Protect your hearts! On June 19, 2021, the one-day K-Pop SuperFest event was held in Yes24 Live Hall in Seoul, showcasing many superstar Korean artists, such as Rain, MOMOLAND, and Jessi. Among them, the 11-membered K-pop group The Boyz took the stage with an electrifying set of performances. 

The B’s, The Boyz’s official fanbase, did not have a shortage of The Boyz at all throughout the festival. After all, The Boyz’s very own Kevin Moon co-hosted the festival alongside K-Pop soloist AleXa. As such, fans had the chance to see moonlight-boy Kevin all through the eight-hour festival. 

The Boyz debuted in 2017 under Cre.ker Entertainment with their song “Boy.” Despite their fairly recent debut, The Boyz have already laid their claws of permanence into the K-pop world. The group’s most recent Korean extended play, Chase, and the full length album Reveal preceding it, explored a darker sound than the group’s previous more lighthearted discography. 

The heartthrobs have further attracted fans worldwide by their participation in Mnet’s Road to Kingdom, where they took the crown for first place. This allowed them to move on to its subsequent show, Kingdom: Legendary War. In the latter, they showed enthralling performances of cinematic quality with powerful, interwoven storylines and breathtaking stunts. This is all in addition to the group’s lithe dancing and enchanting vocal ability. 

 

The Boyz Take the Stage 

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It was this same fiery energy The Boyz brought to K-Pop SuperFest as they entered the stage with “Reveal.” Clothed in complementary outfits of black leather and silver embellishments with chains and harnesses, the group’s styling fit the song’s heavy mood. The background shone as a visual clockwork display, transitioning between lightning bolts illuminating a rustic entrance to a barren forest. The Boyz filled the venue with their eerie yet sweet vocals and gripping synchronized dance. The graceful dancers continuously skid across the stage, dripping charisma with their powerful choreography. 

The Boyz’ took a break after the first song to introduce themselves and shared their love for fans by reading the on-screen chat messages, voicing out a few, such as “Jacob best boy.” Kevin then shared, “It’s our first time performing since we finished our [Kingdom] competition, and it’s our first time to be here with you, The B.” All the members expressed their excitement to perform at the event. Also, during their comments, the members showered praises onto Kevin for his MC’ing. He, in turn, said he’s “having a blast,” especially having not seen live performances in such a long time. 

The heart stealers ended their comments to move into performing “Scar” with the dance unit of The Boyz. This unit consisted of the members Sunwoo, Eric, Q, Haknyeon, and Juyeon. The song began with rapper Sunwoo’s soft vocals against a palpitating beat. There was a buildup in the pre-chorus before the song abruptly dropped back to a slower, relaxed vibe. The suave, slow head movements and smooth dance further highlighted the coolness of the subunit. The song had its share of sweet falsettos to contrast the otherwise deeper vocals and spitfire rap.

The members moved into another talking session, where they asked fans for a song or miscellaneous requests. As per fans’ feedback, New and Hyunjae showcased their angelic vocals with “Goodbye,” and Q gave The B’s a dance tutorial for “Stealer.” In addition, the group performed the TikTok dance challenge for their single “Christmassy!” and performed a snippet of “Bloom Bloom,” a popular request in the fan chant. 

Soon after, the last song of the night, “Stealer,” was upon us as the familiar piano notes rippled onstage. The overhead lighting shone down on the boy group as a cityscape loomed behind them. The song began as main dancer, Q, weaved through the other members in a very spy-like fashion to take center stage. The formative dance continued as the group filled the stage with their presence. The pulsing thrum of the song evoked a feeling of excitement and a hint of something darker as The Boyz matched the song’s mysterious energy. Finally, with the last notes of the track, the stage dimmed to black. 

 

A Look at What’s Next

Some mischievous fans were looking forward to a potential slip-up and spoiler for new music; alas, this was not the case. Instead, however, there was a sentimental value in The Boyz’ performance at K-Pop SuperFest. Earlier in the virtual festival, Kevin recounted to AleXa the Yes24 stage was The Boyz’s first pre-debut stage. 

Years later, as they returned to the stage, they delivered, but this time as a mature group of boys who have grown in musicality and confidence. It will be exciting to see what comes next for the constantly reinventive, risk-taking group. In an interview with News1, Rapper Sunwoo has hinted at a possible summer comeback with a sexy concept. Contrastingly though, fellow rapper and youngest of the group, Eric, shared, “Since it’s summer now, we want to create happy memories with The B’s by preparing something through which we can play together happily, and that listeners can listen to comfortably.”

Only time will tell what sound The Boyz will return with as fans await official comeback news and for a time when it is safe again to see them in person.

Looking for more coverage on the K-pop SuperFest? Check out our fashion roundup from the event here!

Thumbnail courtesy Cre.ker Entertainment.

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