Not all popular K-pop bands came from big companies like JYP Entertainment, and the ASTRO Boy Band is one of the great examples to certify this statement. Coming from Fantagio, ATSRO is a band of four boys; originally, it was a sextet band, but two members, Rocky and Moonbin, left the band on February 28, 2023, and Moonbin died on April 19, 2023. Today we will discuss ASTRO’s debut date, time, and album with all its former members, MJ, Jinjin, Cha Eunwoo, Moonbin, Rocky, and Sanha, including their debut album tracklist and members’ introductions, debut showcase, and sales performance.
ASTRO Debut Album, Tracklist, and Pre-debut Activities
ASTRO debuted officially on February 23, 2016, at 6:00 p.m. KST with the release of extended play (EP) “Spring Up,” which has a track length of 14 minutes and 16 seconds and contains dual singles “Hide & Seek” and “Cat’s Eye.” The debut mini-album Spring Up has six tracks in its tracklist, which are as follows: “OK! Ready,” “Hide & Seek” (lead track), “Innocent Love,” “Morning Call,” and “Cat’s Eye” (b-side track). The lead single Hide & Seek and b-side track Cat’s Eye was written, composed, and arranged by Iggy Young-bae and Park Woo-sang, respectively.
Before its debut, the group went through many shows and public appearances. Music label company Fantagio launched a rookie talent development program called “iTeen Boys,” whose final lineup led to the formation of a new sextet boy band, Astro. After the program, in the same month, all the boys appeared in the web drama To Be Continued, where each member was introduced publicly. Later on the reality television show Astro OK! Ready, which aired between January 21 and February 16, 2021, on MBC Every1, ASTRO members again appeared.
On February 11, the group dropped the first teaser of their debut extended play (EP), Spring Up, and its highlight medley on February 16. Finally, on February 23, the group dropped the music video for the lead single Hide & Seek, and then on February 25, the music video for the b-side track Cat’s Eye was released. On Astro’s debut day, it held its debut live showcase, where they performed Hide & Seek, Cat’s Eye, Innocent Love, and Morning Call. Then, they performed all these tracks on various music shows, like the first time on MBC M’s Show Champion, followed by Mnet M Countdown. They also got the chance to perform on the Music Show, which aired on KBS, and then on Inkigayo, which aired on SBS.
The debut mini-album Spring Up recorded sales of 24,000+ copies since its debut day and was recorded as of April 2016. It peaked at fourth position on the weekly Goan Charts (now called Circle Charts) and reached sixth on the US Billboard World Weekly Album.
So this is all about Astro’s debut with its former members MJ, Jinjin, Cha Eunwoo, Moonbin, Rocky, and Sanha. It has been a long time since the debut of the Fantagio boy band Astro, and many new bands have been introduced in the K-pop industry, which has created many new records in this industry. Next, you can read about how old Astro members are. Also, take a look into the debuts of other K-pop girl bands: when did Le Sserafim and Aespa debut?