ALPHA DRIVE ONE Gets Ready, Gets Set For Their Debut

When the finale for the South Korean survival competition series, BOYS II PLANET, concluded at the end of September, many fans had been waiting for any news from the newly-formed K-pop group, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, also known as ALD1.

Members Junseo, Arno (Zhang Jia Hao), Leo, Geonwoo, Sangwon, Xinlong, Anxin, and Sanghyeon were selected from 160 contestants, receiving approximately 26.6 million votes across 223 countries and regions via the Mnet Plus app. That season of BOYS II PLANET became the most fan-voted group in Mnet history, heightening anticipation for the chosen eight to debut finally.

The group’s name, which follows the show’s planet theme, reflects their core values and represents their identity: ALPHA for their mission to be the best, DRIVE for their passion, and ONE symbolizing becoming one official team. It’s why their official greeting is “One destiny, drive to the top!”

After the show concluded, the newly formed group went live on Instagram to thank their fans, family, friends, and staff for their support throughout the competition. The video surpassed 15 million views within two days of becoming a group. Even before the guys could rest after the show, official social media pages were launched on YouTube, Weibo, Instagram, X, and TikTok, with multiple fan pages created by ALLYZ, the group’s official fandom.

Just two months later, the octet were a mix of smiles and nerves over Zoom, giving their first interview with Western media, weeks before their MAMA Awards appearance. After introductions with the entire team, I greeted the three Chinese members – Arno, Xinlong, and Anxin – in their native tongue. I suggested they speak freely in Mandarin if it was easier, which surprised the trio.

As the interview began, the members looked to each other to engage in conversation, as they stared at the translator, waiting for the question to be interpreted. They were anxious, which is understandable after what they’ve gone through to get here. It’s a lot for these young artists, ages 18 to 24, to go through this competition and finally have their dreams of debuting come true.

Geonwoo, who had been a trainee for seven years, felt so many emotions all at once when his name was called out, but he mainly felt relief.

“If I could choose just one emotion, I would say relief was the strongest,” Geonwoo says. “Relief that I am actually doing this. I’ve been holding onto that feeling, and I will be holding on slowly and maintaining a sense of gratitude.”

Since forming ALD1, they’ve hit the ground running to prepare for their debut and to connect as a team. With over a million followers each on Instagram and TikTok, the members began posting content regularly. From funny memes to official portraits to dance challenges, fans can get a glimpse of the group’s chemistry and a reminder of their youth. They even have their own online variety show, [ONE DREAM FOREVER], to showcase their personalities now as members of ALD1.

“The sense of unity as one team really hit me,” says Junseo. “I’m really grateful for this moment. We’re running hard towards [our] goals. With such incredible members with me, I think I will be able to continue with this mindset.”

A week before the MAMA Awards, one of K-pop’s biggest award shows, ALPHA DRIVE ONE announced on their social platforms that they’ll be performing on Day 1 of the event with their new pre-debut single, “Formula”. They’ve been working incredibly hard to prepare for this performance.

“There are so many of our fans looking forward to this,” Leo explains. “We’re going to show you our first stage at the MAMA Awards next week. So we’ve been preparing so intensely. We almost completely lost track of time, too. So we cannot wait to show ALLYZ our stage soon.”

As the interview went on, several members began to relax. Sanghyeon, who studied in the Philippines as a child and is proficient in English, laughed at many of the jokes that weren’t translated to the group. Some started using hand gestures and heart signs to emphasize their answers. By the end of the conversation, hand hearts and finger hearts were exchanged among the members.

Below, ALPHA DRIVE ONE talks about life after BOYS II PLANET, bonding with each other, their MAMA Awards stage, and what they’re looking forward to as they “Race to Debut.”

LAURA SIRIKUL: After your social media livestream, what was the first thing you did after the show concluded?

Sangwon: I got to meet with the other staff members as congratulations were given all around. They congratulated me so much, and we had some good conversations.

Xinlong: I really tried to get used to our group name. The name is so precious. So I practiced a lot in secret and called my mom immediately.

Sirikul: How are the dynamics between the members since the series ended in September? Have you guys gotten to bond?

Sanghyeon: Right now, we are completely immersed in practice. So we’re totally focused on practicing right now. We did travel together for the content shooting, but it wasn’t anything private. We don’t have a chance to go anywhere for private trips [together yet], but we do spend so much time together in the practice room and have really gotten to know each other. From BOYS II PLANET to ALPHA DRIVE ONE, we really learned to care and understand one another.

Sangwon: During the program at the time, we were working on the stages as units, really fighting for our debut. We’re working towards these results and the goal of making the debut lineup. Now, as one team, we’re working to make ourselves known to the world. That’s the difference in our goals now. That’s the key distinction – we have a bigger goal.

Sirikul: How excited are you to debut as ALPHA DRIVE ONE?

Junseo: There are so many stages that the eight of us want to perform together. I’m really grateful that the moment has finally come when we can showcase our incredible arrangements at the year-end awards shows in front of so many people. We’re not going to stop here. We want to keep growing from here and show you even better quality stages.

Sirikul: What are you most looking forward to debuting together?

Arno: What I’m looking forward to in the future is that we can hold a global concert as amazing artists, just the eight of us.

Sirikul: What do you want the audience/fans to take away from your debut/performance together?

Geonwoo: Since this is our very first stage as ALPHA DRIVE ONE, we want to show our bold, overflowing energy. Our very energetic side. Our vibrant energy.

Xinlong: I hope our fans and the audience will report on our future performance as well. We would like them to see our passion and hunger for the stage, as well as our performance. We’ll continue to work hard moving forward.

Sirikul: We need to talk about “FORMULA.” What can you tell me about the song & the performance?

Geonwoo: I would like to do a brief introduction of the song first. “Formula” is our first single as ALPHA DRIVE ONE. It carries the meaning that the members who grew up in different environments, countries, and rules have now come together as one formula in our beginning, our infinite drive forward. We really hope they like the song.

Leo: So “Formula” is an electronic dance-pop kind of genre. We prepared an intense performance for it, from the beginning to the end of the stage. We’re constantly moving forward. We keep pushing forward, and energy keeps going.

Sirikul: What can you tell me about your performance at the MAMA Awards?

Junseo: As a spoiler, what I can tell you is that we had some really cool custom gloves made, so all eight of us will have them on stage.

Sirikul: The MAMA Awards are a big deal. How excited are you to showcase yourself on one of the world’s biggest stages? Do you feel any pressure?

Anxin: Of course, we’re nervous. This is nerve-racking, since this is the largest stage, but our members have prepared so much for this. We have confidence in our ability to perform well.

Sanghyeon: For me, personally, I have never been on stage before BOYS II PLANET. BOYS II PLANET was my first experience on the stage. So the older members here have performed before. That does add a little pressure for me, but that’s exactly why I’m nervous, even though we’ve been preparing so intensely. With all this preparation, I can’t stop thinking, “Will I do well when we pull this off?” Of course, I know we will, but there’s still that worry and that excitement. All these emotions are mixed together. We’re working hard to deliver a great performance on stage. I want to add one more thing to what Xinlong said earlier: our greeting includes a destiny that emphasizes us being one team. So for our MAMA stage, we actually start separated. We all stand in different positions, then come together, united as one.

Sirikul: With all these fans from BOYS II PLANET and your ALLYZ, how does it feel to already have a large fandom and not even have debuted yet, especially from all over the world?

Sangwon: First of all, honestly, this is more than we could ever ask for, and that comes forth with the sense of responsibility, weight, and pressure. With that responsibility and pressure, we’re turning it into something positive as we move forward. When we practice and prepare for the stages, we’re always thinking, “What can we give to ALLYZ? How can we give it to them? How can we present them with a good day? How can we be their strengths? How can we be their energy source of strength for them?” My hope is there. We’re not going to lose that feeling for a long time. We are so grateful for our fans.

Arno: Because we have so many global fans, we need to do even better, and it makes us work even harder. The sense of responsibility feels even greater, so we’ll work even harder than before to become more outstanding artists.

Sirikul: Has it hit you yet that you guys are stars, and about to debut?

Geonwoo: When I was announced as a debut member, and the team was first formed about one or two weeks in, everything felt so new. It felt strange, in a sense, and honestly, unreal. As we gradually practiced and lived together, I started to feel that we were truly one team. We’ve been discovering our commonalities that we’ve been sharing. Our commentaries are really meshing well together. Now we’re one team without any sense of disconnect.

Junseo: Now that I’m interviewed by you, Laura, that gives a sense of the impact of the reality we have all at the same time.

Sirikul: What message do you have for the fans?

Geonwoo: We’re trying to look our best on the stage, so please look forward to it! Thank you. [heart hands]

Xinlong: [Mandarin] Thanks to all for your support. We will prove our efforts with passion, and hope more people will like us!

Sanghyeon: We will show you another side of us. Something fresh and different. We will continue to work hard and look forward to meeting you soon!

Junseo: We are always, eternally grateful for that. So we will be the ALPHA DRIVE ONE as one team that will always give back to [the fans].

Arno: For the eight of us, we created really versatile performances that you will never tire of, however many times. [It is never] too much. So please look forward to us.

Sangwon: So MAMA is really around the corner. Now it’s next week, so that’s going to be our first official stage ever. My dream is that we absolutely want to satisfy ALLYZ and make them happy.

Anxin: [Mandarin] Thank you to ALLYZ for waiting for so many days. We will strive to live up to your expectations.

Leo: I’m very grateful, and I’m living with this gratitude. I will continue to work hard and practice to make our ALLYZ happy.

ALPHA DRIVE ONE’s “Formula” is set to officially release on December 3.