The Meteoric Rise of ZEROBASEONE, K-Pop’s New Kids on the Block

In April, at an NCT Dream concert in Anaheim, California, those who took a quick bathroom break between songs may have been greeted by some unexpected reading material when they closed the stall door. An enterprising fan decided to take advantage of a temporarily captive audience and taped posters inside bathroom stalls throughout the Honda Center, urging the occupants to vote for contestant Seok Matthew on the Mnet survival show Boys Planet.

Nearly four months to the day after his unexpected cameo at that NCT Dream concert, Matthew—successfully voted through as a member of Boys Planet project group ZEROBASEONE—stood on the KCON stage in Los Angeles and grooved to NCT Dream’s “Beatbox” during the group’s first U.S. performance. It was a full-circle moment for the brand-new idol, and one that emphasized just how quickly he and his group mates had been catapulted to fame. And judging by the thunderous cheers that erupted from the audience each time ZEROBASEONE appeared throughout the KCON show, no one is happier about their meteoric rise than the fans who helped make it happen.

ZEROBASEONE officially broke into the K-pop industry in July with its first mini-album, which immediately became the only debut album by a K-pop group ever to sell 1 million copies in a single day. (No one else’s first album has done those kinds of numbers even in a week.) Granted, the group’s immense popularity had been steadily growing since February, when Boys Planet premiered and introduced the world to the nine young men who would eventually become ZEROBASEONE.

Those nine didn’t have an easy road to get here—they had to outlast an initial pool of 98 contestants, half of whom were Korean and half of whom were “global,” sourced from the United States, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand. In addition to Matthew, a sweet-faced, smiley Canadian, two Chinese trainees made it into ZEROBASEONE from the global group: striking, sharp-gazed Ricky and sassy, scene-stealing Zhang Hao—the latter of whom shocked viewers by becoming the first non-Korean contestant to ever win first place on an Mnet K-pop survival show.

And while seeing native Koreans rise to success within the K-pop industry may be more common, ZEROBASEONE’s Korean trainees are just as uniquely memorable as their global group mates. Group leader Hanbin, the second-place finalist, went viral throughout his Boys Planet run for his pre-fame dance clips—an iconic legacy that, at this point, he may never shake. Main vocalist Taerae’s husky voice and deep dimples cemented his status as a fan favorite, while the handsome eldest member, Kim Ji-woong, made headlines for his prior career as a BL (boys’ love) actor. Lanky, quick-witted Kim Gyu-vin worked his way into fans’ hearts by acting as a reliable source of comedic relief, and 16-year-old Yujin displayed talent and presence far beyond his years to slide into the group’s ninth slot.

But for the architect of Boys Planet, producer Kim Sin-young, it was tall teenage multi-hyphenate Park Gun-wook whose appearance on the show surprised him most. “When Gun-wook first performed in front of the staff members, before official filming began, he was being very cautious—very modest,” said Kim, via a translator. But when Gun-wook and his fellow Jellyfish Entertainment trainees stepped onto the set for their official “Star Level Test” in front of 94 other trainees and a panel of judges, Gun-wook’s demeanor shifted—suddenly, he cut a confident, imposing figure. “I was pleasantly surprised, because though I had seen the humble side of Gun-wook, he had suddenly become more proactive about displaying his talents and what he could do,” Kim said.

Ironically, though Kim loved Gun-wook’s confidence from a producer’s perspective, that immediate intensity almost ended up working against the contestant himself, who received early backlash for appearing too confident. “I was way too determined,” Gun-wook said recently on a variety show. “I had never been so determined before.” Thankfully, the initial negative response didn’t have a lasting impact, and he was voted through in fifth place, but Kim insisted that Gun-wook’s refusal to appear timid in the first episode was actually a strength—and that it reflects what makes him and the other members of ZEROBASEONE unique.

“The character of the trainees I used to have, versus those on Boys Planet, have changed a lot,” said Kim, who also produced K-pop survival shows I-Land and Girls Planet 999. “The previous generation of trainees were often more cautious about how they wanted to stand out, acting slightly more timid and passive on-screen. The latest generation knows how to actively show what makes them special, and what they can provide to the public as entertainers. And I think that’s what attracts people to the members of ZEROBASEONE.”

After the response to ZEROBASEONE at KCON, it’s hard to argue with Kim’s point—something about this group hits different. Fans, staff, press, and even the members themselves were unprepared for quite how popular they would be with international fans—despite the fact that those very fans were the ones voting at all hours of the day to put them through to their official debut. Still, looking at voting numbers is very different from hearing 20,000 fans screaming your names, mere months after your official introduction to idol life.

“We were so surprised at the love and support from the global fans,” said Taerae via a translator, in an interview with the group the day after its KCON performance. Matthew added, “It was to the point where we couldn’t even hear ourselves. The energy was amazing.” During the interview, those very fans were just below the room, on the convention floor—a few daring group members peeked through the curtains to wave at them in their free moments.

For Matthew and Ricky, who are still working on their Korean fluency, KCON presented an exciting opportunity to communicate more comfortably in English. “It’s really refreshing for us to be able to speak in a language that we can express,” Matthew said, admitting that speaking Korean for most of their professional lives is extremely difficult. But in America, they’re the MVPs, if you will—interacting with fans, taking the lead with press, and even participating in a panel with producer Kim. “We’re having a lot of fun with it.”

Ricky, who was born in Shanghai but grew up in California, is also making the most of his opportunity to communicate freely. “I can never be the interview MVP in Korea, so I’m enjoying this.” He was noticeably relaxed, speaking and laughing easily, in stark contrast to how he often appeared on Boys Planet. “Here, Matthew and I get to finally express ourselves the way we want to.”

As for the rest of ZEROBASEONE, they were enjoying watching Ricky and Matthew take their turn in the spotlight—but perhaps not as much as the English-speaking members claimed. “I’ve heard them say in the hotel, like, ‘Oh Matthew-hyung … you’re kind of sexy.” Matthew said, laughing. Gyu-vin didn’t miss a beat. “Nobody said it.”

Since it has only one mini-album to its name at the moment, ZEROBASEONE included the theme song from Boys Planet, “Here I Am,” in its KCON set. Fans auditioned to join them onstage and dance to the song, which was one of the KCON “Dream Stage” performances. For most groups who participate in the Dream Stage each year, it’s probably a little strange having a massive group of fans run onstage to dance with them. But for the members of ZEROBASEONE, who originally performed “Here I Am” with all 98 Boys Planet contestants, a full stage felt like coming home.

“They were so lovely,” said Zhang Hao. “Because of them, we did extra well.” Ricky agreed, adding that it felt good to give the song an update—after all, they’ve been performing it together longer than any song in their arsenal. “When they joined us, it felt so fresh again. They were so good at dancing, and they brought so much new energy—it reminded us how we started this.”

“Here I Am” was the only Boys Planet song that ZEROBASEONE performed at KCON, but they’ve adapted several of the most popular songs from the show for their group, including the most recent addition, “Jelly Pop,” which Zhang Hao named as his personal favorite. (He apologized to fans for not including it in the KCON set.) And as for whether fans will see more Boys Planet songs in the future? They don’t rule it out. “Hanbin and I know most of the dances. I think ‘En Garde’ is probably one of the best to dance to,” Matthew said, citing Gyu-vin and Gun-wook’s dramatic performance. Ricky, who appeared in “Over Me” with Zhang Hao, would love for the full group to learn that one. “I think fans are waiting to see the ZB1 version.” Ji-woong, however, is happy with his two songs that have already made the cut for the full group, “Say My Name” and “Hot Summer.” (He laughed when it was pointed out that he didn’t have to learn very much new choreography for their adapted songs.)

While they’re always happy to nod to their Boys Planet roots, ZEROBASEONE is forging ahead with new music already—in a short, mysterious video screened after their performance at KCON, they announced another comeback on the way in November. They can’t give anything away, but according to Yujin, fans will “witness what they want from us.” He paused, realizing that perhaps he was promising too much. “Maybe.”

Yujin doesn’t have to worry about most fans, like the one who plastered that poster inside countless bathroom stalls: Just by making Matthew and the rest of his group’s idol dreams come true, ZEROBASEONE has already given fans plenty. And though it may be too soon to say what impact ZEROBASEONE will leave on the K-pop industry at large, by letting each member play to his talents—on Boys Planet and well beyond—the group is already off to a whirlwind start.