AB6IX is a South Koreanboy group formed by Brand New Music. The group currently consists of four members: Jeon Woong, Kim Dong-hyun, Park Woo-jin and Lee Dae-hwi. Former leader Lim Young-min's departure from the group was announced on June 8, 2020. The group debuted on May 22, 2019, with their first EP titled B Complete.
Name
AB6IX is short for "Absolute Six". Their name is also an abbreviation of "Above BrandNew Six".
History
Pre-debut
Lim Young-min, Kim Dong-hyun, Park Woo-jin and Lee Dae-hwi participated in the Mnet survival series Produce 101 Season 2 in 2017. Dae-hwi and Woo-jin placed 3rd and 6th respectively, becoming members of the temporary boy group Wanna One. Young-min and Dong-hyun placed 15th and 28th respectively. In 2018, Lee Dae-hwi was involved with many solo activities, including taking part in the Global MC Crew on M Countdown and being a special MC on other music shows such as Inkigayo and KCON during 2017-2018 on its Japan, Thailand, Australia, and New York stops. Young-min and Dong-hyun debuted as the duo MXM in September 2017 with their first EP titled Unmix. The duo's name stands for "Mix and Match" and "More and More," with both having different meanings for the group. The former showcases how compatible they are as a group and the latter emphasizes their ever-growing determination for growth in the music industry. In March, they released their second EP, Match Up. In August, just 11 months after debuting, they released their first full-length album, More Than Ever, which marks the last chapter of their MIX, MATCH, MORE trilogy. The duo went on tour to 9 cities around the world and also had 4 sold out fan signs and meetings. Lee Dae-hwi also participated in the album by producing "Hoping That You'd Love Me" and "Dawn". MXM, along with fellow Produce 101 season 2 contestants Jeong Se-woon and Lee Gwang-Hyun, formed Starship and Brand New Music's project group YDPP. Park Woo-jin and Lee Dae-hwi collaborated on the single, "Candle", on January 29, 2019. Jeon Woong had previously been a trainee under JYP, Woollim, and YG Entertainment. His pre-debut appearances include Infinite H's M/V “As Long As You’re Not Crazy” and the Mnet survival show Stray Kids, as a YG trainee in the JYP vs YG episodes. Woong was a trainee for four years at Brand New Music and was also a backup dancer for MXM during their first tour. Prior to their debut, Lee Dae-hwi composed the song "Airplane" for the mini album Heart*iz, released on April 1, 2019 by rookie girl group Iz*One.
2019: Debut, ''B:Complete'', ''6ixense'' and touring
The group's debut reality show BrandNewBoys premiered on April 18, 2019 on Mnet. The reality show followed the story of the five members as they prepared for their debut and also featured fun behind-the-scenes footage of their everyday lives. On April 26, 2019 AB6IX released a full line up performance music video for "Hollywood". Lee Dae Hwi participated in writing and Park Woo Jin choreographed the song "Hollywood", which was performed on "Produce 101 Season 2" for the agency evaluation. This version of the song featured AB6IX's fifth member Jeon Woong for the first time. AB6IX debuted on May 22, 2019 with EP B:Complete. They held their debut showcase on the same day at Olympic Hall. This album contains seven tracks, combining the works from all five members, coming from very different musical backgrounds. On July 27, 2019, AB6IX held their first fan meeting, called "1st ABNEW," in Singapore at The Star Theatre to celebrate the release of their debut EP B:Complete. On September 24, 2019, AB6IX collaborated with Lizzo on a remix of her song "Truth Hurts," originally released in 2017. On October 7, 2019 AB6IX released their first studio album6ixense and peaked at #30 on Billboard's Social 50 Chart on October 15 after being on there for 4 weeks. On November 9, 2019 the group held their first solo concert titled "6ixense" in South Korea at Olympic Gymnastics Arena.
2020: ''5NALLY'', Youngmin's departure and comeback with ''Vivid''
AB6IX released their digital mini-album 5NALLY on February 13, 2020. The EP contains five solo tracks, one for each member. On February 7, 2020 it was announced the European leg of their 6IXENSE tour was cancelled due to health concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic and later on March 11, 2020, it was announced that they would also cancel the U.S. leg of the tour. On June 8, Brand New Music announced that Youngmin will be leaving the group following his DUI. The group's comeback with their 2nd mini album Vivid, originally scheduled for June 8, has been postponed to June 29.
