AB6IX

AB6IX, also identified as Absolute Six and Above BrandNew Six, formed as a South Korean boy band under Brand New Music and earned notice for their polished sound that merges pop and hip-hop influences. The ensemble first surfaced in 2019 via their full-length album 6ixsense, which attained the number two slot on South Korean album charts.

Ahead of AB6IX’s creation, Dong-hyun Kim, Woo-jin Park, and Dae-hwi Lee entered the second season of Mnet’s Produce 101 boy-band reality series in 2017. Dae-hwi and Woo-jin were selected for the short-lived, fan-assembled unit Wanna One. That same year, Dong-hyun united with other Produce 101 contestants to establish the groups Starship and YDPP. Independently, eventual AB6IX leader Jeon Woong trained at JYP, Woollim, and YG Entertainment before moving to Brand New Music. During those years he contributed to Infinite H’s track “As Long as You’re Not Crazy,” appeared on Mnet’s Stray Kids, and performed as a backup dancer for MXM on tour.

AB6IX launched officially in May 2019 after featuring on the BrandNewBoys reality program that tracked their pre-debut phase. Immediately following the series they issued their debut EP, B: Complete, containing the single “Breathe.” October brought their first full-length album, 6ixsense, which rose to number two on the South Korean Albums chart and yielded the single “Blind for Love.” In 2020 the group followed up with the digital EP 5NALLY in February and the Vivid EP that June.