Youth in the Shade

Zerobaseone was formed through Boys Planet, a reality competition show, which aired from February 2 to April 20, 2023. The group's final members were announced on the show's finale, which was broadcast live on April 20.^[1]

A spoiler film for the album, titled "Youth in the Shade", was uploaded on May 14 and a title poster was released on June 7.^[2] The first teaser for "In Bloom" was released on July 6^[3] and an album sampler, with audio snippets of each song, was released on July 8.^[4] The second teaser for "In Bloom" was released on July 9.^[5] The single's music video, along with the full album was released on July 10.^[6] A press showcase in Gwangjin District was also held on the same day.^[7][8]

The EP concept was centered around the theme of "the beauty of youth and the shadow behind it".^[8] It was released for pre-order on June 21, and is available in two artbook versions and nine digipack versions.^[9][10]

Youth in the Shade consists of a total of 6 tracks. The opening track, "Back to Zerobase," is a drum and bass song that is meant to capture the initial emotions felt when a dream comes true, with the members expressing feelings of anticipation for the future and journey they face ahead.^[11] The second track and lead single, "In Bloom," is a drum and bass and synth-pop song that samples the main riff from the 1984 single "Take On Me" from the Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha.^[6][11] The lyrics describe the members having the courage to take their first meaningful step as a group, while being aware of an inevitable end, as they are determined to run to you.^[11] The third track, "New Kidz on the Block," is a dance-pop song with elements of UK garage, 2-step garage, and deep house that describes the group's determination to rise to the top.^[11] The fourth track, "And I," is a R&B pop song that captures the members secret admiration for someone through social media.^[11] The fifth track, "Our Season," is a pop song that discusses the members friendship and dreams, their excitement for the moments they will capture, and the memories they will make throughout their time as a group.^[11] The closing track, "Always," is a solo song designated to member Zhang Hao as a prize for placing first in the final ranking of Boys Planet.^[12] It is an alternative R&B song in which he expresses his appreciation and gratitude towards his fans, making a promise to always be with them.^[11]

Preorders for the EP surpassed 780,000 copies in five days and 1.08 million copies in 13 days, breaking the record for the most pre-ordered K-pop debut album and becoming the first K-pop debut album to sell over a million copies.^[13][14] According to the Hanteo Chart, the album sold 1.24 million copies on its first day of release and 1,822,028 copies in its first week.^[15] The album was subsequently certified double million by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA), setting a record as the first K-pop debut album to sell more than 2 million copies.^[16][17] According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)'s Global Music Report for 2023, Youth in the Shade was the eighteenth most-consumed album across all formats, and the eleventh best-selling album worldwide, having sold 2.2 million units.^[A][18][19]