SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - JANUARY 12: Junseo, Arno, Leo, Anxin, Sangwon, Xinlong, Sanghyeon and Geonwoo of boy band Alpha Drive One perform onstage during Alpha Drive One the 1st mini album "Euphoria" showcase at Blue Square on January 12, 2026 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)WireImageWAKEONE’s rising stars, izna and ALPHA DRIVE ONE, have entered a partnership with REPUBLIC Collective to expand their album promotions and distributions. REPUBLIC, also known as Republic Label Group, is a division under Universal Music Group that operates several major subsidiary record labels, including Republic Records, Def Jam Records, Island Records, and Mercury Records.WAKEONE, an entertainment label under CJ ENM, has already seen success from its artists, who originally stemmed from MNET music survival shows. WAKEONE manages the hit groups ZEROBASEONE (from 2023’s BOYS PLANET), Kep1er (2021’s Girls Planet 999), izna (2024’s I-LAND 2: N/a), and ALPHA DRIVE ONE (2025’s BOYS II PLANET). ZEROBASEONE secured a distribution deal with Virgin Music Group, earning two Top 30 spots on the Billboard 200 to date with their most recent release, Ascend.The competition shows are dependent on votes from fans in more than 217 countries and regions. izna, formed from I-LAND 2: N/a and debuted in November 2024, found success domestically and steadily climbed the music charts in Asia, especially in Japan. The group’s popularity has been growing steadily in the West, especially in Europe. The group – which consists of members Mai, Bang Jee-min, Koko, Ryu Sa-rang, Choi Jung-eun, and Jeong Sae-bi – recently released their third EP, SET THE TEMPO, with the title track, “METRONOME,” and entered the Top 10 Worldwide iTunes Charts, including Japan, Indonesia, Hungary, and Portugal, and the Top 20 in Taiwan, Australia, Malaysia, and France.SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - JUNE 08: Mai, Bang Jee-Min, KOKO, Ryu Sa-Rang, Choi Jung-Eun and Jeong Sae-Bi of girl group izna perform onstage during izna 3rd mini album "Set The Tempo" media showcase on June 08, 2026 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)WireImageWith BOYS II PLANET, the winning group – ALPHA DRIVE ONE (ALD1) – was determined by approximately 26.6 million votes from fans across 223 countries/regions, through the MNET Plus app. The group’s debut in January 2026 showcased their star power with their first EP, EUPHORIA, led by debut track, “FREAK ALARM,” which surpassed 1.44 million copies in sales, becoming the second-highest sales ever recorded for a K-pop debut album. Within their rookie year, the group members Sangwon, Anxin, Xinlong, Geonwoo, Arno, Leo, Sanghyeon, and Junseo took first place on four of the major Korean music shows: SBS’s Inkigayo, MBC’s Show! Music Core, KBS’s Music Bank, and MBC M & MBC every 1’s Show Champion— with their debut title track, which has not been achieved by a boy group in nine years. ALD1 has seen global success, with their debut album reaching No. 7 on the Worldwide iTunes Album chart – and ranking in the Top 5 in 18 regions, including Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Russia. In China, EUPHORIA topped the daily digital album chart on QQ Music, the country’s largest streaming platform. In Japan, it was in the top spots on the Oricon’s Weekly combined and Weekly Album Charts for two consecutive weeks. Their recent single album, No School Tomorrow, with their title track “OMG,” topped the domestic charts and claimed the No. 1 spot on iTunes’ Top Songs in five countries, including Japan and Indonesia. Their music video, which was posted on their official YouTube page, has over 62 million views to date. They are set to embark on their first global fan concerts in Asia from June through July.MORE FOR YOUBoth izna and ALPHA DRIVE ONE are expected to appear at this year’s KCON LA, performing on the main stage M COUNTDOWN lineup. With their new deal with REPUBLIC Collective, audiences may see and hear more from these groups.​