Tearing up the contract and stepping out... I.O.I and ZEROBASEONE shatter the 'time bomb' rule [★FOCUS]

*This content was translated by AI.

The K-pop market in May 2026 is hotter than ever, fueled by the dazzling returns and re-emergence of project groups born from survival audition programs. In the past, it was almost a given that project groups would face a regretful farewell upon the expiration of their fixed contract periods, bound by the inherent limitation of being "temporary."

But that is no longer the case. From the 10th-anniversary reunion of the girl group I.O.I, formed through Mnet's "Produce 101" Season 1, to the five-member restructuring of the boy group ZEROBASEONE, created by "Boys Planet," and the re-debut of AND2BLE, a group uniting members from both ZEROBASEONE and EVNNE.

Rather than putting a period to their activities, each group is opening a second act in its own way, proving to themselves that this is "not an end, but a new beginning."

Debuting in 2016 and enjoying a phenomenon-level popularity for about eight months, I.O.I reunited for the first time in nine years this year to mark its 10th anniversary. Despite its short-term activity, I.O.I's return, which garnered nationwide love and became a role model for the countless audition groups that followed, carries symbolic significance in K-pop history in itself.

On the 19th, I.O.I released its third mini-album with a nine-member lineup (Lim Na-young, Chung Ha, Kim Se-jeong, Jeong Chae-yeon, Kim So-hye, Yoo Yeon-jung, Choi Yoo-jung, Kim Do-yeon, and Jeon So-mi). The title track "Suddenly" features lyrics by Jeon So-mi, while other members actively participated in the overall album production. Kang Mi-na and Joo Kyung-kyung were unable to participate in this promotion due to scheduled commitments.

This is recognized as a representative case demonstrating that the fruits of musical capabilities built steadily in their respective positions over the past decade can prove that the narrative of a project group is not limited to a one-off event but can transcend time and expand.

Beyond simply releasing an album, they are also expanding their activity scope through performances. I.O.I will hold its new tour "LOOP" Seoul concert from the 29th to the 31st at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium. Following this, they plan to tour across Asia, including Bangkok and Hong Kong, to meet global fans and mark the brilliant peak of their 10th-anniversary project.

ZEROBASEONE, which achieved six consecutive million-seller albums from its debut as the first fifth-generation K-pop group and set a massive record with cumulative sales of 10 million Jang I-ra-neun (EVP), has also achieved a successful evolution.

After concluding its nine-member activities at the end of March, ZEROBASEONE chose a bold and new path of "team restructuring" instead of the common course of "dissolution."

Reorganized into a five-member lineup of Sung Han-bin, Kim Ji-woong, Seok Matthew, Kim Tae-rae, and Park Geon-wook, ZEROBASEONE announced its second leap forward with the release of its sixth mini-album "Ascend-" on the 18th. Including the title track "Top 5," the songs on the new album fully inherit the powerful performance and identity of the original group while further sharpening each member's vocal capabilities and charm. By reducing the group's size, they focused on strengthening their core, making a smart choice to concentrate more on the essence of the group.

This choice led to outstanding global results. On the day of release, the album topped the overall album chart on Japan's iTunes, as well as the K-POP and POP album charts. "Top 5" also reached number one on Japan's iTunes Top Song K-POP chart and Spotify's Rising chart, demonstrating the strong interest of local fans.

Another branch that sprouted alongside ZEROBASEONE's restructuring is the birth of AND2BLE. Four members who successfully completed their activities with ZEROBASEONE—Zhang Hao, Ricky, Kim Gyu-bin, and Han Yu-jin—joined forces with Yoo Seung-eon, a member from EVNNE, to form the five-member boy group AND2BLE under YH Entertainment (formerly WeaH Entertainment).

On the 26th, AND2BLE officially entered the K-pop market by releasing its first mini-album "Sequence 01: Curiosity." Their combination, having spent a long time as trainees together and proving their solid skills in their respective spin-off groups, immediately drew the attention of the music industry.

Proving the moniker of "complete rookie," AND2BLE, upon debut, quickly secured top positions on various music and album charts with its title track "Curious," showcasing terrifying destructive power. The new album, immediately after its release, entered the iTunes "Top Albums" TOP10 in 23 countries and regions worldwide, including number one in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Turkey.

With two Chinese members, their firepower in the Chinese market is immense. They directly topped the daily chart of best-selling albums on China's largest music platform, QQ Music, demonstrating AND2BLE's "hot debut." In particular, AND2BLE proved its powerful local fandom by reaching number two on the same weekly chart just one day after release.

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*This content was translated by AI.