{"id":2018442,"date":"2025-09-13T04:10:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T04:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2018442"},"modified":"2025-09-13T04:10:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T04:10:01","slug":"nearly-a-decade-into-astro-mj-and-jinjin-begin-fresh-chapter-as-zoonizini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/nearly-a-decade-into-astro-mj-and-jinjin-begin-fresh-chapter-as-zoonizini\/","title":{"rendered":"Nearly a decade into ASTRO, MJ and JINJIN begin fresh chapter as ZOONIZINI"},"content":{"rendered":"

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SEATTLE<\/strong> – <\/span>ASTRO is one group in K-pop that all fans of the genre listen to or at least are familiar with, whether it be for their music, their ever-evolving styles, or the members themselves.<\/p>\n

After nearly a decade since the group\u2019s debut there have been multiple solo and sub-unit releases, and now after a lengthy full-group comeback hiatus, two of the group\u2019s members are back with the newest ASTRO sub-unit, ZOONIZINI.<\/p>\n

MJ and JINJIN, the two oldest members of the group, just released their sub-unit\u2019s debut mini album, “DICE.”<\/p>\n

“MJ and I always had great chemistry within the team, and even though we’re the oldest members we like to goof around. Because of that chemistry, I felt confident even before we debuted as a unit, throughout the album preparation process, and I’m really happy that we were able to show those sides of ourselves during the promotions for this album,” says JINJIN.<\/p>\n

Previous sub-units of the group had the names JINJIN & ROCKY and\u00a0MOONBIN&SANHA<\/a>, but MJ and JINJIN wanted to brand themselves with a name that was a little more personal to them.<\/p>\n

“At first it was just \u2018MJ&JINJIN,\u2019 but that was too common and honestly a bit boring. We wanted something a bit more special. I call JINJIN ‘ZINI’ a lot, and I had the idea ‘Since my name is Myung Jun, how about I go as ‘ZOONI’ and we can be ‘ZOONIZINI’? That’s how we came up with the unit name,” MJ says.<\/p>\n

The duo\u2019s album “DICE” took a lot of planning and even more time to write and curate the tracks to fit both of their personal styles and personalities.<\/p>\n

“We got songs both from abroad and from Korea, and we listened to a total of over 400 songs. After we discussed our personal picks and coordinated with each other, there were some songs we had to let go of, regretfully, but I think the six songs that are currently on the album are the most similar to the feel that we agreed on in the beginning,” JINJIN tells FOX 13.<\/p>\n

The title track for the album, “Some Things Never Change” stands out among the group\u2019s discography and shows a playful side of the group\u2019s two eldest members.<\/p>\n

ZOONIZINI(ASTRO) – \u2019Some Things Never Change\u2019 M\/V<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

That playful side is what drew a lot of fans to the group in the beginning, and has been a constant in their career as their relationships with AROHA, their fandom name, has grown.<\/p>\n

Not only their relationships to fans, but also each other have grown, and that personal bond was important in the creation of “DICE.”<\/p>\n

“When I was working on this album, I started writing the lyrics with the hopes of telling our story to the audience. So it’s not really about how we personally connect to the message, it was more that we hoped the audience will connect with the message, because it’s our story. Whenever MJ and I talk about the songs we always mention unchanging friendship. It’s been almost 13 years since I first met MJ, and the circumstances have changed, but our chemistry and relationship are the same. We wanted to show that through this album,” says JINJIN.<\/p>\n

While the six-track album has a fresh sound for the duo, it has the ASTRO touch with its hopeful and nostalgic sound.<\/p>\n

“As the two oldest members, getting to create and prepare a new concept gave us a lot of new experiences and it was so much fun. This album promotion reminded me why we have to perform on stage,” MJ says.<\/p>\n

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