Members discuss hands-on participation in shaping new EP and expanding the group’s musical identity Zerobaseone (WakeOne) While “Ascend-” marks a new beginning for Zerobaseone as a five-member group, the album also reflects the members’ growing involvement in shaping the group’s music and creative direction.Ahead of the sixth EP’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 on Friday, where they discussed the making of the EP and the group’s evolving musical identity.The album also highlights the members’ growing involvement, most notably through Gunwook’s self-produced fan song “Customize,” which marks the first time he participated in producing a Zerobaseone track. For “Customize,” Gunwook took part in writing, composing and arranging the song.When asked how Gunwook took up producing music, he said it began with a simple realization: He needed a hobby.“I'm not someone who can just sit still and rest, so I started composing because I wanted something to focus on,” he said with a laugh. “But the more I worked on it, the more fun it became. And once I completed something meaningful, I felt a real sense of achievement.”The song ultimately became more meaningful as the group prepared its first album as five members.“As we prepared our first album as five, I thought it would feel even more meaningful if the album included a song made by one of the members,” he said. “Our agency liked it; the members liked it, and I’m proud that my name is now in the album credits. It feels like Zerobaseone’s possibilities and colors became even clearer through this experience.” Zerobaseone (WakeOne) The members said all five of them actively participated throughout the album’s creative process as they worked to establish Zerobaseone’s identity in its next chapter.“There isn’t a single song on this album that feels repetitive,” said Taerae, highlighting the active role the members played in creating the album. “I think listeners will be able to find at least one song that matches their personal taste, as each of the seven tracks has a different charm of its own.”“We listened to around 30 to 40 demo tracks while selecting the songs,” Gunwook added. “Even with the lead track, we didn’t hesitate to give ideas to the company on what kind of variety we felt was needed to make the song better. This album truly reflects all the members’ opinions and thoughts about the kind of music we ultimately want to make in the future.”The members also emphasized that “Ascend-” was designed to showcase a broader musical spectrum than before. That diversity is also reflected in the group’s performance approach for the album’s lead track “Top 5,” which draws inspiration from early 2000s pop music.“This time, we wanted to show a more restrained kind of charm,” Gunwook said. “Rather than making a stage that people simply go wild for, we wanted to create something people could really feel. We focused on making the choreography and music feel tightly connected.”Looking ahead, the members hope to continue expanding Zerobaseone’s creative identity both as a team and individually.“I want each member’s unique charm to shine as much as possible within Zerobaseone,” Gunwook said. “At the same time, I hope we can continue freely exploring what we each want to do as artists.”