ZeroBaseOne to release debut solo on July 10

Project boy band ZeroBaseOne (ZB1)'s debut EP, ″Youth in the Shade″ will be released on July 10. [WAKEONE]

Mnet's newest project boy band ZeroBaseOne, also known as ZB1, will make its debut with EP "Youth in the Shade" on July 10, agency Wake One Entertainment announced Wednesday.

The title of its debut EP was first teased through a video in May during the boy band's performance at KCON Japan 2023.

ZeroBaseOne is a nine-member project group that was formed through cable network Mnet's audition program, "Boys Planet." The nine members — Zhang Hao, Sung Han-bin, Seok Matthew, Ricky, Park Gun-wook, Kim Tae-rae, Kim Gyu-vin, Kim Ji-woong and Han Yu-jin — will run for two and a half years starting July 10 under Wake One Entertainment, a CJ ENM subsidiary.

The band's name, ZeroBaseOne, refers to the "splendid beginning of the nine members starting from zero, who comes into one group," according to the agency.

"Boys Planet," a sequel to Mnet's 2021 girl group audition program "Girls Planet 999" (2021), started airing on Feb. 2 and aired 12 episodes in total. The 12-week journey saw 98 contestants perform in group missions and slowly get eliminated by viewers' votes each week.

Divided into the "K Group" of Korean contestants and "G Group" of global contestants, consisting of 49 each, "Boys Planet" received applications from 84 countries and over 200 agencies worldwide.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]