To be a “boy next door” in an industry as saturated as is, arguably, to set yourself up for failure. Every year, hundreds of highly talented artists debut with the hopes of standing out and living their dreams. Yet, amid a massive battle for attention, where everyone is trying to hop onto the latest trend or pose as something they’re not, stand out for their sincerity.
BOYNEXTDOOR on The Cover of NME. Credit: Yookeun Lim for NME
The first group to debut from rapper-turned-producer Zico’s HYBE sublabel KOZ Entertainment, BOYNEXTDOOR stepped into the scene as relatable, lovesick boys with May 2023’s mini-album ‘Who!’. Ranging from 16 to 19 in age at the time, the six-piece set out to express universal emotions in the most honest way possible. “We make sure that it’s our own experiences and our own emotions that are infused in our music,” says serene vocalist Leehan. “That frankness is what anchors our group. Our style can change over time, but being honest to the things that you go through, that is something that [will always be] a constant in our work.”
Their music is largely self-made, with members Jaehyun, Taesan and Woonhak leading composition and lyrics, Riwoo contributing choreography, and Sungho and Leehan making sure everything looks, sounds and feels like BOYNEXTDOOR. Through a feisty mix of pop, hip hop, rock and a hint of inspiration from Zico’s irreverent former group Block B, BOYNEXTDOOR are masters of relatability, finding fresh and funny angles to situations that every young person goes through.
Jaehyun of BOYNEXTDOOR. Credit: Yookeun Lim for NME
Jaehyun of BOYNEXTDOOR. Credit: Yookeun Lim for NME
Together with inventive storytelling and a sassy demeanour, they have shaped irresistible bangers that resonate with multiple generations: “Mom and dad should not hear this song”, they say at the beginning of ‘Dangerous’, the ultimate ode to sneaking out; ‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ is a hyperbolic adoration of a new crush; they call you a “wuss” in ‘Nice Guy’ and boldly proclaim, “Seoul is mine tonight.”
So far, BOYNEXTDOOR’s efforts are making a strong impression – since their debut, they’ve racked up five EPs (including million-sellers ‘19.99’ and ‘No Genre’), an Asia tour, and appearances at global festivals, including KCON Los Angeles 2024, Music Bank in Madrid, and a much-talked-about set at Chicago’s Lollapalooza this August.
Leehan of BOYNEXTDOOR. Credit: Yookeun Lim for NME
Leehan of BOYNEXTDOOR. Credit: Yookeun Lim for NME
Today, the six members are sitting backstage at their NME The Cover photoshoot, just before makeup and styling teams transform them into the dazzling idols the world knows them as. Huddled on a black couch, they look like a bunch of regular boys from any neighbourhood: messy hair, comfy hoodies and laidback charm. When we speak, it’s exactly one month before the release of their fifth and latest EP, ‘The Action’, but the whirlwind of preparation doesn’t faze them.
“We have been practising a lot, but we have been able to get decent hours of sleep,” says vocalist and eldest member Sungho, polite to a fault. Meanwhile, the multitalented Taesan, sitting beside him, furtively raises three fingers in front of his mischievous face – make of that what you will. “We are always working, whether it be in the morning or at night,” he says. “I think we are workaholics,” adds Leehan with a laugh.
Riwoo of BOYNEXTDOOR. Credit: Yookeun Lim for NME
Riwoo of BOYNEXTDOOR. Credit: Yookeun Lim for NME
Their passion for what they do is apparent as they speak, still buoyed by rookie eagerness and a desire to improve. “It’s still too early to think about how successful we are now,” says Jaehyun. As the leader of the group, he holds an aura of maturity and directs an attentive gaze towards his bandmates. “There are so many things we want to show, so many moments, and so many stages around the world we want to stand on. We are thirsty for [that], and we’re working hard to quench that thirst. We also have the desire to create new trends, so I think we constantly feel a sense of lacking in that regard.”
“We always talk among the members, saying things like, ‘Doing this stage makes us want even more’,” Sungho adds, picking up his bandmate’s thread. “Honestly, up until now, whenever we have performed, we always evaluated the stage with a bit of regret, thinking, ‘Maybe there was a cooler way we could have done that.’ We will probably always feel that sense of longing and keep wanting to do something even more amazing.”
“Our style can change over time, but being honest is something that [will always be] a constant in our work” – Leehan
Even if they are tough critics, all six members agree that they can feel their progression on ‘The Action’, saying it was much easier to make than their previous releases. “With ‘I Feel Good’ there were a lot of scratching sounds, so it was kinda difficult to do,” says Taesan, referring to the raspy cries in the chorus of the ‘No Genre’ track. His bandmates nod in agreement. “This time around, it was quite doable, and we enjoyed the process.”
Across its five tracks, ‘The Action’ reflects how much BOYNEXTDOOR have grown since their debut. “The key point we wanted to express in this album is change through action,” says Sungho. Its centrepiece is lead single ‘Hollywood Action’, which takes inspiration from films in a “fake it until you make it” attitude, charging forward with jazzy brass lines.
Sungho of BOYNEXTDOOR. Credit: Yookeun Lim for NME
Sungho of BOYNEXTDOOR. Credit: Yookeun Lim for NME
The EP also offers a departure from BOYNEXTDOOR’s “good boy” tropes, as the ever-insightful youngest member, Woonhak, shares. “If you listen to our past releases, we are usually the ones who get dumped. We have always been the type of guys who get hurt easily. This time around, we wanted to turn it the other way and be the cool bad guys.” Case in point: the ruthless ballad ‘As Time Goes By’, where they coldly break up with a lover, singing “I’m too tired to continue this” and “I already don’t love you anymore.” In the indie rock cut ‘Bathroom’, they acknowledge being “a punk, a loser, a headache,” but also get impressively vulnerable, asking “but can someone hold me?”
Opening up previously unseen layers to the group feels like a natural byproduct of their newfound synergy and closeness. Until the release of ‘No Genre’ in May, they hadn’t quite clicked, they admit. “The time I felt that we really bonded as a group was after we were promoting ‘I Feel Good’,” says Woonhak. “We had this whole lineup of concerts and tours to do, like Weverse Con [a global music festival hosted by HYBE], the encore concerts in Japan, then Lollapalooza, and the final concert in Seoul. Leading up to all those events, I felt like we were really on the same boat, pushing towards the same goal. Our teamwork is getting better and better every minute.”
Taesan of BOYNEXTDOOR. Credit: Yookeun Lim for NME
Taesan of BOYNEXTDOOR. Credit: Yookeun Lim for NME
“I totally second what Woonhak said,” adds Sungho, enthusiastically giving a thumbs up. “When we were promoting ‘I Feel Good’, we all felt that everything was just ticking and falling into place; there were no glitches at all. That is why I’m looking forward to our new EP. I can’t wait to see how [much] better we will be as a team.”
As they’ve gained more experience and overcome new challenges together, BOYNEXTDOOR have realised their team extends beyond the core six members, encompassing a raft of people – from fans to their staff – for whom they feel deep gratitude. “I don’t think those are things you can really understand before debuting,” shares Jaehyun. “The more love we receive, the more we feel the sense of responsibility that comes with it. As we realise there are more things we need to think about and act on than we expected, we also think about how we should have a positive influence.”
Woonhak of BOYNEXTDOOR. Credit: Yookeun Lim for NME
Woonhak of BOYNEXTDOOR. Credit: Yookeun Lim for NME
“And truly, the fact that we’ve been able to keep growing day by day is thanks to the hard work and support of so many people,” adds Sungho. “That’s why, as singers and artists, we believe we have to do even better, because that’s how we can acknowledge and give value to the effort they’ve put in. We don’t want to just shine alone; we want the people who support us to feel that their work is also rewarded. That’s the sense of responsibility we’ve come to have.”
As a group aiming to be relatable, their lives as idols pose an ever-growing challenge, as they are continuously driven away from most people’s regular lives and experiences. In order to fill that gap, Jaehyun says that they strive to read many books, watch TV shows and movies, and talk to people around them to learn about their experiences.
“The more love we receive, the more we feel the sense of responsibility that comes with it” – Jaehyun
“Just like I captured the feeling of my songwriting not going well in [‘The Action’ track] ‘Live in Paris,’ we thought it was a song that anyone, even those who don’t write songs, could relate to their own situation,” adds Taesan. Woonhak quickly follows up: “While we are idols and we may seem to live a different life, all lives are pretty similar. We all go through similar stuff.”
Of course, as in all groups of people, that means there’s still a fair amount of quarrelling. “Whether it is making the music, training for the choreography, or creating the performance, we always have different ideas, and that leads to disagreement,” says Jaehyun. “I’m not sure if we are solving them very cleverly, but I think it’s a learning curve that we have to take on. It’s inevitable [that] we will have different ideas, but only practice makes perfect.”
“But fighting and agreeing to disagree means that we can really feel our growth,” Leehan chimes in. Riwoo, a scene-stealing dancer on stage but quite the introvert off it, keeps quiet for most of the interview. However, talking about teamwork compels him to summarise: “That’s what makes one team.”
“Only when you care about a person do you want them to grow; that’s why you point out things,” Jaehyun concludes. “That’s what happens with us. The reason we fight is because we love each other so much.”
BOYNEXTDOOR’s ‘The Action’ is out now via KOZ Entertainment
Listen to BOYNEXTDOOR’s exclusive playlist to accompany The Cover below on Spotify or on Apple Music here.
Words: Tássia Assis
Photography: Yookeun Lim
Makeup: Gunhee, Maeum Han
Hair: Junsung Hong, Haeyeun Kim
Styling: Hwang Jinjoo
Label: KOZ Entertainment
