ZEROBASEONE debuts; what makes this K-pop act promising
ZEROBASEONE has arrived! The newcomers on the block have officially made their debut in the K-pop scene with their first mini-album, Youth in the Shade, released on Monday (July 10). Managed by WakeOne, even before their debut, ZB1 has already registered an astounding feat by surpassing 1M pre-orders for their debut album. Here's why you should look out for this promising fifth-generation K-pop group!
Why does this story matter?
ZB1 was created through Mnet's Idol survival series, Boys Planet, which followed the success of 2021's Girls Planet. The top nine finalists from the show came together to form a group—comprising Sung Han-bin, Kim Ji-woong, Seok Matthew, Kim Tae-rae, Zhang Hao, Ricky, Park Gun-wook, Kim Gyu-vin, and Han Yu-jin. Notably, the K-pop group is set to remain active for two and a half years.
ZB1 unveiled the MV for the title track 'In Bloom'
ZB1 treated fans by not only releasing their mini-album but also unveiling the MV for the title track In Bloom. Youth in the Shade consists of six tracks including, Back to ZEROBASE, New Kidz on the Block, In Bloom, And I, Our Season, and Always. Within two hours of its release, the In Bloom MV has already surpassed an impressive 200K views on YouTube.
Take a look at the newly released music video
ZB1's record-breaking achievements
The mini-album already made waves, setting incredible new records. Even before releasing their debut album, the group became the first boy group in the K-pop industry to record over 1M pre-orders for their debut album in 26 years. Notably, ZB1 achieved this feat in just 13 days. The last male idol group to achieve the million-seller title was the first-generation group SECHSKIES in 1997.
Meanwhile, ZB1 made history with Chinese trainee Zhang Hao
Apart from setting incredible records, ZB1 also made history with Chinese trainee Zhang Hao becoming the first foreigner to secure a center position in a K-pop group and rank number one in a survival show. This achievement has sparked immense interest among Chinese fans, resulting in the group breaking the record for the highest first-day pre-order sales of any K-pop idol group in China.
