ZEROBASEONE surpasses 10 million in cumulative album sales, first fifth-generation K-pop act to reach a top-tier milestone

ZEROBASEONE has surpassed 10 million copies in cumulative album sales on the Hanteo Chart, from their debut album Youth in the Shade to their latest mini-album Ascend-, WakeOne announced on the 25th. This record is the first and only top-tier milestone among fifth-generation K-pop groups. On the Hanteo Chart, their debut album Youth in the Shade had already entered the double-million-seller club, and the second mini-album Melting Point also posted consecutive double-million sales. After that, mini 3 You had me at HELLO, mini 4 CINEMA PARADISE, mini 5 BLUE PARADISE, and the full-length NEVER SAY NEVER continued the million-seller ranks, forming six consecutive million-seller albums since the debut. The ascent beyond Ascend- as the baseline indicates that ZEROBASEONE has maintained strong album power even after reconfiguring to five members. Ascend- was released on May 18 and topped Hanteo's physical album chart on its first day. It also topped China's QQ Music digital album chart, showing strong performance on global charts as well. The title track TOP 5 is a modern reinterpretation of early 2000s dance-pop, blending contemporary R&B mood with hip-hop rhythms. The music video surpassed 40 million views in its shortest time since release and ranked No. 2 in global 24-hour view counts. Meanwhile, Ascend-’s sales are calculated from the release date and subsequent periods, so whether Ascend- achieves seven consecutive million-seller titles remains a future point of interest. Reports say reactions to Ascend- were hot among the public and fans right after its release, and the title track's popularity was also evident on Japan's Spotify rising charts. The group began as a nine-member lineup and restructured to five, but has continued to carry the brand and musical direction. In an interview with MK Sports, members said that after contract renewals they focused on leveraging each other’s strengths to add new color and tried to make the title track and each track reflect ZEROBASEONE's signature sound more clearly. Park Gun-uk said he included a self-composed song on this album, and the voices of the other members injected new vitality into the group's operations and musicality, pursuing a color that adds maturity and stability to the current five-member direction. ZEROBASEONE plans to continue pursuing diverse concepts and musical experiments while balancing group and individual activities. Expanding performances and content centered on the fandom ZEROS is also anticipated, with activities designed to convey the group's identity and maturity. Other reports note that Ascend-’s cumulative sales reached 514,784 copies, suggesting the potential for seven consecutive million-seller achievements alongside Ascend-’s multi-faceted global performance. Since reforming to five members, ZEROBASEONE has shown a willingness to broaden each member’s individual activities in entertainment and acting and has begun a new journey to coexist with the group’s musical identity and color. Thus, surpassing 10 million copies is not just a sales figure but a testament to ZEROBASEONE’s continued growth and ongoing challenge to become an icon of fifth-generation K-pop.