X1 (Korean: 엑스원, romanized: Ekseuwon, pronounced as X-One) is a South Korean boy band formed by CJ E&M through the Mnet reality competition show Produce X 101. The group is composed of eleven members: Kim Yo-han, Kim Woo-seok, Han Seung-woo, Song Hyeong-jun, Cho Seung-youn, Son Dong-pyo, Lee Han-gyul, Nam Do-hyon, Cha Jun-ho, Kang Min-hee, and Lee Eun-sang. The group will debut under Swing Entertainment and Stone Music Entertainment. Their contract will end 5 years after debut, with a 2.5-year exclusive contract and another 2.5-year non-exclusive contract, meaning that the eventual members can return to co-promote with their original agencies after the first half.

The group's name, X1, was suggested by netizens through the official Produce X 101 website and chosen by CJ E&M, with the name taken from the show's title song "X1-MA". X1 means "11" in Roman numbers, and also represents 10+1.[citation needed]

Pre-debut: Produce X 101

X1 was formed through the survival competition series Produce X 101, which aired on Mnet from May 3, 2019, until July 19, 2019. Out of an initial 101 trainees participating, the final 10 were chosen out of the remaining 20 trainees by audience votes in the final week of the show. The final member, known as the rank X member, is selected from the remaining trainees with the highest combined votes across all episodes of the show. All members are announced via a live television broadcast on July 19, 2019.

Prior to the program, many of the members have already been active in the music industry. Cho Seung-youn debuted as a member of Uniq in 2014. He also debuted as a solo artist and music producer under the stage name Luizy in 2016, before changing it to WOODZ in 2018. He is known for producing the Idol Producer debut evaluation song "It's Ok". Kim Woo-seok debuted in UP10TION under the name Wooshin in September 2015, and was a former host on SBS MTV's The Show alongside the first season Produce 101 contestant and former I.O.I member Jeon So-mi. Han Seung-woo debuted as a member and the leader of Victon in November 2016. Lee Han-gyul previously debuted as a member of Yama and Hotchicks Entertainment's ballad group IM and competed with his fellow IM members in KBS2's The Unit where he ended up in 13th place. Fellow MBK trainee Nam Do-hyon was a contestant in MBC's Under Nineteen as a member of the Rap Team and was ended up in 42nd place on the show.

2019: Upcoming debut

After the program, the Top 11 contestants signed a recording contract with Stone Music's Swing Entertainment, the label which housed the second season Produce 101 winner Wanna One. It has also been announced that a reality program and a debut album are being produced. The group will debut on August 27, 2019 with a debut showcase at Gocheok Sky Dome.- Wikipedia