Biography

THE BOYZ (더보이즈) is a unique and innovative 4th-generation K-Pop boy group from South Korea consisting of 11 members: Sangyeon, Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Kevin, New, Q, Joo Haknyeon, Sunwoo, and Eric. The group officially debuted on December 6, 2017, and is managed by IST Entertainment.

Profile

• Names: Cre.Kerz (pre-debut)
• Origin: Seoul, South Korea
• Genre(s): Pop, hip-hop, dance, EDM, rock
• Debut:
  • December 6, 2017 (South Korea)
  • November 6, 2019 (Japan)
• Years active: 2017–present
• Label(s)
  • South Korea:
    • IST Entertainment (2021–present)
    • Cre.ker Entertainment (2017–2021)
  • Japan:
    • Universal Music Japan (2022–present)
    • Ariola Japan (2017–2022)

SNS

THE BOYZ Fandom

During the showcase for their 2nd Mini Album “THE START”, THE BOYZ officially announced their fandom name, THE B (더비). The name signifies “Vitamin THE BOYZ + THE BEST,” symbolizing fans as a source of vitamin-like energy for THE BOYZ, helping them stand out and shine.

Lightstick: Heart Bbyong

THE BOYZ’s official lightstick features a truly “unique” design. It resembles a loudspeaker but incorporates a heart shape. The lightstick can transition from white to red and even display beautiful rainbow colors. Fans affectionately refer to it as the “Heart-shaped Loudspeaker”.

Other Lightsticks

• The Glow Stick Lightstick (야광봉) and slogan were first sold during the debut promotions for their mini-album “THE FIRST” and remained in use through their 2nd mini-album “THE START”. At that time, the entire fandom used this lightstick.
• The Beat Lightstick was released alongside their first single album “THE SPHERE”.

Logo

Members

Albums

Korean

• Studio albums
  • Reveal (2020)
  • Phantasy
  • [Phantasy] Pt.1 Christmas In August (Part 1) (2023)
  • [Phantasy] Pt.2 Sixth Sense (Part 2) (2023)
  • [Phantasy] Pt.3 Love Letter (Part 3) (2024)
• Mini albums
  • The First (2017)
  • The Start (2018)
  • The Only (2018)
  • Dreamlike (2019)
  • Chase (2020)
  • Thrill-ing (2021)
  • Be Aware (2022)
  • Be Awake (2023)
  • Trigger (2024)
  • Single albums
  • “The Sphere” (2018)
  • “Bloom Bloom” (2019)
  • “Maverick” (2021)
• Special singles
  • “Keeper” (2018)
  • “White” (2019)
  • “Christmassy!” (2020)
  • “Candles” (2021)
  • “All About You” (2022)
  • “Dear.” (2023)
• Digital singles
  • “Drink It” (2021)
  • “Sweet” (2022)
• Collaborations
  • “Last Man Standing” (with Raiden) (2022)
  • “The Poyz Nolza” (with Pororo) (2023)
  • “The Poyz Banana Chacha” (with Pororo) (2023)
• OSTs
  • “Run On OST Part.7” (“Priority”) (New, Hyunjae, and Sunwoo) (2021)
  • “Racket Boys OST Part.1” (“Will Be”) (Sangyeon, Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Kevin, New, and Q) (2021)
  • “Solo Leveling OST” (“Echo”) (2022)
  • “Summer Strike OST Part.2” (“Summer Night”) (2022)
  • “Stealer : The Treasure Keeper OST Part.2” (“Stealer”) (2023)
  • “Castaway Diva OST Part.5” (“We Are”) (2023)
  • “No Office Romance! x The Boyz” (“How About You?”) (2024)
  • “Romance in the House OST Part.1” (“Neverland”) (2024)
• Other releases

Japanese

• Studio albums
  • Breaking Dawn (2021)
  • Delicious (2023)
  • Gibberish (2024)
• Mini albums
  • Tattoo (2019)
  • She’s The Boss (2022)
• Digital EPs

History of THE BOYZ

Pre-debut

On July 4, 2017, Cre.ker Entertainment announced the formation of their first pre-debut boy group, Cre.Kerz, via their SNS accounts. From August 23 to October 11, 2017, they aired their first reality show Flower Snack, which led to the release of their pre-debut special MV “I’m Your Boy”. On October 28, they held their first fan meeting, THE BOYZ , attended by 1,000 fans.

2017: “I’m Your Boy” and debut with The First

On October 11, 2017, they released the pre-debut special MV “I’m Your Boy”.
On December 6, THE BOYZ officially debuted with their first mini-album The First, which included the pre-debut special song “I’m Your Boy”.

2018: The Start, “Keeper”, The Sphere, and The Only

In March 2018, Cre.ker announced that member Hwall would not participate in their second mini-album The Start due to a posterior tibial tendon dysfunction and required three months for recovery after surgery.
On April 3, they released their second mini-album The Start, which was promoted by 11 members.
On July 12, they released the special single “Keeper”.
On September 5, they came back with their first single album The Sphere.
On November 29, they released their third mini-album The Only.

2019: Bloom Bloom, Dreamlike, Hwall’s departure, Japanese debut, and “White”

On April 29, 2019, they released their second single album Bloom Bloom.
On July 20, Hwall went on a hiatus due to health reasons.
On August 29, they released their fourth mini-album Dreamlike, promoted as 11 members.
On October 23, it was announced that Hwall would be leaving the group due to ongoing health issues.
On November 6, they made their Japanese debut with the release of their first Japanese mini-album Tattoo.
On December 6, they released the special single “White”, a remake of the Fin.K.L song of the same title.

2020: Reveal, Road to Kingdom, Chase, and “Christmassy!”

On February 10, 2020, they released their first studio album Reveal.
On March 20, it was confirmed that THE BOYZ would participate in Road to Kingdom, a reality show on Mnet.
They won the show, securing a place in the subsequent Mnet show Kingdom: Legendary War.
On September 21, they released their fifth mini-album Chase.
On December 7, they released their third special single “Christmassy!”.

2021: Breaking Dawn, Kingdom, “Drink It”, Thrill-ing, “Maverick”, and “Candles”‘

On March 17, 2021, they released their first Japanese studio album Breaking Dawn.
On July 11, they released their first digital single “Drink It”, part of the UNIVERSE Music project.
On August 9, they released their sixth mini-album Thrill-ing.
On November 1, they released their third single album “Maverick”.
On December 6, they released their fourth special single “Candles” for their fourth anniversary.

2022: Eric’s hiatus, She’s The Boss, “Sweet”, Be Aware, Sunwoo’s hiatus, and “All About You”

On March 4, 2022, Eric went on a hiatus due to health issues, and the group promoted as 10 members.
They released their second Japanese mini-album She’s The Boss on May 27.
On June 17, they released their second digital single “Sweet”.
On August 16, they returned with their seventh mini-album Be Aware.
On August 30, Sunwoo also went on a hiatus for health reasons.
On November 28, they released the special single “All About You”.

2023: Here is, Be Awake, “The Poyz Nolza”, “The Poyz Banana Chacha”, Delicious, Phantasy, Ju Haknyeon’s hiatus, and “Dear.”

On January 29, 2023, they announced their eighth mini-album Be Awake, released on February 20.
In January, they released their first Japanese digital EP Here is for the anime FLAGLIA.
They released two collaboration digital singles, “The Poyz Nolza” and “The Poyz Banana Chacha”, in April and May.
On June 13, they released their second Japanese studio album Delicious.
In July, they announced the upcoming release of their second full-length album Phantasy.
On October 19, they confirmed the release of Phantasy Pt.2, scheduled for November 20.
On November 16, Ju Haknyeon went on hiatus due to back issues.
On December 6, they released their sixth special single “Dear.”

2024: Phantasy Pt.3 Love Letter, Gibberish, Trigger, Departure from IST and New Agency

On March 18, 2024, they released Phantasy Pt.3 Love Letter.
On July 19, they released their third Japanese full-length album Gibberish.
In September, it was reported that THE BOYZ would be leaving IST Entertainment due to their expiring contract, with plans to join a new agency.
On October 7, they teased their upcoming album Trigger, which was released on October 28.
On November 15, ONE HUNDRED confirmed that THE BOYZ would be joining their agency in mid-December after leaving IST Entertainment.

Scandals/ Controversies

• September 23, 2018 – V LIVE Broadcast Incident
  The controversy involving New, Sunwoo, Joo Haknyeon, and Hwall began after a V LIVE broadcast on September 23, 2018. During a drive back from their schedule, New and Sunwoo, who were sitting in the front seats of the car, were accused of ignoring Joo Haknyeon and Hwall, who were seated in the back. The incident led to a backlash from fans on Twitter and other online platforms, where some started criticizing Joo Haknyeon and Hwall. The situation worsened when the members’ past behavior, which was previously a point of contention before their debut, resurfaced. This sparked further discussions, and a statement from The Boyz Gallery, a fan community, called for the withdrawal of the two members, Joo Haknyeon and Hwall. The controversy escalated, with fan support split into two factions: one supporting New and Sunwoo, and another defending Joo Haknyeon and Hwall. This created division among fans and led to harassment of both camps online. Cre.ker Entertainment, the group’s agency, initially refrained from commenting but issued an official statement on September 27, 2018, after the matter gained significant media attention. Despite the tension, the agency emphasized the unity and good relations among the members.
• The Mini Album “THE ONLY” Music Leak (2018)
  A week before the release of their third mini album The Only, a significant music leak occurred. Songs, including the title track “No Air,” were reportedly heard by fans, including some who were believed to be sasaengs (obsessive fans). These individuals even wrote the lyrics to unreleased tracks that were not part of the album’s highlight medley. This raised suspicions that some fans might have had access to the music beforehand, leading to rumors about noise marketing. Cre.ker Entertainment responded with a legal notice, announcing their intention to take action against those responsible for the leak.
• Q and Eric’s Tavern Sightings and Dating Rumors (2019)
  In June 2019, members Q and Eric were spotted at a bar in Konkuk University with Nancy from Momoland and Jiwon from Cherry Bullet. The sighting led to rumors of a romantic relationship between Q and Nancy. Fans speculated that the two were dating, which caused a stir online. Q, visibly upset, tearfully apologized to fans at a fan signing event in Busan on June 8, explaining that it was simply a gathering among friends. Momoland’s agency denied the dating rumors, asserting that the group was simply meeting as friends, and dismissed the speculation. The incident was later brought up on the TV show TMI NEWS, where Q was ranked 4th in a segment about “FAKE LOVE Idols Who Stray Away,” further fueling public attention and gossip.
• Discrimination Against The Boyz
  Dissatisfaction within The Boyz fandom has reached a boiling point due to the blatant neglect and discriminatory treatment from IST Entertainment, especially following the merger. Fans feel the agency has failed to properly promote the group and has, at times, shown open bias against them. A key example of this is the release of The Boyz’s 7th mini album, BE AWARE, in 2022.
  Despite being an important comeback after a year-long overseas tour, the album received minimal promotion. Meanwhile, the agency’s rookie group, ATBO, was continuously featured in posts, causing further frustration among The Boyz’s fans, who felt their group was being overshadowed. Even when both groups appeared on the same music broadcast, no video was uploaded for The Boyz, further highlighting the disparity in treatment. Fans expressed anger not only towards the agency’s management but also towards the newcomers, who were being promoted more heavily.
  Moreover, fans have noted a significant decline in the quality of The Boyz’s content, including their hair and makeup, and a noticeable drop in investment compared to before the merger. These factors suggest that the agency has reduced its support for the group.
  During The Boyz’s overseas tour, controversy erupted when agency staff reportedly monitored and threatened Korean homemakers and fans, while also discriminating against foreign fans with unreasonable responses. Multiple testimonies from fans emerged, but IST Entertainment has remained silent, offering no apology or official statement regarding the issue, further fueling the growing discontent among The Boyz’s fandom.