ZELO
ZELO spent his first idol era being introduced as the giant baby of B.A.P. That description stopped being useful years ago. He is a rapper, dancer, choreographer, singer, songwriter, and now the person rebuilding his own career after military service with nobody else deciding what shape it should take.
ZELO at Waterbomb Seoul 2026. Image provided by VLACKSQUAD through Sports Kyunghyang.
Quick profile
| Stage name | ZELO (젤로) |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Choi Jun-hong (최준홍) |
| Born | October 15, 1996, Mokpo, South Korea |
| Work | Rapper, singer, dancer, songwriter, choreographer |
| Group | B.A.P, including the pre-debut unit Bang & Zelo |
| Current company | VLACKSQUAD, signed March 2026 |
| Military service | December 12, 2023 to June 11, 2025 |
Before B.A.P
Choi Jun-hong grew up in Mokpo and started training young enough that the word “young” feels almost insulting. He attended an academy tied to dance and performance, auditioned for several companies, and eventually entered TS Entertainment. Before the full group arrived, he was paired with leader Bang Yong-guk for the unit Bang & Zelo. Their 2011 single “Never Give Up” introduced the contrast that would become one of B.A.P’s weapons: Yong-guk’s gravelly low register against ZELO’s much lighter, faster attack.
B.A.P and the maknae who could outrap the furniture
B.A.P debuted in January 2012 with “Warrior.” ZELO was fifteen. He was the youngest member, a lead rapper, and one of the group’s strongest dancers. His rapid-fire “LTE rap” became an early calling card, but the choreography mattered just as much. He did not dance like the decorative rapper waiting for his verse. He treated the entire stage like evidence.
The group moved between aggressive hip-hop, rock, R&B, social commentary, and emotional pop without becoming one-note. That range is why older fans still get twitchy when somebody reduces B.A.P to one hard concept and a whistle.
The lawsuit years were not a cute little hiatus
In November 2014, all six members filed to terminate their contracts with TS Entertainment, alleging unfair terms and profit distribution. The dispute paused group activity at a moment when B.A.P had real international momentum. They settled and returned in 2015, but the interruption remains part of the group’s history because it changed the trajectory. ZELO left TS in December 2018 when his contract expired. The remaining contracts ended soon afterward, and the group’s first era closed in 2019.
Solo work without pretending he was finished growing
ZELO made his formal solo debut in 2019 with the EP Distance and the title track “Questions.” The catalog that followed included “She and Malibu,” “Day2Day,” “Fault,” “Smile,” and other releases that let him move beyond the speed-rapper label. He also choreographed and directed performance choices, which makes sense when you watch him. He has always seemed physically incapable of treating movement as somebody else’s department.
His solo career was not one uninterrupted victory lap. There were label changes, independent stretches, and the usual ugly question facing an idol outside a major company: how much talent can you turn into visibility without an industrial machine doing the shouting?
Military service, return, and VLACKSQUAD
ZELO enlisted in December 2023 and completed his service in June 2025. That timing kept him out of the four-member B.A.P reunion project Curtain Call, released in 2024 under the name Bang & Jung & Yoo & Moon. It was not a dramatic rejection of the group. He was literally serving.
In March 2026 he signed with VLACKSQUAD and released “Cola Comigo,” followed by fan concerts and a push back toward live performance. He told KpopWise that he had loved Latin rhythms for years and wanted to make them feel natural and accessible in Korean pop. Then he named Waterbomb as a goal. A few months later, he was on the Waterbomb Seoul stage previewing “BANANA” and “ELA.” I respect a receipt that arrives that quickly.
“ELA” era
“ELA” was released July 29, 2026 after its live debut at Waterbomb Seoul. ZELO is credited as a composer, lyricist, chorus vocalist, and performance director. The song folds Latin-pop rhythm, glossy dance-pop, guitar, and a very 2010s summer-night memory into his post-service reset. Read my full “ELA” review.
The RaeRae take
ZELO’s problem was never a shortage of skill. It was that he debuted with so many skills at once that people froze him at fifteen and kept describing the same prodigy. “ELA” is interesting because it does not beg us to notice how fast he can rap. It lets him be smooth, playful, melodic, and grown. The dancing is still rude, obviously. Some laws of nature remain.
Official Socials
Sources
- Sports Kyunghyang: ZELO previews “ELA” and “BANANA” at Waterbomb Seoul 2026
- KpopWise interview: “Cola Comigo,” Latin rhythm, and starting over
- Official “ELA” music video and complete production creditsDaily+9.4KTotal views326.1K
- Korea JoongAng Daily: the four-member B.A.P reunion project
YouTube tracking history
Current totals checked against the official uploads on August 12, 2026. Daily changes begin from this baseline.
ZELO – ELA official music videoDaily gain: baseline collection pending | Total views: 272,059Watch official videoDaily+9.4KTotal views326.1K
ZELO – She and Malibu official music videoDaily gain: baseline collection pending | Total views: 202,438Watch official videoDaily+12Total views202.5K