"My comeback wouldn't affect them": ZICO responds to criticism of his collaboration with BLACKPINK's Jennie allegedly overshadowing BOYNEXTDOOR

On Tuesday, April 30, a preview of K-pop soloist ZICO's appearance on the South Korean talk show, The K Star Nextdoor, was released. His appearance was a result of his recent collaboration with BLACKPINK's Jennie for their new track, SPOT!. In the preview, the idol talked to host Jonathan about several things related to his new comeback.

One of the questions that Jonathan asked was about him releasing music around the same time as ZICO's rookie K-pop boy group, BOYNEXTDOOR. ZICO kickstarted his own company, KOZ Entertainment in 2018, and BOYNEXTDOOR is the first and the only K-pop group under the agency.

Since the K-pop soloist is releasing SPOT! around the same time as the group's comeback with their new EP, HOW?, the host asked about the soloist allegedly overshadowing his own group.

However, the idol confidently replied that he was sure his comeback wouldn't affect BOYNEXTDOOR:

"My comeback wouldn't affect them. That's how confident we are."

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ZICO responds to criticism of him overshadowing BOYNEXTDOOR with his recent collaborative track release, SPOT!

On April 26, ZICO released his new track, SPOT!, in collaboration with BLACKPINK's Jennie. The song immediately became the talk of the town as fans and netizens swooned over the two idol's voices perfectly harmonizing with each other.

Soon after the release, ZICO kickstarted his promotions for the track by attending variety shows, talk show programs, and more.

One such promotional appearance was at The K Star Nextdoor, a recent South Korean talk show. During the interview, the idol discussed several things - from his new collaboration with BLACKPINK's Jennie to BOYNEXTDOOR, the rookie K-pop group he created. Naturally, the host, Jonathan asked the idol about releasing music around the same time as the rookie K-pop group.

"You just said that your new song will bring you the most money. How can you release a song at the same time? What kind of father releases a song at the same time his child does?" the host asked.

To this, ZICO replied:

"My comeback wouldn't affect them. That's how confident we are. Instead of an individual combat, it's more like, "Let's fight together". A three-legged race, let's work together."

After Jonathan heard ZICO's confident response about the success of BOYNEXTDOOR, he continued to jokingly mock the idol. He humorously talked about how the idol released music in the prediction that he would be taking the lead in the fight with his K-pop boy group, BOYNEXTDOOR.

However, after the jokes, Jonathan added that his music release might have actually motivated the group in their career.

"BOYNEXTDOOR might think, "Our father is working so hard. We can't stay skill. We need to hustle too." It might motivate them."

However, ZICO talked about BOYNEXTDOOR being "bigger hustlers" than him. He said that the members work hard every day and barely get time to rest:

"They are bigger hustlers than I am. In fact, they barely have time to sleep."

BOYNEXTDOOR recently released their new EP, titled HOW?, on April 15, 2024. The album holds a total of seven songs, with its title track, Earth, Wind, and Fire. The comeback was well-received by netizens and fans were impressed by the members' extensive skills.