Zerobaseone Begins Five-Member Era with ‘Ascend-‘

Zerobaseone embarks on a significant new chapter with their sixth EP, “Ascend-,” marking a pivotal moment as the K-pop group’s first release as a five-member act following the departure of four members in March.

Ahead of the highly anticipated album release on May 18, members Hanbin, Jiwoong, Matthew, Taerae, and Gunwook convened for an insightful interview at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, on Friday. Discussions centered on the K-pop group’s transformation following the expiration of their project contract, their new musical direction, and their vision for the reimagined Zerobaseone moving forward.

WakeOne, the group’s agency, explains that the unique hyphen in the album title, “Ascend-,” profoundly symbolizes continuity and forward momentum. This reflects Zerobaseone’s collective ambition to continuously evolve and reach new artistic heights.

“With this album, we aimed to showcase a more mature charm,” stated Gunwook. “Previously, our focus was primarily on expressing our youthful energy, but now we wished to present a more refined and grown-up side of Zerobaseone.”

This stylistic shift is strikingly evident in the lead track, “Top 5.” Described as a vibrant dance-pop and contemporary R&B offering, it masterfully reinterprets early 2000s pop through Zerobaseone’s distinctive sound. The members revealed they drew inspiration from iconic artists like Justin Timberlake, Usher, and Michael Jackson, paying homage to those foundational musical eras.

Gunwook further elaborated that the group approached the album with the concept of crafting a “slick pop” sound deeply rooted in early 2000s influences. Among various main track candidates, Gunwook explained that “‘Top 5’ felt like the song that could best encapsulate that vision.”

When prompted about their heightened involvement in shaping “Ascend-,” the members clarified that this active participation stemmed from Zerobaseone’s strong desire to redefine its identity, distinct from its prior establishment, especially concerning its stage performance and artistic direction.

“Since there was a major change within the team, the five of us extensively discussed our core strengths and how we could effectively emphasize them,” said Jiwoong. “We recognized that our identity as Zerobaseone had shifted with the change in members, so we sought to build a newer team identity that also highlighted each of the members’ individual strengths.”

Ultimately, the acclaimed K-pop group opted to cultivate a cleaner, sleeker, and more restrained image for this pivotal new phase of their career.

“When we discussed what kind of image we should first project as five members, that became our biggest task,” Hanbin explained. “We debated whether to continue with our previous style or choose something that truly suited the five of us now. After carefully listening to demo tracks together, all five of us unanimously agreed we should move in a gentler, cleaner, and more sophisticated direction.”

However, this transformation does not imply the members are erasing Zerobaseone’s established musical identity.

“For the lead track and the overall mood and performance of the album, we are striving to build an entirely new image,” Gunwook commented. “But simultaneously, recognizing there are fans who cherished Zerobaseone’s original color, we aimed for the B-side tracks to evoke a sense of nostalgia — allowing people to think, ‘This is the kind of music Zerobaseone used to create’ — while still experiencing something fresh.”

Regarding their aspirations for this new chapter, Matthew simply articulated that his core goal remains unchanged: to hear that they’ve improved.

“Whether it’s in dance, vocals, or overall performance, I want to hear people acknowledge that our skills have grown, that we’ve improved,” he affirmed. “Receiving feedback that we’ve progressed and refined our abilities always provides us with immense strength and motivation to work even harder, making that once again our primary objective for this comeback.”