Zerobaseone became Tower Record's bestseller in K-pop this year. Courtesy of WakeOne
K-pop boy group Zerobaseone, also known as ZB1, topped Japanese music retailer Tower Records' best seller chart, solidifying its presence in the country's music scene.
The group's first Japanese single, "Yura Yura -Fate no Hana-," released in March, took the top spot on the platform's K-pop Top 20 chart with cumulative sales from January to October.
The nine-piece act claimed two additional spots on the chart. Its fourth mini-album, “CINEMA PARADISE,” released in August, clinched the fifth spot, and its third mini-album, “You Had Me at Hello,” released in May, ranked ninth.
The group's popularity in Japan extends beyond album sales, as it also took fifth place in Spotify Japan's Most Shared Artists on Social Media. “Feel the POP,” the title track of its third mini-album, ranked 10th among Most Shared Songs on Social Media in Japan, making Zerobaseone the only K-pop group to land on the list.
“They achieved a significant indicator of popularity on social media platforms,” the group's agency, WakeOne, said in the release.
Zerobaseone — with members Kim Ji-woong, Zhang Hao, Sung Han-bin, Seok Matthew, Kim Tae-rae, Ricky, Kim Gyu-vin, Park Gun-wook and Han Yu-jin — debuted in 2023 with the EP “YOUTH IN THE SHADE.” The members were the top nine finalists of the reality music competition show "Boys Planet."
Since then, the group has built a fan base even before its official debut and attracted even more fans with its debut hit, which highlighted the members' artistry, vocal talent and dance skills.
ZB1 took the Japanese music scene by storm with its successful debut in the country in March.
Its Japanese debut single "Yura Yura -Fate no Hana-" sold over 187,600 copies on the first day of its release, topping Oricon's Daily Single Chart. It recorded the highest sales for a debut album by a K-pop artist in the country. It sold half a million copies within a week, earning double platinum certification from the Japan Record Association for selling over 500,000 copies.
The group made its way into one of the largest arenas in Japan, K-Arena Yokohama, for a fan concert in March. It also held five shows in Japan as part of its world tour, “2024 ZEROBASEONE THE FIRST TOUR [TIMELESS WORLD],” making stops in cities like Aichi and Kanagawa, selling out about 60,000 seats.
The group expanded its presence in the country by singing "Only One Story," the new opening theme for popular Japanese animation "Pokemon."
The group became one of the most prominent rookies in K-pop here as well, sweeping new artist awards at the Hanteo Music Awards and the Circle Chart Music Awards with a string of hits, including “In Bloom,” “CRUSH” and “Feel the POP.”
The group wrapped up its first overseas tour “TIMELESS WORLD” earlier this month, holding 14 concerts in eight different cities, including Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila and Macao.
Zerobaseone is set to release its first Japanese EP, “PREZENT,” on Jan. 29. It will include four original Japanese tracks — “NOW OR NEVER,” “Only One Story,” “Firework” and “HANA” — and Japanese versions of two Korean tracks “Feel the POP” and “GOOD SO BAD.”