Music

BOYNEXTDOOR: Will the 'Youngest of HYBE' and 'Zico's Idol Group' Live Up to the Hype?

May 30, 2023 | by Nobelle Borines

The boy group BOYNEXTDOOR (Sung-ho, Liu, Myung-jaehyun, Tae-san, Lee-han, Woon-hak) has taken its first step. The question is, can they live up to their name?

On May 30, BOYNEXTDOOR released their debut single album 'WHO!' through various music websites. 'WHO!' is an album that encapsulates the team's identity, presenting three songs-'I'm Going Crazy', 'Serenade', and 'One and Only'-as triple title tracks.

'I'm Going Crazy' is a rock-based teen pop expressing the exhilaration of falling in love, 'Serenade' captures the nervousness and tension of confession, and 'One and Only' depicts the resolution to confess to a loved one. All three songs have interconnected stories under the overarching theme of love. Members Myung-jaehyun, Tae-san, and Woon-hak participated in the composition and lyrics of 'I'm Going Crazy' and the lyrics of 'Serenade'.

The group name BOYNEXTDOOR contains the meaning of "boys next door". They aim to express everyday stories through their music, seeking comfort rather than glamour. Known to be a group that prepared diligently for about four and a half years under KOZ Entertainment established by Zico, they exhibited excellent skills in vocals, rap, and performance even before their debut. Zico frequently hinted at preparing an idol group, which generated buzz. Also, as a group belonging to the '5th generation' male idols, they attracted much anticipation. Hence, BOYNEXTDOOR started off with the prefixes 'Youngest of HYBE' and 'Zico's Idol'.

This was a part that the members also recognized. At the debut showcase held the previous day, Lee-han said, "Thank you for showing a lot of interest. I want to hear 'As expected, the youngest of HYBE', 'KOZ is different indeed'. I will work hard." Tae-san followed by saying, "Thanks to the good environment created by many seniors, we were able to debut. We will be BOYNEXTDOOR, who has a greater sense of responsibility and offers good music," and Woon-hak conveyed, "KOZ means 'King of the Jungle', and we will strive to become a cool group that lives up to that name."

If you look at the music videos released before their debut, you can glimpse the effort of BOYNEXTDOOR. Boy groups usually tend to focus on the concept. For this reason, there can be parts that are difficult for the public to access, but BOYNEXTDOOR lowers the barrier to access with relatively comfortable music. Also, all three songs carry a similar atmosphere, aiming to establish the group's identity.

However, since BOYNEXTDOOR was produced by Zico and Poptime, there is a strong sense of their color throughout. This aspect might feel fresh for now, but it seems important to see in which direction they will move forward.

The arrival of BOYNEXTDOOR, who boldly opened the door and made their entrance, has drawn attention to whether they can fully live up to their name and win the hearts of the public.