjin District on Monday. [WAKEONE]

ZeroBaseOne, also known as ZB1, is the band formed with the top nine finalists of Mnet’s hit audition show “Boys Planet,” which ended in April. As the show was a success among K-pop fans both domestically and abroad, ZeroBaseOne was setting records before even its official debut. Its official Instagram page reached 1 million followers in just six days, and its debut EP “Youth in the Shade” sold over a million copies in pre-orders: a new record for a debuting K-pop act. It is the first K-pop artist to reach million-seller status with its first release.

“‘Youth in the Shade’ is about the beauty of youth and the shadow behind it,” said the group’s leader Sung Han-bin during Monday’s debut press showcase at the Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul. “The sparkling moments of youth exist because there are those shadows. The EP contains our honest story of youth.”

ZeroBaseOne poses during Monday's debut showcase. [WAKEONE]

Han-bin was joined by eight fellow members — Kim Ji-woong, Zhang Hao, Seok Matthew, Kim Tae-rae, Ricky, Kim Gyu-vin, Park Gun-wook and Han Yu-jin — to discuss ZeroBaseOne’s highly anticipated debut and first EP. The band is considered to have inherited Mnet’s pedigree of successful K-pop groups formed through the cable channel’s hit audition shows, such as the two seasons of “Produce 101” (2016-17), “Produce 48” (2018), “Produce X 101” (2019) and “Girls Planet 999” (2021).

“No flower blooms without being shaken by the wind as it grows,” said Kim Ji-woong, for whom this debut feels extra special. The eldest member of the group, at 24 years young, first debuted in 2016 as part of boy band INX, which saw little success. He later tried out for two more newly debuting acts, both of which were canceled. Ji-woong gave inspiration to many viewers as he seized another opportunity on “Boys Planet."

In March, the top 28 contestants of Mnet's audition show “Boys Planet” pose for a picture. [MNET]

Each of the members were contestants under different K-pop agencies when they appeared on the show. ZeroBaseOne will be managed by WakeOne until January 2026 as a temporary project group, and then the members will return to their respective management.

“We’re still incomplete and growing, but we’ve taken courage to take the first step to run toward our fans,” Ji-woong continued. “Please look forward to how the EP contains the essence of ZeroBaseOne’s identity.”

“I think Ze_Rose especially likes seeing the moments that show our growth,” said Matthew, referring to ZeroBaseOne’s fandom. “And we’re doing our best to live up to their expectations.”

Although the team of nine has already performed as a group in KCON Japan 2023 in May and aired its own reality show “Camp ZeroBaseOne” on Mnet last moth, they seemed no less excited to officially enter the K-pop scene together.

“We got to meet some of our fans through KCON Japan and ‘Camp ZeroBaseOne,’ and those experiences made us want to meet even more Ze_Rose as soon as possible,” said Yu-jin. “We couldn’t wait for our debut.”

“We’ve been discussing a lot among ourselves ever since we became one team,” said Tae-rae. “I always feel so honored to be with fellow members who I have a lot to learn from.”

The boy band premiered its performance for “New Kidz on the Block” and the lead track “In Bloom” from the new release. “In Bloom” samples the iconic synth riff from Norwegian band a-ha’s hit “Take On Me” (1985), Gun-wook explained.

“The riff perfectly captures our refreshing, energetic vibe,” he added.

ZeroBaseOne performs lead track “In Bloom." [WAKEONE]

ZeroBaseOne refers to itself as a “fifth-generation” boy band, differentiating itself from the heavily saturated battlefield of fourth-generation idol groups. The group says it has opened a new chapter in K-pop through its unprecedented records.

“Even we were surprised when we saw all these records we were setting,” Han-bin said.

“We want to keep doing so and make K-pop history,” added Zhang Hao, who finished “Boys Planet” in first place with the most viewer votes during the final episode.

Despite having already set numerous records, ZeroBaseOne has its sights set on more goals for this year.

“We want to win the New Artist award,” Ricky said. “It’s such a precious award that a group can win only once in its career. If I can be with ZeroBaseOne and Ze_Rose at an honorable moment like that, I would be so happy.”

“We also want to take the No. 1 spot on a TV music show with our new release,” said Gyu-win. “If we do, we will repay Ze_Rose with a fun encore performance.”

To find out more about ZeroBaseOne, visit Celeb Confirmed!

ZeroBaseOne performs "New Kidz on the Block." [WAKEONE]

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]