The South Korean boyband ZE:A (Hangul: 제국의 아이들), also known as Children of Empire, were formed in 2010 by Star Empire Entertainment and generated an initial buzz with their user-created content videos and guerilla shows. The group marked their arrival with the single album Nativity and lead single "Mazeltov" in January of that year, not wasting any time before dropping their second single album Leap for Detonation in March 2010. Released in July 2010, their third single "Level Up" (이별드립) was punctuated by an Asian tour that made stops in Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and other places. The group's first full-length album, Lovability, emerged in March 2011, anchored by the lead single "Here I Am." They were awarded state honors by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Commendation that year while keeping up the momentum with a subsequent string of well-received singles that included "Aftermath" and "Phoenix," both charting on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart. Their second album, Spectacular, was also issued in 2012 along with the Japanese LP Phoenix. The group spent the next three years putting out single albums, singles, EPs and a 2015 compilation album, Continue, before going on hiatus.
