BoyNextDoor

BoyNextDoor (Korean: 보이넥스트도어; RR: Boinekseuteudoeo; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by KOZ Entertainment in 2023. The group consists of six members: Sungho, Riwoo, Jaehyun, Taesan, Leehan, and Woonhak. Characterized by its eponymous 'boy next door' image, the group defines their work as easy listening with a thematic focus on daily life.
BoyNextDoor debuted on May 30, 2023, with the single album Who!, which formed the first installment in the First Love trilogy that defined the group's first releases. The extended play (EP) Why.. followed the same year and marked the group's first appearance on the Billboard 200 chart. The group's second EP, How? (2024), became the group's first release to top the Circle Album Chart.
The group debuted in Japan later that year through Universal Music Japan with the maxi single "And,", which was followed by their third EP 19.99 (2024). They embarked on their debut Knock On Vol.1 Tour in December 2024 and released their first digital single "If I Say, I Love You" in January 2025.
The group name is derived from the boy next door trope, which KOZ Entertainment related to the group's "casual, friendly" approach to the public.
On January 11, 2019, rapper-producer Zico founded the label KOZ Entertainment after departing with Seven Seasons. Hybe Corporation would later acquire the label as a subsidiary in 2020 and included KOZ in its joint auditions in March 2022.
Zico announced his plans to debut a boy band under the agency in February 2023. Media outlets reported that the group will debut in May of that year. The group, named BoyNextDoor, was formally introduced on April 16, through the release of an animated video on YouTube. Its members were introduced on May 14, through a series of GIFs depicting each member released across the band's social media platforms.
On May 8, 2023, KOZ announced that BoyNextDoor will debut with a three-track single album titled Who!, with all three tracks being promoted as singles, which publications deemed uncommon. Promotions for the album began with the release of the single "But I Like You", on May 23, followed by "One and Only" on May 26. The band marked their debut with the official release of the album on May 30, alongside the single "Serenade".
On July 13, KOZ announced that the band would return with a new release in September 2023. Their first extended play (EP) titled Why.. was released on September 30, alongside its lead single "But Sometimes". The EP debuted at number 162 in the Billboard 200, marking the group's first appearance on the chart.
On November 1, the group's fandom name, "OneDoor", was announced. The group released the promotional single "Fadeaway" on November 7, as the theme for the Naver webtoon Garbage Time. At the 2023 Melon Music Awards, BoyNextDoor won the special award for Global Rising Artist.
On February 13, 2024, KOZ announced that BoyNextDoor would release new music in April 2024. On March 18, the agency announced the band's second EP, titled How?, through a teaser video titled "How Can This Happen?". How? completes the group's trilogy of releases chronicling the story of a "first love". The EP was released on April 15, alongside the single "Earth, Wind & Fire". It debuted atop the Circle Album Chart for the issue dated April 20, marking the group's first number one album. On April 23, the group received their first music show win in The Show.
BoyNextDoor held their first fan meeting, titled "OneDoorful Day", at the Olympic Hall in Seoul from June 1 to 2. The group released the promotional single "Lucky Charm" on June 29 as part of the original soundtrack for the JTBC television series Miss Night and Day.
On July 10, 2024, BoyNextDoor debuted in Japan with the maxi single "And,", which features Japanese re-recordings of the group's past singles and the Japanese-language song "Good Day". The single was released to commercial success, entering the Daily Single Ranking for the Oricon Chart dated July 10, marking the band's third number one single in the chart. The band was represented in a K-pop exhibit at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, California, alongside 78 other artists under Hybe and its sublabels from August 2 to September 15.
On July 24, The Chosun Ilbo reported that BoyNextDoor was finalizing a new album, set for release in September. On August 12, KOZ revealed the title of the their third EP 19.99, released later on September 9. 19.99 was supported by two singles—"Dangerous", released on September 2, and the title track "Nice Guy", released in conjunction with the EP. On October 25, the EP surpassed one million copies in cumulative sales based on YG Plus statistics. On October 31, BoyNextDoor released a cover of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" exclusively on Apple Music.
In support of their first four releases, BoyNextDoor embarked on their first world tour, the Knock On Vol.1 Tour, beginning with two shows at the Inspire Arena in Incheon in December 2024. While on tour, the band released their first digital single "If I Say, I Love You", on January 6, 2025. The group released the promotional single "Never Loved This Way Before", a reworking of the 2021 Cheeze song of the same name, on March 14 as part of the original soundtrack for the Naver webtoon Odd Girl Out. In March 28, the Bangkok show of the tour scheduled for the following day was cancelled in the aftermath of the 2025 Myanmar earthquake, which impacted Thailand.
The band will release a promotional single in collaboration with Warner Bros. to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Tom and Jerry franchise.
With each member debuting in their late teens, BoyNextDoor was envisioned with a "boy next door" image. While the group initially drew comparisons to the similarly conceptualized girl group NewJeans, such comparisons were later discredited owing upon their debut, owing to the group's "self-produced" nature and their dance styles. Kim Jae-heun of The Korea Herald attributed the group's success to their "engaging storytelling, strong performances, and TV variety show appeal", which he deemed as defining characteristics of the group.
BoyNextDoor's music has been self-described as "easy listening and natural". Members Jaehyun, Taesan, and Woonhak actively involve themselves with the production of the group's music and largely aim to create music about "the daily lives of their peers". In the group's First love trilogy of Who!, Why.., and How?, BoyNextDoor explored a narrative of "first love and heartbreak", with Who! serving as an exposition, Why.. detailing the story's ending, and How? bridging the narrative between the two releases. The tracks from the trilogy were largely influenced by rock, teen pop, hip hop, hyperpop, and synth-pop. In 19.99, the group began to focus on self-expression and introspection, reflecting on their experiences and anxieties around toward growing up.
Adapted from official website: