ZEROBASEONE has opened up about their honest feelings regarding their comeback as a 5-member group instead of nine.
ZEROBASEONE (Sung Hanbin, Kim Jiwoong, Seok Matthew, Kim Taerae, and Park Gunwook) will return on the 18th with their 6th mini album, ‘Ascend-‘. ‘Ascend-‘ is an album that focuses on the essence of ZEROBASEONE, condensing their musical journey into a single narrative to showcase a bold leap forward with a clearer identity.
Ahead of the comeback, Sung Hanbin shared, “We’ve returned with the category of our 6th mini album, ‘Ascend-‘. While preparing, the five of us worried a lot about what kind of image we should show, but that process allowed us to get to know each other more deeply. We worked even harder knowing that ZEROSE were waiting for us. Please give ‘Ascend-‘ lots of love and interest!”
Park Gunwook highlighted performance as the area he focused on most. “Since the number of members has decreased, I felt that our individual performances would naturally be more visible. While synchronization is basic, I focused on how each of us could shine individually,” he confessed.
Regarding the overall mood of the album, he explained, “While building a completely new image is great, some fans love the existing ‘ZEROBASEONE color,’ so we paid close attention to the B-side tracks. We structured it so fans could feel a sense of nostalgia and emotion, thinking, ‘Oh, we used to do things like this too.'”
The title track is ‘TOP5’. Seok Matthew said, “I loved the song from the first time I heard it. I really wanted it to be the title track, and since we are now five members, it felt like destiny.” He added, “For the performance, we tried to show a more restrained charm. Even just spinning to the beat at the start looks cool. Rather than just high energy, I wanted to create a stage where the audience could really feel the music. To make the choreography and song fit perfectly while highlighting the melody and beat, we adopted classic movements to create a familiar yet sexy vibe.”
Kim Taerae mentioned the vocal performance, saying, “We had many conversations among the members about which parts to fill and what we wanted to show on stage.” He confessed, “There are many things we haven’t been able to show as ZEROBASEONE yet, so we are practicing to pursue naturalness across various genres.”
Sung Hanbin expressed his expectations for the comeback, stating, “We felt that deciding what our first image should be was our ‘homework.’ We agonized over whether to stick to our previous style or show a side that fits who we are now, and we were worried about whether we could meet the fans’ needs. In that situation, we heard the demo and decided unanimously. We wanted to show a gentle, clean, and sophisticated feel, and I felt we got some confirmation of this direction at KCON Japan before the comeback.”
Former ZEROBASEONE members Zhang Hao, Ricky, Kim Gyuvin, and Han Yujin have returned to their original agency, YH Entertainment, to re-debut as the rookie group AND2BLE. Kim Jiwoong spoke honestly about the AND2BLE members, who will be active both separately and together: “We were once in the same team and are still running toward our dreams, so of course I’m cheering them on. I truly hope everyone does well.”
Sung Hanbin bragged about their strong bond, revealing that the 9-member group chat is still very active. “We still talk a lot. We’re very close, so we support each other and tell each other to work hard,” he said.
When asked why they decided to stay in ZEROBASEONE instead of disbanding, Seok Matthew said, “I love being with the members. I had no intention of doing things alone and wanted to continue together. I want to do this steadily for as long as possible.” Sung Hanbin added, “Through our meetings, I felt it was lucky and destined to meet members who are so like-minded. Above all, the reason the members, including myself, ultimately chose to extend was ZEROSE. We thought it would be great for the fans to see us continuing to move forward.”
Park Gunwook showed his deep affection for the members, laughing, “When we talk among ourselves, we often say things like ‘Let’s promote for a long time,’ ‘Let’s make music for a long time,’ and ‘Let’s go far.’ As long as our personal relationships don’t fall apart, I think we’ll keep going for as long as possible.”
