X1 | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | South Korea |
| Genres | K-pop |
| Years active | 2019 |
| Labels | |
| Past members |
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X1 (EKS-wun;Korean:엑스원,romanized: ekseuwon) was a South Koreanboy group formed byCJ ENM through theMnet reality competition showProduce X 101. The group was composed of eleven members:Kim Yo-han,Kim Woo-seok,Han Seung-woo, Song Hyeong-jun,Cho Seung-youn,Son Dong-pyo, Lee Han-gyul, Nam Do-hyon, Cha Jun-ho, Kang Min-hee, andLee Eun-sang. The group debuted on August 27, 2019 with the single "Flash" underSwing Entertainment and was co-managed byStone Music Entertainment.[1]
Initially contracted for five years, theMnet vote manipulation investigation led to a halt in their activities, and after an unsuccessful negotiation about the group's future between the members' individual agencies, they disbanded on January 6, 2020.[2][3]
X1 was formed through the survival competition seriesProduce X 101, which aired onMnet from May 3, 2019, until July 19, 2019. Out of an initial 101 trainees participating, the final 10 were chosen out of the remaining 20 trainees in the final week of the show. The final member, known as the rank X member, was selected from the remaining trainees based on the highest number of cumulative votes. All members were announced via the final episode, which was broadcast live on July 19, 2019.[4]
Prior to the program, several members had already been active in the music industry.Cho Seung-youn debuted as a member of the groupUniq in 2014. In 2016, following his participation onShow Me the Money 5, he debuted as a solo artist under the stage name Luizy in 2016, before adopting the stage name WOODZ in 2018. He was also active as a music producer for various artists.[5]Kim Woo-seok debuted in the groupUp10tion under the name Wooshin in September 2015, and was also the host ofSBS MTV'sThe Show alongsideProduce 101 season 1 contestant and formerI.O.I memberJeon So-mi in 2016.Han Seung-woo debuted as a member of the groupVicton in 2016.[6] Lee Han-gyul previously debuted as a member of Yama and Hotchicks Entertainment's ballad group IM and also competed alongside other members of IM inKBS2'sThe Unit, where he placed 13th overall.[7][better source needed] Nam Do-hyon was a contestant inMBC'sUnder Nineteen as a member of the Rap Team.[8][better source needed] Kang Min-hee was featured in the music video forMad Clown andAilee's song "Thirst" in 2018.[9][better source needed] Son Dong-pyo was active as a member of the dance groupArtbeat in 2018.
The group's contract was initially intended to be for five years following their debut, with the first 2.5 years of the contract being an exclusive contract, followed by the second 2.5 years being a non-exclusive contract, meaning that the individual members can return to co-promote with their original agencies after the first half of their contract was over.[2]
In the final episode of Produce X 101, the final eleven contestants were announced as members of X1, and were set to debut underStone Music'sSwing Entertainment, the label which housed theProduce 101 'sWanna One.[1] However, following a civil lawsuit filed againstMnet due toProduce X 101'svote manipulation allegations, several brands cancelled their endorsement deals with X1 or put them on hold.[10] Some of the agencies representing the contestants refused to sign the group's contract until the allegations cleared up.[11] In spite of this, X1's debut proceeded as planned.[12]
Ahead of their official debut, the group's reality showX1 Flash premiered on August 22, 2019 through Mnet. The reality show followed the members as they prepared for their upcoming debut, as well as a glimpse into their daily lives.[13] On August 1, it was announced that their debut album would be titledEmergency: Quantum Leap with the title track "Flash", composed by Score, Megatone and Onestar.[14] The group debuted on August 27, 2019 with a debut showcase atGocheok Sky Dome.[15] On September 3, X1 won their first-ever music show win throughSBS MTV'sThe Show one week after debut.[16] They received 11 wins in total for their debut song, "Flash" with their 11th win being on M Countdown on September 19.
On November 5, 2019, Ahn Joon-young, the producer ofProduce X 101, was arrested, and he later admitted to manipulating the vote rankings.[17] Subsequently, X1 had several public appearances cancelled and Mnet announced that plans for the group's promotion were on hold.[18] On December 30, 2019, CJ ENM announced that members and their agencies were in discussions on the group's future.[19]
On January 6, 2020, CJ ENM, Swing Entertainment, and the members' individual agencies held a meeting to determine the future of the group.[20] After deliberating for an hour about whether the group should continue to promote or disband, a secret ballot was held between the members' agencies. Prior to voting, the agencies had agreed that the group could only continue if there was unanimous agreement to do so, or the group would disband. Four agencies voted in favor of the continuation of X1's activities, and four agencies voted against the continuation of X1's activities, and one agency whose vote was unclear was ultimately discarded.[21]
During the meeting, a representative of CJ ENM relayed X1's members' request to attend the meeting in order to express to the representatives their wishes to continue promotions as a group. However, this request was turned down by another agency. Although X1 members were ultimately not invited to the meeting, Swing CEO Cho Yoo-myung later also expressed their collective desire to have attended. Thus, despite the absence of X1's members in the meeting, it was determined within 2 hours of the start of the meeting that the group would disband. The group's disbandment was officially announced to the public on the same day.[22]
Following the decision of X1's disbandment, CJ ENM suggested that a previously recorded winter track be released as a goodbye song, but the idea was rejected by two or three of the members' agencies. Similarly, a suggestion from a member's agency to record a final video was rejected by another agency.[22]
Prior to debut, X1 made theirBillboard chart debut on the charts Social 50 and Emerging Artists at number six and number eleven respectively.[24][25]
Emergency: Quantum Leap sold over 500,000 physical copies in the first week of sales, breaking the record of the highest first week sales for a debut album in South Korea; the record was previously set by solo artist,Kang Daniel with his debut album,Color on Me.[26]
On July 26, 2020, the group's debut and only music video "Flash" reached over 100 million views on Youtube.[27] In doing so, "Flash" became the fastest boy group debut music video to reach 100 million views on Youtube, taking 334 days to reach that number.[28][better source needed]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [29] | JPN [30] | JPN Hot. [31] | FRA Dig. [32] | US World [33] | ||||
| Emergency: Quantum Leap |
| 1 | 4 | 10 | 76 | 9 | ||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [38] | KOR Hot [39] | JPN Hot [40] | US World [41] | |||
| "Flash" | 2019 | 26 | 3 | 25 | 15 | Emergency: Quantum Leap |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [42] | KOR Hot [43] | |||
| "Like Always"(웃을 때 제일 예뻐) | 2019 | 69 | 15 | Emergency: Quantum Leap |
| "U Got It"(X1 version) | 84 | 16 | ||
| "I'm Here for You"(괜찮아요) | 91 | 18 | ||
| "Move"(움직여) (X1 version) | 90 | 19 | ||
| "Stand Up"(intro) | 106 | 25 | ||
| Year | Network | Program | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Mnet | Produce X 101 | [44] |
| X1 Flash | [45] |
| Title | Year | Director(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Flash" | 2019 | Rigend Film | [46] |
| Year | Recipient | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | X1 | Global Rookie Top 5 | Won |
| Year | Recipient | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | X1 | Best New Artist Award | Nominated |
| Year | Recipient | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | X1 | Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| Best New Male Artist | Nominated | ||
| Worldwide Fans' Choice Top 10 | Won | ||
| Worldwide Icon of the Year | Nominated |
| Year | Recipient | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | X1 | Song of the Month (August) | "Flash" | Nominated |
| Album of the Quarter (3rd Quarter) | Emergency: Quantum Leap | Nominated |
| Year | Recipient | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | X1 | New Artist Award | Nominated |
| Popularity Award | Nominated | ||
| K-wave Award | Nominated |
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| Spin-offs |
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| Groups | |||||||||||||||
| Winners |
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| Other notable contestants and groups |
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| Discography |
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| Related articles | |||||||||||||||
