'Super Rookies' ALPHA DRIVE ONE Heading to Belluna Dome, Japan in May… Joining 'ASEA 2026' Lineup

ALPHA DRIVE ONE, Captivating the Globe, to Make Their First Appearance at the 'Asia Star Entertainer Awards'

The group ALPHA DRIVE ONE is set to appear at 'ASEA 2026'.

On April 27, the organizing committee announced that ALPHA DRIVE ONE will perform on the first day (May 16) of the 3rd Asia Star Entertainer Awards 2026 (ASIA STAR ENTERTAINER AWARDS, hereafter 'ASEA 2026'). The music festival, which brings together top-tier artists representing Asia, will be held on May 16 and 17 at the Belluna Dome in Saitama Prefecture, Japan.

ALPHA DRIVE ONE is a group formed through the Mnet survival program 'Boys 2 Planet' and received high expectations from K-pop fans even before their debut. Meeting these expectations, they achieved remarkable results upon their debut with their first mini-album 'EUPHORIA' this past January, instantly establishing themselves as a massive K-pop group. The debut album 'EUPHORIA' surpassed 1.44 million copies in first-week sales (Initial Chodong), recording the 2nd highest first-week debut sales for a K-pop group in history. Furthermore, they achieved four music show wins with their debut title track "FREAK ALARM."

The response from global K-pop fans, not just domestically, is also fervent. They entered the iTunes Top 5 in 18 regions worldwide, took 1st place on the Daily Digital Album Chart of China's largest music platform QQ Music, and maintained top spots on Japan's Oricon Weekly Combined Album Ranking and Weekly Album Ranking for two consecutive weeks. They also proved their global popularity by becoming the first K-pop artist to grace the digital cover of Madame Figaro Hong Kong, attending Japan's largest fashion festival, the '42nd Mynavi Tokyo Girls Collection 2026 SPRING/SUMMER (TGC)', and holding a large-scale relay pop-up event in collaboration with QQ Music. Anticipation is gathering to see what kind of performance ALPHA DRIVE ONE will showcase in their first appearance at 'ASEA 2026'.

Launched in 2024, 'ASEA' has established itself as a global awards ceremony that carefully selects and honors artists exercising worldwide influence beyond Asia, showcasing high-quality performances. This year as well, a large number of top-class artists who have achieved significant results over the past year are scheduled to participate and put on spectacular stages.

On the first day (May 16), hosted by MONSTA X's HYUNGWON and IVE's REI, the lineup includes ALPHA DRIVE ONE, &TEAM, CANDY TUNE, CUTIE STREET, DXTEEN, ENHYPEN, FRUITS ZIPPER, IDID, KIMURA MISA, KYOKA, SWEET STEADY, and VVUP (listed in alphabetical order). Actors LEE JUN-HO and GO YOUN-JUNG will also grace the event.

On the second day (May 17), with TVXQ!'s MAX CHANGMIN and actress LEE SUNG-KYUNG as MCs, the performers include ATEEZ, HEARTS2HEARTS, IKUTA TOUMA, KWON EUNBI, NOWZ, THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE, WONHO, and xikers. Actor LEE CHAEMIN will also attend.

'ASEA 2026' is hosted by NEWSEN, South Korea's representative entertainment and sports media outlet celebrating its 21st anniversary this year, and @style, a star & style magazine celebrating its 14th anniversary, and is organized by the ASEA Organizing Committee.

'ASEA 2026' plans to sequentially announce the artist lineup, award categories, and judging criteria through its official website. Ticket reservations began on March 16. Further details can be found on the official Japanese website.

(Photos provided by WAKEONE and the ASEA Organizing Committee)