ZEROBASEONE Welcome Summer with “You had me at HELLO”
Right on time for summer, ZEROBASEONE return with fiery charisma and popping energy! Released on May 13, ZEROBASEONE beat the scorching summer heat with their refreshing third mini-album You had me at HELLO. The record serves as the third and final installment of their Youth trilogy, following the completion of their fated love story told in previous albums YOUTH IN THE SHADE and MELTING POINT. No stranger to playing with various sounds, You had me at HELLO presents seven tracks illustrating the joys of young love.
Lala Zero POP with ZEROBASEONE
Calling forth varying personas, ZEROBASEONE embrace the summer spirit in their holiday-themed title “Feel the POP.” The animated pop song expresses the will to give listeners the best time, hoping to blow all their worries and hesitations away. Directing their sound away from their previous dark sound in “CRUSH,” “Feel the POP” is a fusion of Jersey club, garage, and drum and bass — a signature sound of the group.
Throughout the music video, ZEROBASEONE members transform into various personas in their adventure to pop away all negativity. From black cowboy outfits within sand-covered saloons to dancing in water-filled tennis courts, ZEROBASEONE show off their agility in both sound and fashion. Following the rhythmic popping of the hooking chorus, the groups show off their choreography’s key dance moves as they swiftly spin to give their backs to the camera and pop their legs to the beat of the “Pop, pop, pop, pop.” Artist Yewon Hwang created the audio visualiser for the summer hit, where viewers can watch a looped animation of our main female protagonist enjoying a drink with the fresh summer breeze blowing through her hair. A sped up version for “Feel the POP” serves as the closing for the album.
Burning Up with Solar POWER
Opening with the “hottest” track on the discography, ZEROBASEONE make listeners feel like dynamite in their powerful song “Solar Power.” The captivating merge between the robust rap verses and chilling high notes highlights the group’s darker charm as it illustrates the image of a dazzling sun blazing with heat. Kicking off with a beat drop, the song sees no breaks as it seamlessly exhibits hooking synthesizers and electric guitar riffs. ZEROBASEONE sings “burning” in unison in the background of the bridge as the song makes its grand closing.
Singing fearless lyrics such as, “(Here we go) A picture of myself that I only thought small / (And we know) I’m not afraid, together now / (We became one) The moment we face each other, everything else is nothing,” the song contains the motivating meaning of meeting the fateful “you” and becoming a team who shines brighter through it. With hope, faith, energy, and power, ZEROBASEONE show off their hot passion as they stand beside their fated one and only.
Dear ECLIPSE
Turning down the heat, ZEROBASEONE brings sensuality to the forefront with the R&B track “Dear ECLIPSE.” Standing as the third track on the album, the gentle yet compelling song delivers a heavenly impression to its listeners. From the prominent bass beats to lush electronic instrumentation, “Dear ECLIPSE” contains an alluring refrain layered with the members’ unique vocal tones. The heartfelt confession expresses their spellbound love felt from the existence of their “fated” one. Comparing love as an eclipse between day and night, members describe their deep attraction as they sing, “The shadow that attracts me more and more spreads towards you, a stranger, something new / Your whisper penetrated me without warning, this shaking tremble.”
The accompanied audio visualizer shows a woman donned in royal blue surrounded by shimmering sparkles. The video opens with a man reaching out towards the reflection of a crescent moon which he then picks up from the water and gently places it upon the ear of the woman whose face is then illuminated under the glow of the now glowing moon shaped earring, bringing a smile to her once expressionless face.
ZEROSE SWEAT With ZB1’s Touch
ZEROBASEONE picked the pace back up in their previously released single “SWEAT.” This tropical track will ready listeners’ senses for the warm season with its bouncy booming bass and undeniably catchy chorus. Singing “Even when the sun sets forever / I’ll dance with you the dance to remember / Like always my focus on you / I see something new / We’re immersed in the rhythm two of us,” the song represents the moment when you can’t think of anything but the present because you’re focused on dancing and sweating alongside ZEROBASEONE.
To accompany the song’s release, the group filmed a special summer video full of blue skies, warm sunsets, and fresh sights where they show off their sharp and detailed dance moves. Dancing under the sun and the rain, the members don denim fits and variations of white and black nautical outfits.
Opening with a young girl and boy playing tennis, viewers follow the tennis ball flying and bursting into a fizzing teal blue drink. As the shifts from daylight to nighttime, the drink and floating bubbles transition accordingly in matching color schemes. This animation sets the mood suitable for any summer mood no matter the time.
Sunday RIDE With ZEROBASEONE
Looking for the perfect track for your road-trip playlist? Look no further as “Sunday RIDE” is a song with a refreshing and cheerful mood that’ll make any drive enjoyable. This chill synthpop track screams vacation with its upbeat melody and rich electronic soundscape. “Sunday RIDE” is a drive tune expressing ZEROBASEONE’s desire to go on a trip with their fandom, ZEROSE. Expressing their excitement to meet and spend time with ZEROSE, the members sing of the innocent love with sincerity as they confess, “I’m okay with just lounging around / Even if we don’t do anything, it’s fun, because we’re together / Small daly moment, the fatigue of the week gone / Just you and me, filling this time together.” Eagerly waiting for Sunday to arrive, ZEROBASEONE energetically proclaim their fluttering emotions as they describe the long awaited meeting time.
This time, Yewon brings back the couple from the “Dear ECLIPSE” visualizer as they happily go on a ride in a desert. The sky in the background slowly transitions from day to night in correspondence to the song’s duration as we follow the trio down a chill Sunday ride.
You had me at HELLO
Closing off the album, “HELLO” breaks off the album’s chain of lively tracks with its peaceful and warm guitar-dominated ballad. The heartfelt ode expresses the deep affection for ZEROSE, going into depth of the conflictions of properly conveying their feelings and unwavering emotions to their precious relationship. Singing, “It’s so special between you and me I only want happiness / Say goodbye to me and I hand it to you again / It’s so heartbreaking between you and me / It’s alway sad to break up / Tomorrow is the future without each other / There won’t be / I will recognize you tomorrow too hello like now.”
Instrumentals-wise, the sentimental piece evokes emotions to its listeners from the soft acoustic and delicate keys. Creating a pleasant tone the members’ emotional vocals breathe life into the earnest lyricism dedicated towards ZEROSE. And just as fitting as the song’s loving proclamation, “HELLO” serves as ZEROBASEONE’s first fan song.
The lyrics for the “HELLO” were written by DAY6’s Young K, with composition by Alex Keem. As calming as the tune, Yewon creates a tranquil setting suiting the song’s heart-to-heart with ZEROSE. The couple is seen holding hands sitting atop a luminous crescent moon floating on a lake. (as first referenced in “Dear ECLIPSE”). Surrounded by a field of sunflowers and fireflies, the couple rock side to side with the bright night sky and shooting stars cast over them.
ZEROSE Like It POP
According to WakeOne, You had me at HELLO dominated major Japanese charts by ranking first on Japanese music sites LINE Music’s real-time album TOP 100 chart and Japan’s iTunes K-pop chart. The mini album also ranked 2nd on the Japanese Apple Music K-Pop Album Chart and 4th on the Apple Music Comprehensive Album Chart. On top of this, the album reached global charts; it topped the iTunes Top Album chart in 23 regions around the world and sold more than 1 million copies on the day of its release. This makes ZEROBASEONE the first K-POP group to become a million-seller within a day of releasing three consecutive albums, starting with their debut album.
ZEROBASEONE is confirmed to appear at Japan’s largest music festival SUMMER SONIC 2024 (held in Tokyo and Osaka) in August and embark on their first overseas tour on September 20.
Watch ZERBASEONE’s comeback music video “Feel the POP” on YouTube, and listen to ZEROBASEONE’s third mini album You had me at HELLO on Spotify and Apple Music! If your heart is still bursting, ride with ZEROBASEONE by following their social media accounts on X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Can’t get enough of ZEROBASEONE? Check out EnVi’s album breakdown on their second mini-album, MELTING POINT, here!
