Members reflect on lineup change, reinvention and balancing nostalgia with a new direction Zerobaseone (WakeOne) Zerobaseone is opening a new chapter with its sixth EP, “Ascend-,” marking the group’s first release as a five-member act following the departure of four members in March.Ahead of the album’s release on May 18, members Hanbin, Jiwoong, Matthew, Taerae and Gunwook sat down for a round interview at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, Friday. They reflected on the group’s transition after the expiration of the project group’s two-year-and-eight-month contract, a new musical direction, and what they hope the newly rearranged Zerobaseone will represent moving forward.According to the group’s agency WakeOne, the hyphen in the album title symbolizes continuity and forward momentum — reflecting the group’s ambition to keep evolving and reaching new heights.“With this album, we wanted to show a more mature charm,” said Gunwook. “Before, we focused more on expressing our youthful charm, but now we wanted to present a more refined and grown-up side of Zerobaseone.”That shift is especially clear in the lead track “Top 5,” a dance-pop and contemporary R&B track that reinterprets early 2000s pop through Zerobaseone’s own style. The members said they looked to artists such as Justin Timberlake, Usher and Michael Jackson to pay homage to their musical eras.Gunwook added that the group approached the album with the idea of creating a “slick pop” sound rooted in early 2000s influences. Among several main track candidates the group listened to, Gunwook explained that “‘Top 5’ felt like the song that could express that idea the best.”When asked why the members took part even more actively in shaping the format of “Ascend-,” they explained that it was rooted in Zerobaseone’s desire to reshape its identity from what it established previously, particularly in terms of its performance and direction.“Since there was a major change within the team, the five of us talked a lot about what our strengths were and how we could emphasize such strengths,” said Jiwoong. “We felt that our identity as Zerobaseone had shifted with its change in members, so we wanted to build a newer team identity that also highlighted each of the members’ strengths." Zerobaseone (WakeOne) The group ultimately decided to pursue a cleaner, sleeker and more restrained image for this new phase.“When we discussed what kind of image we should show first as five members, that became our biggest task,” said Hanbin. “We wondered whether we should continue with the same style as before or choose something that truly suited the five of us now. After listening to demo tracks together, all five of us unanimously agreed we should go in a gentler, cleaner and more sophisticated direction.”The change doesn’t mean the members are erasing Zerobaseone’s previous musical identity.“For the lead track and the overall mood and performance of the album, we’re trying to build an entirely new image,” Gunwook said. “But at the same time, there are fans who loved Zerobaseone’s original color, so through the B-side tracks, we wanted people to feel a bit of nostalgia — like, ‘This is the kind of music Zerobaseone used to do’ — while also experiencing something new at the same time.”As for what they hope people will say about this new chapter, Matthew simply answered that his goal is the same as it was before: to hear that they’ve improved.“Whether it’s dance, vocals or performance, I want to hear people say that our skills have grown, that we’ve improved,” he said. “Receiving feedback that we’ve grown and improved always gives us strength and motivation to work even harder, so that is once again our goal for this comeback.”