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Zerobaseone blooms with debut album, making all-time record

By Hong Yoo

Published : July 11, 2023 - 16:28

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Zerobaseone (WakeOne) Zerobaseone (WakeOne)

Zerobaseone, a group that consists of nine artists chosen through Mnet’s idol survival program, “Boys Planet,” made its grand debut on Monday.

“We’ve dreamed of this debut for so long. We prepared a lot for this debut, hoping to show enhanced performance and vocal skills to our fans and the public,” said Gyuvin of Zerobaseone during a press conference in Seoul on the day of its debut.

“We were able to debut thanks to the interest and support of many people. We want to be artists that repay all the love received,” said Taerae.

“This debut comes three months after the show 'Boys Planet' came to an end. During these past months, we practiced a lot to be able to present a good stage. Our members also focused on communicating closely to create good synergy as a group.”

The members of the multinational act include Jiwoong, Zhang Hao, Hanbin, Matthew, Taerae, Ricky, Gyuvin, Gunwook and Yujin.

The nine-member act entered the music scene with its first mini album, “Youth in the Shade,” which set a new record in K-pop history.

According to local album sales tracker Hanteo Chart on Tuesday, 1.24 million copies of the EP were sold on the first day of its release.

Zerobaseone is the first K-pop group to become a million-seller on the day of its debut.

The EP also wrote a new pre-order record by hitting 1.08 million pre-orders just within 13 days since pre-orders began.

“Our album conveys our thoughts on youth, which is beautiful but at the same time, there are hardships that come within, but those hardships are what makes youth shine brighter,” introduced Hanbin.

The album comprises a total of six tracks led by the title track, “In Bloom,” which is of the drum and bass genre, composed with both trendy and vintage sounds.

“The point dance move in this track is when we move our arms as if watering plants and then we move our hands around to symbolize flowers,” said Zhang Hao, the Chinese member of the multinational group, after performing the title track for the first time on stage.

Zerobaseone hopes to go “straight to the top” just as in the lyrics to one of its side tracks, “New Kidz on the Block.”

“We want to aim for the top. First off, we want to receive a rookie award because we can only get that award once in our life. We want to share such an honorable moment with our fans, Zerose,” said Ricky.

“We also hope to spread positive energy to the public through our music. We want to work as K-pop artists for as long as possible,” said Hanbin.

This group quickly garnered remarkable popularity as it hit one million followers within a week of establishing its official Instagram and TikTok accounts.

“We had the chance to meet our fans as we performed at KCON Japan prior to our debut. It was an unforgettable memory for us. We are happy that from now on, we will have more opportunities to perform in front of our fans,” said Yujin.

“We will continue to establish our own style to make Zerobaseone itself into a brand and a genre,” said Zhang Hao.