K-pop is an industry notorious for its pace. Trends rise and fall, concepts are rolled out and discarded, and groups seemingly go from rookies to veterans in the blink of an eye. It seems fitting, then, that the industry’s freshest faces—a boy group set to debut next year—are going all out with a concept that champions speed, adrenaline, and a racing spirit. Meet your newest K-pop obsession: Alpha Drive One.
Survival Of The Fittest
The eight-member group was formed through the Mnet reality survival show Boys II Planet, which saw a whopping 160 contestants compete for a chance to debut under WakeOne. The show began with contestants divided into two “planets”, K and C, with the intention of simultaneously debuting two groups: one Korean and global, and the other primarily Chinese. Two episodes in, however, Mnet announced that the planets would merge, with only one group set to emerge from the crop of hopefuls. 11 episodes of challenges, eliminations, and heartbreak later, we were given Alpha Drive One.
The rollout of Alpha Drive One (shortened to ALD1) unfolded with the typical breakneck speed of the K-pop industry. Their official logo motion was revealed one day after the end of Boys II Planet, on 26 September. The lineup consists of Leo, Junseo, Geonwoo, Arno, Sangwon, Xinlong, Anxin, and Sanghyeon, with the Korean-Australian Leo acting as the leader, and Sanghyeon being the maknae.
Racing To Debut
Speculation was rife following the group’s name and logo reveal, with their clear motorsport connotations, and fans eagerly awaited hints for what to expect. On 15 November, Alpha Drive One’s official Instagram account posted a visual teasing the group’s upcoming promotional schedule, sending fans into overdrive (pun intended).
The visual featured a steering wheel bearing a striking resemblance to those found on F1 cars, with the display and dials listing member names and upcoming release dates. The comments section was flooded with chequered flag and race car emojis, and fans wondering whether this was an official F1 concept. Alpha Drive One’s pre-debut single, titled Formula, only added fuel to the fire. The single is set to be released on 3 December.
Culture Shifts Meet Gear Shifts
Alpha Drive One’s rollout occurs at a time when Formula 1 is increasingly linked to K-pop. Teen Vogue documented the “K-popification of F1” earlier this year, speaking to a number of young, female fans who were drawn to F1 because of its similarities to K-pop fandom. “When I went to the Singapore Grand Prix last year, there were OOTDs upon OOTDs, fits upon fits, and the fan experiences on track were similar to the stuff we do for K-pop,” fan and content creator Ghia Hong explained. “It was very close to my experience watching NCT 127 in Indonesia.”
Seventeen and Enhypen recently visited the Red Bull garage ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, with Jay’s genuine admiration of Max Verstappen drawing positive reactions from F1 and K-pop fans alike. Blackpink superstar Lisa waved the chequered flag at the Miami Grand Prix, and her bandmate Rosé spent time in the Mercedes garage following the release of her single Messy, which was featured in the F1 movie. As Formula 1’s audience skews increasingly younger and more female, there’s a growing overlap of fandom spaces between the two industries. It was only a matter of time before the higher-ups in each industry took note of the trend, and Alpha Drive One is the latest example of this cultural crossover. Whether or not the group debuts with an official F1 concept, and however that concept evolves over time, it’s a clear sign that there’s a gear shift taking place.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA Singapore.
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