"T-shirts stretched, body drenched in sweat": Bonedo's fierce determination poured out for the first full album [★FULL Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Stretched T-shirts and bodies soaked in sweat. BOYNEXTDOOR spent the most intense period of their lives preparing for their first full album. Their deep desire to succeed and their fierce determination were the sincere hearts of the six youths aiming for the stage.

BOYNEXTDOOR (Sangho, Leeu, Myung Jae-hyun, Taesan, Lee Han, Unhak) made their comeback on the 8th with their first full album, 'HOME'. 'HOME' is an album that honestly expresses the emotions and memories experienced while looking back on the time from their trainee days to the present. Centering on themes of the existence that forms the team's foundation, love, parting, and the growth and pain of youth, the group sang autobiographical stories. In particular, all members participated in songwriting, further deepening BOYNEXTDOOR's unique musical color.

Leeu of BOYNEXTDOOR stated, "We worked hard during the 7th-to-8-month gap. Every member's name appears in the album credits, showing the love they poured into this album." He added, "We packed as many honest feelings as possible, and since it is a work full of sincerity, we hope many people will listen to it."

Unhak expressed his excitement about the comeback, saying, "I feel excited to show a new side to the public. I can't wait to start activities."

Regarding the album title, Leeu said, "If 'House' means the physical form of a home, then 'Home' means a sanctuary shared with family." He continued, "We wanted to create an album that allows us to find our original intentions when looking back at this moment 10 or 20 years from now." He added, "Since we were able to include many autobiographical stories, we feel proud of it."

Myung Jae-hyun explained, "I hope 'HOME' reaches many people as a sanctuary for their hearts. I wanted to capture the emotions I felt from my trainee days until now as memories." He also said, "Family, fans, and the things we feel are a sanctuary for our hearts are ultimately the things that bring us back to our original intentions. We completed the album with those things as the theme."

BOYNEXTDOOR, who debuted in 2023, is the first idol group produced by Zico. With a steady growth trajectory through hits like 'Only Today I LOVE YOU' and 'Hollywood Action', they emphasized that this album, released as they enter their third year since debut, is the result that best captures the team's current color and identity.

Sangho stated, "In the three years since debut, we have experienced many changes in thought and growth. Not only our personalities, but the relationships between members have also deepened. Each member has more stories they want to tell, and we wanted to express these messages through music in a way that is true to BOYNEXTDOOR. It seems we reached the conclusion to move forward to Chapter 2 of BOYNEXTDOOR through this full album at this point."

Unhak also explained, "I thought this was the perfect time. We have accumulated three years of experience, and at a point where we have built enough bonds with our fans, we had accumulated many emotionally sincere stories and things we wanted to say. That is why we decided to present them through a full album."

Myung Jae-hyun also said about this album, "It is an album with a clear beginning, development, climax, and conclusion from the first track to the last track. We ultimately wanted to conclude that we would take the stage." He continued, "I wanted to include the message that the final destination where all journeys end and arrive is the fans in the last track. This album honestly captures not only happy emotions but also anxiety, pain, and longing."

He explained the album's message, saying, "I also wanted to express the fan song without any embellishment. In that process, there was a sense of bond and warmth, and ultimately, the ending is about returning to the side of loved ones and taking the stage."

Unhak emphasized the lingering feeling that flows throughout the album. He said, "It is a work that leaves a lingering feeling from beginning to end. While I am excited and worried that fans will listen with the same feelings as me, I found the process of completing the album while contemplating the arrangement and flow of the songs to be very fun." He also explained, "In the early part of the album, we wanted to show a new side by including aggressive and honest energy and ambition that we have never shown before. We also incorporated the images we have presented before, but we tried not to lose sincerity within them."

He added, "We packed our hearts toward all those we love. It seems that the flow of cherishing past memories and filling the end with precious beings leaves a strong lingering feeling. It naturally makes one imagine the moment of singing these songs on stage."

Leeu of BOYNEXTDOOR said, "The fact that we can take the stage with songs that directly express the emotions we feel as individuals is meaningful in itself."

The members also mentioned the lyrics, which are filled with their personal affection. Unhak pointed to the last lyrics of the included track '06070', confidently stating, "The lyrics '20 years old, in front of thousands of people on stage' seem to have been completed with a particularly lingering feeling."

Myung Jae-hyun mentioned the rap part of the same song, saying, "I like the lyrics 'Cutting off the tail of my thoughts and whipping myself' the most." He explained, "It captures the image of constantly pushing myself forward, and that image felt very impressive and charming."

Taesan revealed that he incorporated the inspiration he received from his parents into the outro lyrics of 'Remember Me'. He said, "Before working on the song, I naturally received inspiration after visiting my parents during the Lunar New Year holiday. Suddenly curious, I asked my father what the difference is between a daughter and a son, and my father answered, 'A son is the last friend of life, and a daughter is love.' Hearing those words, I thought my father was my first friend and my mother was like my first love, and I put those feelings into the lyrics."

As such, the members poured everything into this album. They carefully discussed opinions on music, choreography, concept, and visuals to enhance the quality, and in the process, their teamwork became even stronger. As they accumulated time to share and understand each other's thoughts, they were able to capture the current BOYNEXTDOOR most honestly.

Leeu said, "Have we ever been more sincere than we are now? We have become so close that we have never been this close with the members before, and our ways of caring for and expressing ourselves have also matured." He added, "While preparing for this album, we got to know each other better, and it seems our emotions were well captured in the album, making it a precious time."

He continued, "In the past, we focused on showing our individual personalities, but this time we tried to make it look like the six of us as one team. We carefully considered what expressions to make for each lyric and paid a lot of attention to showing the synchronized dance and the team's unity."

Myung Jae-hyun also stated that he felt the members' extraordinary sincerity while preparing for this full album. He said, "While preparing, I wondered if we had ever been this close. While working, I could feel how sincere the members were about this album. Their attitude toward the album was extraordinary. They practiced until their T-shirts were stretched and soaked in sweat. They wanted to succeed, and I could feel that the members also wanted to succeed. Everyone had a fierce look in their eyes. I thought it would be good if that fierce determination was well felt. I wanted them to feel the deep desire, and I hope it was conveyed well."

He said, "In the music video for the title track 'VIRAL', even mold appears, and I wanted to express the spread of viruses. I hope it appears on the feeds of people all over the world and spreads as music that can resonate with them." He emphasized, "The standard of what is 'successful' may differ from person to person, but since there is no clear standard for what is successful, it seems to make us even more eager. I do not want to set a standard for success yet."

Their sincerity is leading to results. This album recorded sales of 591,900 copies on its first day of release, topping the daily album chart on the 8th. Additionally, on the 9th, it entered the 'Top Albums' chart on iTunes in a total of 16 countries and regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Brazil, and Japan, and took the number one spot in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia. On Melon, Korea's largest music platform, the title track 'VIRAL' rose to fifth place on the 'Top 100', receiving a hot response.

Amidst their steady growth, BOYNEXTDOOR has firmly imprinted their presence through this album. In response, Unhak conveyed his wish, saying, "I want to be called a national idol. I still want to become a national idol."

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*This content was translated by AI.