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| Members of K-pop act The Boyz pose during an online media event Monday. Courtesy of Cre.ker Entertainment |
By Dong Sun-hwa
K-pop act The Boyz have taken their fans on a "Thrill Ride" with their new summer anthem of the same name.
Upon its release on Monday, "Thrill Ride," the lead single off the group's sixth mini-album, "Thrill-ing," nabbed the No. 1 spot on iTunes' song charts in 16 countries, including Mexico, Indonesia and Thailand. It also ranked first and eighth on the real-time charts of Bugs and Melon ― two of the most influential streaming platforms in Korea ― as of Monday afternoon.
"The term 'thrill' holds a lot of different meanings and that's why we chose it as the keyword for our new album," member Juyeon said during an online press conference Monday. "I think this term speaks for us... And thrills are actually something that people long for during the sweltering summer."
The fresh album also carries five other tracks aside from "Thrill Ride," a hip-hop-based hit with a touch of trendy melodies and bouncy rhythms. It also offers the dynamic city pop tune "Out of Control," the breezy medium-tempo number "Dancing till We Drop," and the chilling "Nightmares," among others.
"This time, we brought back the refreshing vibe that we showcased in the early days of our career," Ju Hak-nyeon said. In fact, The Boyz, which debuted under Cre.ker Entertainment in 2017, were far from seeming powerful or wild until they put out songs like "Reveal" and "The Stealer" in 2020.
Eric, who participated in the creative process of the album with bandmates Q and Sunwoo, said it was a huge honor for him to pen the lyrics for the tunes.
"I usually resort to my imagination when writing lyrics," he remarked. "It would be a lie if I were to say that I am fully content with my creation, but I will try hard to improve next time."
Anticipation has been palpable ahead of the release of The Boyz' latest album, largely because it was to be their first following their appearance on the Mnet competition show "Kingdom: Legendary War" (2021). The program featured six K-pop boy groups, including BTOB and iKON. The Boyz finished second after only Stray Kids, gaining more traction on the global music scene with their jaw-dropping performances.
"As we went head-to-head with other singers, we had to contemplate our strengths and style," Sunwoo noted. "(After discovering them,) we tried to highlight these elements on our new album… Even though we were not crowned the winner on the show, I think we earned something worth more than victory itself, such as the experience of teamwork."
Younghoon elaborated, "For Thrill-ing, we strived to display our cool and refreshing vibe, which was hardly visible in the performances we staged on Kingdom."
During the session, Eric also showed his appreciation to the 11-piece act's followers.
"I feel like more people have supported us after we appeared on Kingdom," he said. "Since we wanted to pay back their love, we spared no efforts while gearing up for our album. In the coming days, we will take part in a range of activities to please more fans."
