It's so frightening and sad when you think about how many smaller and lesser-known groups are sometimes just as disrespected and intentionally a be prevented from succeeding. Each of the trainees train so hard and each and every one of them deserves the fame, attention and love from the fans

I see Park Hyung Sik, I click.

Tbh i just feel sad for them. They couldve made it big, but never really got a chance

Oh wow so that's why someone said Park Hyung Shik is better known for his acting that his idol career

I remember how kwanghee promoted his group in every chance he gets on variety/reality shows bcs they're unknown to the public. So glad that the members can still meet up like friends even after their disbandment like kwanghee always mentioned his members such as "why does the (tros) kids like siwan more than me?? I'm their official celebrity uncle!" 😢 Kwanghee was also got his fair share of suffering, with ppl always looked down on him. Imo, kwanghee is forever a loveable fluffball sunshine who always feel proud of his members and his group.

I'm always sad when I think about ZE:A and 9Muses

I knew of this group, but did not realise they had such a bad time.

5:45 He is so brave for speaking up against his company 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

I know that they are taking an indefinite hiatus. I'm sad for them, because they had so much talent. They deserved to be in a better agency. 😢

ZE:A's story is so sad. It's amazing that several of the members became successful despite being from such a small company that didn’t do much to help them. They had some great songs.

ZE:A had really good songs in their discography. Some of my favs are Breathe, Wind of Ghost, After Effect, ST Dagger.

What happen in 2014 on twitter seems like yesterday. So much happened that year in kpop in general. Miss them so much. Still hopeful for a comeback😊

So glad you talked about this. Zea was one of the first kpop groups I listened to and their story is pretty tragic. I know they aren't popular so many may not care for this video but I'm personally glad you've shed light on lesser known idols

It's the same company that mis-managed the girl group Nine Muses. From another documentary I have watched, Nine Muses was also promising at first, but the CEO had a bad taste and mis-managed the whole thing. He also slapped the face of the group leader.

It's very sad because all of them were really talented and had/have a great friendship. I'm glad part of them have great success after the group hiatus but to think that it was so bad for them that even one of their songs (aftereffect) becoming famous after some years they don't like the idea of promoting it again bcs when they needed ze:a didn't get the right attention!

I remember this group. Everytime I see kwanghee and dongjun I often think of what could have been. When I watched the documentary of Star Empire's girl group formation everything became clear. It's a ton of members and at the time Snsd and Super Junior were really hot, so these guys could have been something big. Wasted potential by that company. I wish nothing but the best of these guys.

It's really sad when a talented group debuts under a crappy agency. It's like this company deliberately sabotage ZE:A. But that wouldn't make sense since they're just throwing money at pointless promotions that they're hindering themselves. The group could've been big, there's nothing wrong with them.

i feel like new generations of fans wont know even big groups that arent active for long time, doesnt really mean anything

They were my favs and this video made me so regretful !! I remember they were accused of plagiarising TVXQ's Mirotic because of the similar outfits and sets in Mazeltov ... Level up and Be My Girl are still two of my favourite songs ever to this day

I've got to know some of the members because of their drams/movies and eventually found out about this group and been addicted to one of their songs❤

Just like 9Muses, they boys were cut off from food and only had Ramyeon during their truck around korea days and were practically starving because they had no money~ Starshit was hoping for fans due to the fact, that Moon Joonyoung (when did he change his name to Lee Hoo?) was visually compared to Park Yoochun (Ex-DBSK) to gain more fans. Their song Mazeltov was well received from fans from overseas, so it's kinda sad to hear, that they cried because of it. But yeah, their promotions were all over the place back then, if there were any at all. Even during their active times one only could hope they would show up on some music show or event~

I really loved Mazeltov

I feel so bad for them. Each of the trainees train so hard and every one of them deserves fame, love and attention.It's sad when you think that smaller groups are sometimes disrespected and intentionally being prevented from succeeding😢

i agree on this KOOKIELIT had a point

My ults... They didn't need this treatment. I hope the best for their future and I hope they'll be back together

Mazeltov is such a banger of a song though?!?!?!?! Even back in the day I had it on repeat.

ZE:A was my favorite K-pop group when they first debuted. However, looking back, I wouldn’t be surprised if the company they were signed to - Star Empire - mainly had financial issues, and I wouldn't be surprised if the members experienced PTSD from their time there. It would be a great idea to have a documentary by Netflix or Disney+ about ZE:A and their experience of being in a toxic Kpop label.

Lets understand one thing straight, there are so many number of groups that debut each year and maximum of 2 or 3 get the fame and earn money others just sadly vanish into thin air

Tbh I liked Mazeltov and my all time fave fave is Ghost of the wind but didn't know they were having a really hard time. I just finished the video and I'm so pissed off

I hate when seeing such talented artists deal with crappy management and labels, because I see soo much potential in them only for them to be put on a deserted back shelf.

They were actually one of my favorite groups from back then, though they kind of faded in the background after I entered college. I thought about them recently and wondered what happened to them since I still see Park Hyungshik, Im Siwan, and Kwanghee these days. Sad to learn about all this😢 I am glad for members who're making it big regardless, but it's sad that this is what happened to the group.

It's really a big deal to got a great company who support you no matter what happened it's so sad taht they had to deal with it but I'm happy to know that members r doing well I think it was not in their fate

ZE:A's story is an absolute crime. They had some serious bops, they had members who could work both as visuals and as variety guests, they worked really hard. But, as in most similar cases, their company sabotaged them. Star Empire was known for their abusive and scammy ways back in the day and that was a time when the bar for companies' behavior was in hell! There were also rumors about the company allegedly being a front for gangs etc. I'm glad that at least four of the members are very successful by former idol standards. They made it when everything was stacked against them. But I'm also sad because those members succeeding without any help proves that the group could have also been successful, had the company not messed up.

It went so bad

Oh I didn't know Hyunsik and Siwan (my favourite actors of all time esp Siwan in Strangers from hell is insane)were in group together and also that weekly idol guy. I just knew them from their solo activities and knew they had a kpop group but bro they were together... ? Wow ❤❤

I love their song "The Ghost of Wind" ❤

this is so sad to hear, I loved and still love their song Watch Out back then but I seeked them deeper to learn about how horrible their company was to them. hope all the members are doing well now

I listen to their discography and it's not bad at all, and that made me confused bc i thought they were not popular because they have songs like mazeltov, but actually they have very good songs and pretty similar with what the others popular groups was doing at the time. I really like the members, specially kwanghee.

I’m so happy siwan turned to acting after this he’s doing so good

They're the first kpop group I saw close up!! I bought my first album to attend their meet up 💗

ngl, I remember watching their music video here I am in youtube and stuck to it, replaying it non stop. the company really mess them up

Wow that company was so weird they totally mishandled stuffs like whaaat? Such a sad situation for the group

My beloved Ze:A

I just think they should've debuted with a banger like Level Up instead of that hot mess Mazeltov. What a stupid agency. 😡

They wanted to make them the male SNSD but they were the male 9 muses 🤦🏻 They could have achieved something but their company didn't manage them well and failed to give them good songs

Dongjun is my kpop crush, so sad they didn't get more popular

That one day is probably never going to happen

the manager is a hero!!

I did not know about Taeheon being a pawn on MMA :( I hope they will perform on stage again as complete 9 members. Such a bummer SE just wasted talents like that for so many years. SE seemed to hit the jackpot when they got idols like Nine Muses, ZE:A and Jewelry. Their artists had incredible charisma and stage presence, for example Jewelry winning Daesang in the old good days of Kpop. They could've been really big. But I guess everything happens for a reason. Their time will come they just need to keep going on and be humble.

Thanks Kookielit for this video. You know you're a fan when you already know most of the info here. I really think their company did them dirty. Too bad because I really like them till now. Not really a fan of Mazeltov but it will grow on you haha... Some of my fave songs > Love Coach, Love Letter, Aftermath, Continue, and The Day We Broke Up (ZE:A 5)

I loved ZE:A and yes Mazletov took some time to grow on me. But I was able to see their talent despite the song and loved them. I feel so bad for them....nobody deserves sabotage like that

4:11 oh my gosh that’s terrifying 😮

I knew of the name but mostly because of Kwanghee

I love this group....I still listen to their songs till todays date....esp...."Ghost of the Wind".. ( hopefully the title is right😅)....What I can tell is that before the new laws implemented in Kpop for idols safety and proper and better contractual and pay distribution terms...it was really harsh even basically "hell" on kpop idols back then, and the truth is no matter how good a group is, if they dont have proper management and promotions, their group being continuously successful will prove futile in the end.....These are some of the reasons....why when I see the entitled whiny kpop groups...esp...the fans who have it so much better this day and age...I really have to shake my head....

I have been fan of ze:a since 2011. They have been always one of my fav groups and still are. Its so sad how underrated they are, they have so good songs and are so talented. They just have so shit company. I hope one day they will reunite and get all that love and support they deserve❤

terrible. they're all clearly talented and worked so hard, but i would have never heard of them if it wasn't for Siwan. mazel tov was such a bad song but it wasn't their fault, if they'd had a different company that didn't keep stabbing them in the back, they'd be huge rn

Idk about the manager diving in but didn't the first guy falling off the boat pull the other guy in with him?

stan nugu groups, save them all

Ok but Mazeltov was so cringey that I loved it, and still love it haha

I'm loving seeing some Ze:a's/Styles here. My ult boy group. They were charming, talented and had a good discography

ZE:A is one of those groups I still think about because of how rare and fascinating it is. The group wasn't really popular yet several members still manage to make it big.

As a hardcore fans of another group debuting in the same period of time, ZE:A in my mind was not and never close to being a nugu. I heard the group’s name quite often through variety shows and stage performances. I thought they did quite good in the kpop scenes and that their company did well for it but after watching this i realized it’s mostly because of the members themselves. They made their own names. They must’ve worked so hard that even with such trash management many of them still managed to be known, at least by a non-fans who loves watching variety shows like my younger self. Sadly they didn’t have a chance to enjoy their potential achievements as a kpop idol.

Here I Am still in my playlist. Love the song😍😍😍

Kwanghee is my bias, I'm especially so proud of him, despite people constantly making fun of him, he leaned into it and made it his brand and built a solid career in the variety sphere.

Their concepts were all over the place. Whoever said thought they could do cute concepts must have been high.

Ze:A is the first group I stan.

Can u talk about welcome to waikiki actor Son song won who disappeared......after coming back from jail.

I'm still little upset about "Level Up" not gonna lie. And even more so that we never get to see the video.

Star Empire is definitely one of the WORST smaller agencies in the industry. The way they actively sabotaged ZE:A and Nine Muses makes my blood boil without fail! I recently made my mom watch the documentary ‘9 Muses of Star Empire’ with me and both of us were cursing the CEO out the entire time lmfao.

Oh, I remember them!

9muses had a lot of trouble with this ent

Im Si Wan & Park Hung Sik was so well known actor, this is def mistreatment just to think abt some of the ZE:A members is still active on drama/entertainment industry.

I love their music, listen to them very often.

i thought the name zea seemed familiar til i heard the song and heard "mexican girl" and that whole part

i hate star empire entertainment so much, they never treated their artists well it's so sad

Damn never knew PHS was an idol. This is actually sad and very unfortunate

ze:a all day long is still by far my #1 kpop song of all time

Tbh it might be a mix of everything. Some groups just doesn’t make it Ze:a, u-kiss, TEEN TOP, Boyfriend, MBLAQ etc all came from a company which had resources but still never made it big meanwhile. INFINITE AND BEAST was from a same size company, INFINITE might have come from the smallest out of all of them. But it’s really about who appeals to the public and has a different vibe. While other groups like suju, GG, BB etc had their companies. Smaller groups needs more than just talent. And that’s why BOTH INFINITE AND BEAST were the most successful from the small companies they were more appealing in general.

Star Empire is the True Meaning of Evil Ze:a dersved better I hope all the members are being treated better and are doing what they love like Acting or writing their own songs at a better company Strar Empire should've been permanently Shut Down a long time ago Star empire is sick and twisted

ZE:A!!!!! OMG i stan them back then.... their song is soo good

Yikes. Same company as 9MUSES.

Please XiN video

Their concept wasn't really popular that time . I remember them cause they debuted around the time exo did , which in it's own terms shaped what was popular in the 2 gen

So many of the members are known for other reasons. Even though their debut was trash, I grew to like their stuff. So sad it ended up this way.

So sad

Star Empire WAS SUCH A PROBLEMATIC COMPANY.

Heart 4 two

earliest days, i followed ZE:A debut and comebacks, but yeah no more than that from their agency

Their story is sad but they are my favourite group. Their songs are beautiful. Many have just the right beat to get the day started.

Tbh,the artist should always Deserve at least 50% of the money.

I actually liked ZE:A back then.

I just passed the vid to go listen to a bit of their debut song.... and yea. It's soooo bad and weird.. and just annoying!?? That was mean to do to those guys🫢🫣

But i really like Mazeltov.. 🤭

Taehoon❤

Btw ZE:A is pronounced as "jeh-ah" since it's a short for "jeh-guk-e ah-ee-deul" which means child of empire, you're welcome

Please make a video for XiN please 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Glad now they are good.

Ze:A was a blueprint for other nine member boy groups who are often compared with Twice.

Afreecatv is always at the scene of a crime smh

מזל טוב🎉