ZEROBASEONE's 'TOP 5' Debuts at Mnet Plus Comeback Premiere

On May 18, 2026, ZEROBASEONE stood under the lights of the Mnet Plus Comeback Premiere stage and performed their new title track "TOP 5" for the first time as a five-member group. The performance was more than an album launch event — it was the clearest signal yet that the group intends to move forward with confidence following a lineup change that reshaped its entire dynamic.

The Comeback Premiere, broadcast exclusively on Mnet Plus and later shared via Mnet K-POP's official YouTube channel, gave fans worldwide an early look at the live performance that will define ZEROBASEONE's promotional cycle for their sixth mini album, Ascend-. What they saw was a group performing with the precision and energy that has characterized their best work — now channeled through a new five-member configuration.

The 'TOP 5' Stage: How ZEROBASEONE Opened Their New Era

The performance of "TOP 5" at the Comeback Premiere served as the group's public debut of the track in a live format. The song draws on 2000s pop production aesthetics, and that influence was visible in the choreography as well — broader, more confident movements that complement the track's nostalgic but contemporary sound.

Park Gun-uk has described "TOP 5" as a track that emerged from an unusually deliberate selection process. The members reviewed between 30 and 40 candidate songs before settling on this one, and Park noted that the final choice reflected a collective sense of where the group wants to go artistically. The song is not simply a showcase of technical ability — it is meant to answer the question of what ZEROBASEONE stands for in this new configuration.

Matthew Seok (석매튜) and Kim Tae-rae anchored the performance vocally, while Sung Han-bin's stage presence — commanding and precise as ever — helped frame the group as an entity that has not diminished in impact despite the reduction in members. The synchronization remained tight throughout, a reassuring sign for fans who had wondered how the choreography would translate with five instead of nine.

A New Chapter: The Five Members Who Stayed

The five members who make up today's ZEROBASEONE — Sung Han-bin, Kim Ji-woong, Matthew Seok, Kim Tae-rae, and Park Gun-uk — each made an active choice to remain with the group after their exclusive contract with WAKEONE Entertainment concluded. Four other members departed to form AND2BLE, a new group debuting May 26 alongside former EVEN member Yoo Seung-eon.

Sung Han-bin, in a recent interview, offered the clearest explanation for his decision to stay. He described ZEROBASEONE as the reason he was able to debut at all, and said that the group had long functioned as a kind of home for him — a word that carries specific meaning given that ZEROBASEONE has used the "home" metaphor throughout its discography. Staying, he indicated, was not a difficult choice once he considered what ZB1 represented to him.

Kim Ji-woong was equally candid about the situation with the departing members, framing the dynamic not as a rivalry but as the natural divergence of people who had shared a formative professional experience. He expressed support for AND2BLE and said the ZB1 members remain in regular contact with their former group mates, a sentiment that seemed genuine rather than diplomatic.

What the Comeback Premiere Revealed About 'Ascend-'

Beyond "TOP 5," the Comeback Premiere allowed ZEROBASEONE to introduce the broader sonic territory of Ascend- to fans in a live context. Kim Tae-rae has described the album as a collection with no genre overlap between tracks — a deliberate construction that ensures variety across the listening experience. The goal, he explained, was for every type of fan to find at least one song that resonates personally.

The album's title itself — Ascend- — is both a direction and an open question, the dash suggesting an ongoing process rather than a completed state. It positions the album not as a conclusion or a restart, but as movement in progress. That framing aligns with the group's public statements about this era: they are not pretending the lineup change did not happen, nor are they treating it as a crisis. They are treating it as a transition — one that they have prepared for and intend to navigate on their own terms.

Fan Response and What Comes Next

Initial response to the Comeback Premiere footage was strong across fan communities. ZEROBASEONE's performance of "TOP 5" quickly circulated on social media platforms, with ZeroBaseHours (the group's fanbase) noting the cohesive energy of the five-member formation. For many fans, the stage performance was the first opportunity to assess how the group would look and move in its new configuration, and the response suggested that concerns about the transition had been largely put to rest by what they saw.

The weeks ahead will present their own challenges. AND2BLE's debut on May 26 will inevitably draw attention — both groups share an origin story and a partially overlapping fanbase, and promotional windows will run concurrently. But the broader K-pop industry rarely operates in zero-sum terms, and the possibility that fans will follow both groups with equal enthusiasm is one that the members of ZEROBASEONE appear to be counting on.

The performance also marked a moment of clarity for fans who had been uncertain about what ZEROBASEONE's identity would look like going forward. A nine-member group naturally carries a different visual balance than a five-member one, and questions about whether the chemistry would survive intact were understandable. What the Comeback Premiere footage demonstrated was that the five who remained have built something coherent and confident — not a diminished version of the original act, but a refocused one. The "Ascend-" concept, with its emphasis on forward motion, framed the performance not as a loss but as a beginning. That framing landed effectively on the stage, and the audience response during the premiere reflected it.

Looking ahead, ZEROBASEONE will continue promoting Ascend- across broadcast music programs, fan events, and streaming platforms throughout the summer. The group's next visible challenge will be maintaining momentum once AND2BLE enters the promotional cycle — but based on the energy of their Comeback Premiere performance, the five members appear well-prepared to hold their ground and expand their reach at the same time.