ZeroBaseOne to make Japanese debut

Boy band ZeroBaseOne [YONHAP]

Boy band ZeroBaseOne will sign a contract with Japan's Sony Music and kick off its Japanese career in March, its agency, WakeOne said Thursday.

The group is slated to hold a fan meet and greet the same month as its Japanese debut.

ZeroBaseOne has already gained impressive popularity in Japan, WakeOne said.

The band's first EP, “Youth in the Shade,” and second EP, “Melting Point,” both ranked high on Japan’s Oricon Albums chart.

The band’s first fan concert, “2023 ZeroBaseOne Fan-Con,” which was held on Aug. 15, was livestreamed in movie theaters around Japan. Additional theaters were added to the run after more fans than expected wanted to attend, according to WakeOne.

“We are happy to able to grow in Japan,” the band said in a press release. “We hope we can make happy memories along with our fans. We are eager to perform our songs to Japanese Ze-rose.”

Ze-Rose is the band’s official fan club name.

ZeroBaseOne — also known as ZB1 — is a project group formed through cable network Mnet's audition program "Boys Planet." The group consists of 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. Starting from their first release on July 10, 2023, the group will be active for two and a half years.

To find out more about ZeroBaseOne, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]