The Boyz: They deserve the fame

Our Boyz<3

The Boyz are one of my favorite K-pop groups in the industry. I fell in love with them after watching Kingdom: Legendary War. Their intricate storytelling and dynamic performances always left me speechless. Watching them on that stage, I knew I had to know more.

Once I got into them, I realized this group was built on pure hard work and drive. TBZ members are funny, energetic, and have such a fun group dynamic. They’re just good friends who genuinely care about each other, and at the end of the day, they all have each other’s backs and are striving for the same thing.

Even though I adore this group and truly believe their career has been brilliant, I’m not unaware that when it comes to 4th gen groups, they don’t always rank the highest. In this blog, I want to talk about why I think that is—and share my thoughts on how that could change in the future.

Why The Boyz Deserve More Hype (And Why You Should Stan Them)

If by the end of this blog I can get a couple more people to stan TBZ, I’ll consider that a success. So here’s a little more about them—not only to show how amazing they are, but also to give some context as I continue this blog.

TBZ debuted on December 6th, 2017, which is actually pretty early for a 4th gen group. Meaning they’ve been together a bit longer than most other 4th gen groups. They originally debuted as a 12-member group, but pretty early on the 12th member, Hwall, left. He seemed to leave on good terms and has been focusing on other projects since.

TBZ were under IST Entertainment up until November 2024, when they cancelled their contract. In December, they all signed with One Hundred as a group. This change happened because they felt they’d have better opportunities to grow under a new company.

Now let me just say—this move was a big deal. It’s super rare for a full, established group to move companies together. Usually, it’s individuals leaving and going solo. Taking on a whole group doesn’t happen often, especially because of all the legal stuff involved. They had to get the rights to their name and their old songs, and honestly, that’s no easy task. But the fact that they knew how much work it would take and still decided to go through with it anyway? That, to me, is a true testament to who they are.

It shows how strong they are as a group and how committed they are to continuing as TBZ, no matter what. Not many groups would’ve done this. And honestly, if fans ever doubted their bond before, there’s no reason to now.

So, What’s Holding Them Back?

So, you might be wondering why they decided to leave their company in the first place—and the answer is honestly pretty simple. TBZ have now been together for about 8 years. That’s a long time. And while they’ve seen a lot of growth and popularity within South Korea, their global reach is still kinda lacking.

And let’s be real—these days, that’s just not enough. Global reach is everything for a K-pop group now. The international market is the space every group is trying to break into.

So, in reality, this move to a new company wasn’t random or dramatic—it was mature and really well thought out. They didn’t leave IST on bad terms or anything. They left because they knew that if they wanted to grow, IST simply didn’t have the resources to help them do that.

Now let’s break this down a bit.

What’s missing from their formula?

What makes other 4th gen groups more popular?

And what exactly would get TBZ that global reach they’ve been aiming for?

No Lore, No Lift-Off: Why Storytelling Matters for TBZ

Now to really look at their model and figure out what needs to change, I’ll be referencing other popular 3rd and 4th gen groups. Because in the PR world, looking at what’s worked for others is always a great reference point. There’s nothing wrong with taking pointers from what other groups have done and implementing it yourself. So, let’s take a look at TBZ while keeping those other groups in mind.

Within K-pop—especially 4th gen—image and concept are everything. The industry is so oversaturated now that if you don’t have something that makes you stand out, you’ll get overlooked. You need a storyline to tie your albums together. In other words, some of the most successful groups have a shit ton of lore.

Now personally, I am not a lore girlie. I usually wait until the smarter people in the fandom decode it all and give me a summary. BUT I totally get the appeal. Lore makes K-pop more interactive. It gives fans a story to follow and keeps them talking about albums long after they drop, because everything connects. It’s smart—and surprisingly, it wasn’t even that common until late 3rd gen.

When TBZ debuted, having extensive lore wasn’t really the standard yet, and they didn’t make it a point to build a storyline. And look, there are successful groups without lore—but when we look at a lot of the top 4th gen groups, one major trend is their use of it.

So yeah, I bring this up because I think this is the first flaw in TBZ’s formula. I really think that if they had established a strong storyline early on, we would’ve seen even more growth from them. A lot of their earlier songs didn’t take off the way they probably hoped, to the point that they almost disbanded. That was until the release of The Stealer—that song finally gave them the boost they needed.

If it were me? I would’ve used the success of The Stealer to launch their lore. Even now, I wish they’d tap into that more. I do think we’re maybe starting to see a bit of a storyline come together, especially with the Phantasy series—but I am not sure with how different each concept was. The Stealer concept fit them so well, and I know a ton of deobis would agree. I would loveeeee a whole storyline of them being spies, cops, villains, thieves, whatever. It would be EVERYTHING.

I have some real hope after VVV because I feel like I finally saw those elements creeping back in. Fingers crossed that they lean more into that going forward.

But yeah, I really believe that if they had started building lore from the beginning—or at least from The Stealer era—they’d be in a totally different place now in terms of popularity.

Why TBZ Needs to Own Their Sound (And How It Could Change Everything)

Now let's look a little more at their image and songs. Because you don't have to stick to one genre, but having your own tone of voice is a must within K-pop.

I feel like although I love TBZ songs, I don't feel they have a distinguishing tone. I think this is one thing I already love about One Hundred because for VVV,  I could already see that the members were way more involved in the creative process.

Some of their most loved songs are the ones the members helped create. I know Kevin enjoys making music and would probably enjoy learning more about producing music. And I know for a fact Jacob and Sunwoo like writing lyrics.  If they had been given the chance to help establish TBZ’s tone from the beginning, I really think it would’ve made a difference.

I think that if IST would have let them participate more in the music-making process, we would have found yet another way to truly distinguish them. I think we also would have had a more diverse discography from them. They are a very pop-heavy group, but many of the members voiced their desire to try other genres. Maybe we would have gotten that earlier. That would have helped their success because many other popular groups change genre all the time.

I also can't deny the popularity of groups that self-write and produce their own songs—a lot of fans really love that. If they would have had more participation on their songs, that would have only been a bonus.

Give TBZ the Stage—The World’s Waiting

Now let’s talk about exposure, because to me this is the main reason they are not as popular as they should be. When TBZ first debuted, there was some promise. I feel like they were a part of a lot of little variety shows here and there. However, it was not to the extent it should’ve been.

It may seem silly, but a self-made variety show by a company for a group IS A MUST. How are fans supposed to have consistent content without their own variety show? How are fans supposed to get to know the group better? A consistent variety show allows a group to stay relevant even when they’re not promoting. This is super important in the K-pop industry—a group can’t afford to be forgotten, even for a second. The parasocial relationship needs to be fed with little shows of the members laughing and being silly together—in other words, giving fans another view of them just being boys (or girls), not just idols.

This is one of the biggest ways IST dropped the ball with them. Although we got content every once in a while, it was more like mini-series... and then radio silence. Also, having a bunch of mini-series spread out makes it really hard for new deobis to track down every piece of content to get into them. This is the main thing that needs to change with their new company.

We need a consistent form of entertainment to get our TBZ fix. I’m already seeing some promise with the shows they’ve been putting out now, so I hope One Hundred does not fail us.

Now let’s talk about better representation internationally. Within this year, we really need to see them on more international content. We need to see them doing more variety shows in America and other countries if they want to reach that global audience. This is still lacking when it comes to TBZ. They need proper publicity internationally. I’m hoping we see more of this going forward. And honestly, this can even start with something as simple as TikTok—getting involved with international trends and just staying on top of what’s going viral.

Kevin can’t be the only outreach they have globally. Because let’s be honest—that beautiful man is carrying their global success on his back. And although I don’t think that should stop (he’s doing amazing), I would love to see him on actual American content. He’s so fun, and even though he’s an introvert, he was made for variety shows. He could be the foot in the global door.

Also—and I kind of hate to say it—but maybe even making an English version of one of their songs, or just an English song in general, might help with global outreach. Little things like this could honestly go a long way when it comes to getting the attention they deserve internationally.

The Blueprint for TBZ’s Glow-Up

As of now, TBZ have fully transitioned from IST to One Hundred, and like I said, they’ve already dropped a full-length album, VVV, under their new company. Their leader and oldest member, Sangyeon, has just enlisted in the military. It seems like group activities will continue for now, but this is a very delicate time for TBZ, even if they’re carrying it all with the grace that only a seasoned group like them could.

That said, right now is the time to really focus on staying relevant and building momentum—even with the rest of the enlistments slowly creeping in. We’ve seen with other groups that once members start enlisting, it’s common to see fewer group activities and more solo work. Thankfully, with a group as big as TBZ, that might not be as necessary, and we’ll probably still see group comebacks for a while. But let’s not kid ourselves—we’re likely heading toward a break at some point.

So, what needs to happen before that break to make sure TBZ keeps growing and finally hits the global success they deserve?

Well, obviously—everything I said above. First, we need a consistent storyline. I’m sure there will be more album releases coming, and I hope they finally give us some real lore to go with it. Give deobis callbacks to past albums and find a way to include older song concepts like The Stealer. It would be such a great way to make those older tracks relevant again. not only would longtime deobis love this, but it would also work as an intro for new ones. Creating a more prominent storyline will be more enticing and bring in new fans. And honestly, the heist theme is untouched territory. TBZ could absolutely own that.

Next, they need to create a more distinct musical voice while experimenting with different genres. Not only would this keep things fresh, but it would give the members a chance to be a part of projects they truly love. I just want them to be able to participate in all the ways they’ve always wanted to—whether that’s producing music, coming up with concepts, or creating content. Even something like what New did for fans—putting together photos and creating a whole physical album—that was amazing. Or the individual birthday videos that gave us little glimpses into each member’s personality? More of that, please. Let them create. Let them show who they are.

Lastly, we need more consistent content from them as a group. A regular variety show just for them, something that deobis can watch and rewatch. Something easy to find and follow. Let them have fun. Let the members decide the content or stick with the classics: sports games, mafia games, trips, role-playing episodes—whatever. Every time TBZ just get to be themselves, the content hits. Their group dynamic does the rest. They’re like brothers, and watching them together is genuinely so fun. And let’s not forget: they need more international opportunities. There are so many popular YouTube channels and shows that other K-pop groups are on—TBZ should be there too. It’s time.

TBZ are not lacking in talent. Not even close. I just think their old company dropped the ball in a lot of ways. They deserve to be so much bigger than they are, and I will die on that hill. One Hundred—I have a lot of hope in you. I already like what I’m seeing. So please, get our Boyz the recognition and popularity they’ve always deserved.