X1 fans make 'Flash' fastest debut video to reach 100 million views on YouTube, smashing TXT's 'Crown' record
K-pop group X1 has scored a victory with their song 'Flash' which, thanks to the tireless efforts of the group's fandom One It as well as supporters from other fandoms, has now surpassed 100 million views on YouTube, earning X1 the distinction of having the fastest debut music video by a K-pop boy group to reach that mark.
After competing on Mnet's survival competition series 'Produce X 101', the top 11 contestants went on to form the group X1 and debuted with their single 'Flash' in 2019 under Swing Entertainment. The group was co-managed by Stone Music Entertainment at the time. In addition to the single, the group also put out an EP titled 'Emergency: Quantum Leap' which included re-recorded versions of the tracks 'X1-MA', 'U Got It', and 'Move' from Produce X 101.
Additionally, the EP included four new songs. While the group's music was a hit among their fans, the music video for 'Flash' has achieved staggering views nearly a year later thanks to fans banding together for X1's debut anniversary and delivering the record as a gift to the group. And now that they've hit their target, fans are sharing messages of gratitude on social media to one another, fellow fandoms and the group themselves.
Several fans shared they were now "Ugly crying" after seeing X1 trending across Twitter and beyond, and even more fans took the moment to talk about how proud they were of the band as well as their fans and supporters for the accomplishment. "I THOUGHT WE WOULDN'T MAKE IT BUT OUR ONE ITS ARE HARD WORKING AND AMAZING," tweeted one fan, while another said, "WE DID IT ONE ITS! All One Its around the world, thank you for not giving up! *big hug* To other fandoms who help us to stream, I think thank you isn't really enough. I love you."
Another fan shared, "We did it, One It! Thank you so much for working so hard for this debut anniversary gift project. I can't stress it enough but everyone who joined us streaming, you are amazing people!" And one fan tweet read, "ONLY THE REAL ROOKIE MONSTER DID THAT!! GOOD JOB ONE IT."
The record for the fastest music video to reach 100 million views is currently held by Blackpink for their 2020 comeback, 'How You Like That', which hit that mark in a mere 32 hours. Boy group BTS previously held that record for their smash hit 'Boy With Luv', featuring singer Halsey. But since both groups debuted several years ago, BTS in 2013 and Blackpink in 2016, their debut music videos, unfortunately, were not in the running for the fastest to hit the 100 million mark. That record was previously held by BTS' Big Hit Entertainment juniors Tomorrow x Together, or TXT, for their video 'Crown' which hit the 100 million mark in 348 days.
But amid the celebrations, some noted that the win was a bittersweet moment for One Its. As one fan pointed out, "It would have reached that mark faster if they were still together," with another responding, "True. For many months us. One Its just couldn't bear to watch that MV." X1, sadly, could not catch a break following their debut, owing to accusations of vote manipulation on Mnet's show derailing their careers and forcing the group to disband in January 2020 before they even made it to their first year anniversary.
While all 11 members were active in the industry prior to being in X1, the scandal put a serious dent in their careers. Several members remained active as models, doing photoshoots and keeping fans updated on social media. Some of them put out dance covers while on their break. Han Seungwoo returned to his previous group, Victon, while Lee Hangyul and Nam Dohyon formed the duo H&D and Kang Minhee and Song Hyeongjun debuted with the group Cravity. Other members are training to debut with fellow 'Produce X 101' contestants in other groups.