The Boyz: Growing Through the K-Pop Industry’s Significant Changes

K-pop is not the same as it was before. The sound, style, image, the way idols are marketed, and how the audience perceives them, everything keeps on changing year after year. And as the industry continues to follow these shifts and adjustments, how will the new generation of idols keep up? Social media played a huge role in developing the field of entertainment. It was evident with BTS, the biggest K-pop boy group right now, as they reshaped how fans could interact and relate to their idols. And they are not just fans who can be seen at concerts or events waving their lightsticks anymore. They can now be group advocates and even content creators.

This modern K-pop environment has also put new ideas on how to be idols. It is not just about having a perfect image or outstanding talents anymore. But also on how they will put the substance in their art as audiences now yearn for sincerity from people they look up to. That is why, nowadays, a lot of idols are more hands-on, especially in terms of songwriting and making choreographies. These are all the significant transitions that the industry is going through when K-pop boy group, THE BOYZ, debuted in 2017.

Road to Debut

The Boyz was originally a 12-member group composed of Sangyeon (leader), Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Kevin, New, Q, Ju Haknyeon, Sunwoo, Eric, and Hwall, who debuted on December 6, 2017. But before that, some of their members have participated in some entertainment activities. Kevin was a contestant in KPOP Star 6, and he also released an OST for the K-drama Saimdang, Light’s Diary in April 2017. Another one is Sunwoo, who became a contestant on High School Rapper in January 2017. And lastly, the one that you will probably recognize is Ju Haknyeon, who ranked 19th on the popular batch of MNET’s Produce 101 Season 2. He was with the same batch as solo artist Kang Daniel, who placed first in the competition.

With lots of K-pop groups debuting at the same time every year, entertainment agencies have been working harder to think of new ways to gain attention for their idols. As for Cre.Ker Entertainment, it thought that it is better to expose their idols even before their official debut date and see if things will work out in the future. So, they aired a variety show for The Boyz, whom they name Cre.Kers at first, called Flower Snack where they released a song entitled, I’m Your Boy. Because of this, they gained their first set of fans whom they also met a fan meeting 1,000 attendees.

Road to Introduction

Introducing a bright, young, fresh, and boyish side in their musicality is what The Boyz wanted as they entered the K-pop industry, which is a concept that Asian audiences love. With this, they easily gained fans both from South Korea and Japan. They released tracks like Boy and Giddy Up with dance-pop and electric music genres. And during their first year, they received “Rookie Awards” from Korea Brand Awards and Soribada Best K-Music Awards.

But as they always mention in their interviews, like in Another Man Magazine and Billboard, they have 12 members with different personalities. It was like they’re saying that The Boyz cannot just be boxed into the same type of music repeatedly. In the future, they will be able to show their other sides too, in terms of creating their songs and even how they present their style and image.

Road to Kingdom

As they entered their second year, things became quite interesting. First, they received their first music show win from SBS’s The Show with their single Bloom Bloom. To follow was the release of their fourth extended play, Dreamlike, with lead single D.D.D. Everything seemed to go up for the team that time. But later in 2019, Hwall needed to leave the group due to health reasons.

The loss of one member motivated the other members to move forward and grow as much as they could. An opportunity came to The Boyz as they were invited to become a part of MNET’s Road To Kingdom program. It is where 7 K-pop boy groups with potential competitors to have a spot in Kingdom, the counterpart of the show Queendom. They had to fight against the 6 groups Pentagon, ONF, Golden Child, Verivery, Oneus, and To1.

Clearly, The Boyz have exceeded in reaching their maximum potential in performing through Road To Kingdom as they placed first among all the group participants. They blew the whole nation away with their performances that didn’t just show their singing and dancing skills but also their strength, passion, and determination. Winning the competition proved that The Boyz is here to stay, and the industry should watch out for what they can do more in the future.

Road to Growth and Success

Being an early fourth-generation K-pop idol, The Boyz is following the standard of sincerity that the previous K-pop generation has set when it comes to being not just an idol, but an artist. As a fairly new group, there is still so much to look forward to with their careers. Having their fans, ‘The Bs’, pronounced “DeoBis”, makes every member grateful that they connect with them even through their merchandise.

The Boyz have been successful in being marketable to the public, especially in Korea. They have endorsed brands like Skoolooks and Siero Cosmetics even during pre-debut. But to show more love to the group, you can watch their videos, attend online concerts and events, and of course, buy their products or official goods. As mentioned earlier, they always try to put a personal touch on their merchandise to show their sincerity to their fans. One example is Kevin and New designing eco-bags and slogans for their first fan convention.