X1 (group)

X1 (EKS-wun; Korean: 엑스원, romanized: ekseuwon) was a South Korean boy group formed by CJ ENM through the Mnet reality competition show Produce 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, and Lee Eun-sang. The group debuted on August 27, 2019 with the single "Flash" under Swing Entertainment and was co-managed by Stone Music Entertainment.^[1]

X1
Background information
Origin	South Korea
Genres	K-pop
Years active	2019–2020
Labels	Swing Stone
Past members	Han Seung-woo Cho Seung-youn Kim Woo-seok Kim Yo-han Lee Han-gyul Cha Jun-ho Son Dong-pyo Kang Min-hee Lee Eun-sang Song Hyeong-jun Nam Do-hyon

Initially contracted for five years, the Mnet 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]

History

Pre-debut: Produce X 101

X1 was formed through the survival competition series Produce X 101, which aired on Mnet 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, many of the members have already been active in the music industry. Cho Seung-youn debuted as a member of Uniq in 2014. He also debuted as a solo artist and music producer under the stage name Luizy in 2016, before changing it to WOODZ in 2018.^[5] He is known for producing the Idol Producer debut evaluation song "It's Ok".^{[6][better source needed]} Kim Woo-seok debuted in Up10tion under the name Wooshin in September 2015 and he was also the host of SBS MTV's The Show alongside Produce 101 season 1 contestant and former I.O.I member Jeon So-mi in 2016. Han Seung-woo debuted as a member and the leader of Victon in November 2016.^[7] Lee Han-gyul previously debuted as a member of Yama and Hotchicks Entertainment's ballad group IM and competed with his fellow IM members in KBS2's The Unit where he ended up in 13th place.^{[8][better source needed]} Fellow MBK trainee Nam Do-hyon was a contestant in MBC's Under Nineteen as a member of the Rap Team and ended up in 42nd place on the show.^{[9][better source needed]} Member Kang Minhee was featured in the music video for Mad Clown and Ailee's song "Thirst" in 2018.^{[10][better source needed]}

Their contract was intended to be for five years following their debut, with the first half being an exclusive contract and the other half of the period 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]

2019: Debut and vote manipulation investigation

See also: Mnet vote manipulation investigation

After the program, the winning eleven contestants debuted under Stone Music's Swing Entertainment, the label which housed the Produce 101 winner Wanna One.^[1] However, following a civil lawsuit filed against Mnet due to Produce X 101's vote manipulation allegations, several brands cancelled their endorsement deals with X1 or put them on hold.^[11] Some of the agencies of the contestants refused to sign until the allegations cleared up.^[12] In spite of this, X1's debut proceeded as planned.^[13]

Ahead of debut, the group's reality show X1 Flash premiered on August 22, 2019 through Mnet. The reality show follows the members as they prepare for their debut, and gives a glimpse into their daily lives.^[14] The group debuted on August 27, 2019 with a debut showcase at Gocheok Sky Dome.^[15] On August 1, it was announced that their debut album would be titled Emergency: Quantum Leap with the title track "Flash", composed by Score, Megatone and Onestar.^[16] On September 3, X1 won their first-ever music show win through SBS MTV's The Show one week after debut.^[17] 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 of Produce X 101, was arrested, and he later admitted to manipulating the vote rankings.^[18] Subsequently, X1 had several public appearances cancelled and Mnet announced that plans for the group's promotion were on hold.^[19] On December 30, 2019, CJ ENM announced that members and their agencies were in discussions on the group's future.^[20]

2020: Disbandment

On January 6, 2020, CJ ENM, Swing Entertainment, and the members' individual agencies held a meeting to determine the future of the group.^[21] After deliberating for an hour about whether the group should continue promoting or disband, a secret ballot was held by the members' agencies. The agencies agreed prior to voting that the group could only continue if there was unanimous agreement or else the group would disband. Four agencies voted to continue, four agencies voted to disband, and one agency whose vote was unclear was ultimately discarded.^[22] Thus, it was determined that the group would disband. Although X1 members were not invited to the meeting, Swing CEO Cho Yoo-myung expressed their collective desire to have attended.^[23]

After the group's disbandment was decided, 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.^[23]

The disbandment was controversial among the fanbase of the group, One It, because they felt that the disbandment of the group was unfair. They staged protests on CJ ENM, demanding that CJ ENM relaunch the group. To make their demands clear, One Its sent trucks with LED screens to promote their movement. According to Soompi, approximately 1,000 fans were involved in the three hour protest.^{[24][unreliable source?]}

Former members

• Kim Yo-han (김요한)
• Kim Woo-seok (김우석)
• Han Seung-woo (한승우) – leader^[25]
• Song Hyeong-jun (송형준)
• Cho Seung-youn (조승연)
• Son Dong-pyo (손동표)
• Lee Han-gyul (이한결)
• Nam Do-hyon (남도현)
• Cha Jun-ho (차준호)
• Kang Min-hee (강민희)
• Lee Eun-sang (이은상)

Achievements

Prior to debut, X1 made their Billboard chart debut on the charts Social 50 and Emerging Artists at number six and number eleven respectively.^[26][27]

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.^[28]

On July 26, 2020, the group's debut and only music video "Flash" reached over 100 million views on Youtube.^[29] 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.^{[30][better source needed]}

Discography

Extended plays

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions					Sales	Certifications
		KOR ^[31]	JPN ^[32]	JPN Hot. ^[33]	FRA Dig. ^[34]	US World ^[35]
Emergency: Quantum Leap	Released: August 27, 2019 Label: Swing Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download, streaming	1	4	10	76	9	KOR: 657,888^[36] JPN: 54,029 (Phy.)^[37] JPN: 2,685 (Dig.)^[38]	KMCA: 2× Platinum^[39]

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions				Sales ^[A]	Album
		KOR ^[40]	KOR Hot ^[41]	JPN Hot. ^[42]	US World ^[43]
"Flash"	2019	26	3	25	15	—	Emergency: Quantum Leap

Other charted songs

List of other charted songs, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions		Album
		KOR ^[44]	KOR Hot ^[45]
"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

Filmography

Television

Year	Network	Program	Ref.
2019	Mnet	Produce X 101	^[46]
		X1 Flash	^[47]

Music videos

Title	Year	Director(s)	Ref.
"Flash"	2019	Rigend Film	^[48]

Awards and nominations

V Live Awards

Year	Recipient	Category	Result
2019	X1	Global Rookie Top 5	Won

Melon Music Awards

Year	Recipient	Category	Result
2019	X1	Best New Artist Award	Nominated

Mnet Asian Music Awards

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

Gaon Chart Music Awards

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

Seoul Music Awards

Year	Recipient	Category	Result
2019	X1	New Artist Award	Nominated
		Popularity Award	Nominated
		K-wave Award	Nominated

Notes

1. Sales figures for tracks are based on digital downloads, except noted.

References

1. Hwang, Mi-hyun (June 28, 2019). [단독] '프듀X' 데뷔조, 스윙엔터 매니지먼트 가닥…워너원 이어 두번째. News1 Korea (in Korean). Retrieved July 22, 2019.
2. Kelley, Caitlin (February 28, 2019). "Here's What Mnet's Five-Year Contracts For 'Produce X101' Means For K-pop". Forbes. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
3. 엑스원, 5개월만 결국 해체…"멤버·소속사간 전원 합의 안돼" [공식입장 전문]. Xports News (in Korean). January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020 – via Naver.
4. '프로듀스X101' 이동욱 "모두 계속 꿈 꿔 달라" 최종 멤버 누가 될까. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
5. Solano, Steffi (March 27, 2019). . Status Magazine. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
6. Idol Producer. Episode 12 (in Chinese). April 4, 2018. iQiyi.
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9. "예비돌57". iMBC. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
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11. Haddad, Hanan (August 22, 2019). "K-Pop Boy Band X1 Is Dark And Seductive In Debut Teaser: Watch". E! Online. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
12. [단독]엑스원, 앨범 57만장 팔고도 아직 '정산금 0원' 속앓이. Sport Seoul (in Korean). November 11, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
13. Haddad, Hanan (August 5, 2019). "Produce X 101's K-Pop Group X1 Set To Debut With No Delays". E! Online. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
14. X1 리얼리티, 22일 첫 방송…티저 공개 '청량+몽환'. News1 (in Korean). Retrieved April 3, 2021 – via Naver.
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17. '더쇼' 엑스원, 데뷔후 첫 음방 1위…"팬 분들께 감사" [종합]. Xports News (in Korean). September 3, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
18. "[단독] 프로듀스 안 모 PD "시즌 3 · 4 투표 조작 인정"". SBS News (in Korean). November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
19. Mnet "엑스원 'V하트비트' 출연 취소, 추가 활동 일정 無" [전문]. Xports News (in Korean). November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019 – via Naver.
20. CJ ENM 측 "아이즈원-엑스원 활동 재개, 보호해달라"(공식입장). Newsen (in Korean). December 30, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2020 – via Naver.
21. 엑스원 해체 결정, 각 소속사 전원 합의 되지 않아[공식]. Sports Seoul (in Korean). Naver. January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
22. Herman, Tamar (January 6, 2020). "X1 Disbands Amid 'Produce 101' Vote-Fixing Controversy". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
23. [D하인드] "계산기를 두드렸다"…'엑스원', 해체 타임라인. Dispatch (in Korean). January 9, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
24. "Fans Protest Against CJ ENM For Formation Of New Group With X1 Members". Soompi. January 22, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
25. Cho, Hye-jin (July 21, 2019). . TV Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
26. Hwang, Hyejin (August 15, 2019). 엑스원, 데뷔 전부터 美빌보드 소셜50+이머징 차트 입성. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved August 16, 2019.
27. Rutherford, Kevin (August 16, 2019). "X1 Debuts at No. 6 on Social 50 Chart". Billboard. from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
28. Haddad, Hanan (September 3, 2019). "X1 Broke First Week Sales Records With Their Debut EP, Emergency: Quantum Leap". E! Online. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
29. Hwang, Hye-jin (July 26, 2020). 엑스원 ‘FLASH’ MV 1억뷰 돌파, 여전히 뜨거운 팬사랑 [X1's 'Flash' MV Surpasses 100M, still hot fan love]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved April 3, 2021 – via Naver.
30. . Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
31. Gaon Album Chart:
    • "Emergency: Quantum Leap (2019)". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved September 5, 2019.
32. Oricon Albums Chart:
    • "Emergency: Quantum Leap (2019)". Oricon Chart (in Japanese). September 9, 2019.
33. Billboard Japan Hot Albums:
    • "Emergency: Quantum Leap (2019)". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). September 5, 2019.
34. Top Albums Téléchargés:
    • "Emergency: Quantum Leap (2019)". SNEP (in French). August 30, 2019.^{[permanent dead link]}
35. Billboard World Albums:
    • "Emergency: Quantum Leap (2019)". Billboard. September 5, 2019.
36. Cumulative sales of Emergency: Quantum Leap: 580,573(2019 CD)+62,010(2019 Kit)+15,305(2020 CD)
    • "2019년 Album Chart (2019 CD 580,573 Kit 62,010 see #4 and #86)". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved January 10, 2020.
    • "2020년 01월 Album Chart (2020 11,590)". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved February 7, 2020.
    • "2020년 08월 Album Chart (2020 738/15305)". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved September 10, 2020.
37. Cumulative sales of Emergency: Quantum Leap:
    • . Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 11, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
    • . Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
    • . Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 10, 2019.
38. . Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 4, 2019.
39. "Gaon Certification - Album". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
40. Gaon Digital Chart:
    • "Flash". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved September 5, 2019.
41. Billboard Korea K-Pop 100:
    • "Flash". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
42. Billboard Japan Hot 100:
    • "Flash". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). January 2, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
43. Billboard World Digital Song Sales:
    • "Flash". Billboard. September 10, 2019.
44. Gaon Digital Chart:
    • "I'm Here for You". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved September 5, 2019.
    • "Like Always", "U Got It", "Move" and "Stand Up". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved September 12, 2019.
45. Billboard Korea K-Pop 100:
    • . Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
46. . produce-x-101.mnet.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 11, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
47. "X1 리얼리티, 22일 첫 방송…티저 공개 '청량+몽환'". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved August 27, 2019.
48. Stone Music Entertainment (August 27, 2019), X1 (엑스원) 'FLASH' MV, retrieved August 27, 2019

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to X1.