We watched them week after week in their relentless pursuit of stardom, and laying their hearts on the line on-camera for the whole world to see; and now, the seven members of iKON are ready to finally bask in the fruits of their arduous labor.

Last week, the rookie group dropped its first official single, “My Type,” and not only nabbed the No. 1 spot on all of the country’s major online music charts, but also reigned the iTunes’ singles albums chart in seven regions, including Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Laos.

Not such a shabby feat for what the agency has referred to as the group’s “warm-up” single.

Despite being widely known for their tightly choreographed dance numbers and energetic, in-your-face hip-hop beats, iKON’s debut single was rather quite the opposite. Instead of the thundering hip-hop beats that have been heard much from the group during their reality show battle days, fans now get a taste of the guys’ more casual side.

Not relying on their dynamic synchronized dance moves to snatch attention, “My Type” is without a doubt a track meant to swoon and tug at the heartstring of the band’s female fans -- meshing leader B.I. and Bobby’s soft-spoken and relaxed rap interludes. The mid-tempo mellow melody gives off a vibe of wanting to drive top down with your friends in the refreshing summer breeze bobbing your heads to the radio.

While the megastars of YG Entertainment are certainly no strangers to topping the charts -- in fact many could say that it would be more shocking to have the artists achieve anything less -- iKON still seems to have all the ingredients in its arsenal to become one of the K-pop world’s next biggest act. 

Members B.I., Bobby, Kim Jin-hwan, Gu Jun-hoe, Song Yun-hyeong, Kim Dong-hyuk and Jung Chan-woo were first lunged into the K-pop spotlight as the young new faces of hallyu powerhouse agency YG, following in the footsteps of their predecessor Big Bang.

The boys starred in YG’s “Mix & Match” reality show program, a spin-off of popular “WIN: Who Is Next?” 2013 TV series, which resulted in the creation of YG’s other chart-topping boy band, Winner -- YG’s first boy group to debut in nine years.

The young hopefuls battled through one of the company’s rigorous trademark on-air survival reality shows hoping to be guaranteed a place in K-pop history as the agency’s next big thing. The “WIN” reality programs featured two YG trainee teams, group “A” and “B,” who battled each other head-to-head to win the chance to make their official debut as YG artists. The show resulted in a victorious Team A, which eventually led to the introduction of the rookie idol group Winner.

Following Team B’s devastating on-air loss, which led to the members uncontrollably coming to tears live onstage after their final performance, fans both locally and abroad began launching online petitions requesting YG not to disband the group.

Despite having fallen short of victory, the losing members of Team B were given a second chance through “Mix & Match.” The spin-off show featured all the members of losing Team B however in a twist, including three new faces to the mix -- trainees Chan-woo, Jung Jin-hyeong and Yang Hong-seok. The nine members competed to become one of the seven members of iKON.

Through the broadcast, which concluded last November, viewers got a special firsthand glimpse of the member’s struggles, perseverance and dedication via the behind-the-scenes practice room footage showing the boys’ singing, dancing and self-composition skills being put to the test.

Fans were also able to witness the undeniable chemistry built between the members, allowing iKON to amass a tremendous fan base well before their official debut last week, with many fans able to feel they know group at a more personal level.

Despite having only having released a warm-up tune, the boys seem well on their way to becoming the new faces of YG and the company’s next big thing since Big Bang.

Unlike other YG acts, who are not known so much for their choreographic numbers, iKON’s emphasis on dancing is what helps set them apart from all of the agency’s acts, including the newly debuted Winner.

Plus, the deadly combo of rappers Bobby -- who also won the reality TV rap competition Show me the Money 3 last year -- and longtime YG trainee B.I. -- whom YG head Yang Hyun-suk once referred to as the next G-Dragon – all but guarantees the group’s future success.

The members of iKON are to release a half-album (six tracks) on Oct. 1 and unveil their entire debut album of 12 tracks on Nov. 2. 

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)