Since their debut in 2017, The Boyz have proven their versatility and talent to the public worldwide. The 11-member group, comprising Sangyeon, Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Kevin, New, Q, Juhaknyeon, Sunwoo, and Eric, is now a well-established powerhouse in the K-pop industry. They know how to play by the rules and yet break them by showing their fans scattered all around the world that they can easily pull all kinds of concepts.
With this new chapter marking the end of the PHANTASY trilogy, The Boyz are ready to take a further step in the K-pop game. Nectar, the title track of their last album release [PHANTASY] Pt. 3 Love Letter, is a sentimental single that sounds like a heartwarming way to guide The B (their fandom name) into a whole new era.
Panorama.it spoke with them.
Thank you for being here. Let’s start immediately talking about your music. This is the end of the PHANTASY series. How does it feel?
Sangyeon: I feel good. I'm glad we've shown various sides of ourselves, and we've grown another step.
Q: This is the last PHANTASY album, but it was so nice to meet the B often, and we hope to make another comeback with a new look soon.
Juhaknyeon: Bittersweet. I feel sad that we couldn't show more.
How does 'Nectar' reflect the overall theme of the PHANTASY series? And can you explain the significance of the title track 'Nectar' in the context of the album?
Sangyeon: Nectar is a song about our youth.
Q: It shows the boyish side of The Boyz so far and reflects the theme of moving forward and moving on.
Juhaknyeon: Nectar is a collection of memories of how The Boyz has been until now. It was a scene full of memories as we filmed how we felt when we first started the group.
I want to dig deeper into the album. What inspired the transition from the excitement of 'Christmas In August' to the pain of separation in 'Love Letter'?
Q: There are many different fantasies, and we wanted to show the variety of fantasies, so we decided to show them in three different fantasies.
Juhaknyeon: The fantasy trilogy itself is intended to show different fantasies, so we tried to do different things.
How does 'Hurt Me Less' contribute to the narrative arc of the PHANTASY series?
Sangyeon: The subtitle of 'Hurt me less' is 'illusion pain'. Realizing that the pain that we felt was actually 'illusion pain' and move towards the ideal future, 'nectar'.
Juhaknyeon: I think you can think of it as a breathing role or a coming-of-age story for the PHANTASY series.
Sangyeon, Younghoon, New, Q, and Eric: you contributed to the lyrics for 'Dear.'. What emotions do you hope fans will experience while listening to this song?
Eric: The lyrics of 'Dear' are a letter from The Boyz to The B, so I hope The B will be touched by the song and realize that they are loved and that they are all so precious.
New: We wrote this song with our fans in mind, so it would be nice if you could think of it as a letter!
Younghoon: I want listeners to think of it as a warm letter to The Boyz' The B.
In what ways does [PHANTASY] Pt.3 Love Letter showcase the growth and evolution of The Boyz as artists?
Eric: It once again proves the diversity of The Boyz through a wide range of musical spectrums and stages!
New: I think we were able to show the various genres of the PHANTASY series, and I hope you can see the wide range of musicality and growth of The Boyz.
Younghoon: I think this album is for the memories of the past and our future.
What themes or messages do you hope fans will take away from [PHANTASY] Pt.3 Love Letter?
Eric: Love is sweet but sometimes it hurts, it's natural and I hope you love yourself more than anyone else.
New: The message is to run towards your ideals, so please look forward to watching The Boyz ideals grow in the future.
Younghoon: I hope it's a message to say thank you to The B.
What's the most touching fan interaction you've experienced recently?
Eric: I was really touched by The B's cheers during our recent concert in Japan, especially because our new song 'Nectar' had just been released and it was our first time in to perform 'Nectar' in Japan, but the cheers were so loud and clear that I felt happy and moved throughout the entire performance.
New: The cheering for "Nectar" was very touching, and it made me realize that we weren't just preparing for the stage, but that we were communicating musically with our fans, and I was so grateful.
Younghoon: It was so cute and nice to see The B cheering so hard on the music broadcast. We are happiest when we are together and have so much fun.
Talking about your fans. In your opinion which one of you is the best at giving fan service during performances?
Jacob: I think all the members are good at fanservice in their own style (he laughs) but if I had to pick, I would say Eric because he is so energetic and gives so much love to the fans!
Kevin: All of the members are good at fan service in different ways and at different points as each of them have different personalities. As someone who has been to concerts as a fan of many artists, I know how much The B loves every single moment of our concerts, so we want to take care of The B and make them have a good time!
How did you celebrate with your fans after the release of [PHANTASY] Pt.3 Love Letter?
Jacob: First of all, we celebrated the album during our comeback live, and we continued to celebrate while meeting The B's during our schedules, and we also prepared a pop-up store, so I think The B will be able to finish PHANTASY well!
Kevin: It's been great to hear The B's enthusiastic response to the music video and to see the memories of each fan.
Can you share any challenges you faced while working on the PHANTASY series?
Juyeon: The albums were released in a short period of time, so the shooting schedule was tight, which was physically demanding.
Sunwoo: It was a bit challenging to show various concepts in a short time, but I think it was also a fun experience.
You portray a very vast concept but with different styles that make you unique in your differences. What is the key point in your style for this comeback your fans should look for?
Hyunjae: The Boyz' sentimental and boyish energy.
Juyeon: Please pay attention to the makeup and outfits that utilize the emotional part.
Can you share a memorable behind-the-scenes moment while preparing for [PHANTASY] Pt.3 Love Letter?
Hyunjae: Going to Jeju Island to shoot a music video and visit the restaurants there!
Juyeon: In the scene where we were running around the field, I had to run brightly, but it was so tough that my face was distorted, so it was funny.
Sunwoo: There was a scene where we shot a music video on Jeju Island wearing white suits and holding flowers, and I felt like a groom.
If you had to choose a memorable moment in your career until now, which one would it be?
Jacob: There are so many, but I think it will be the first #1 ranking that we won, I couldn't believe it and I was so grateful!
Kevin: My favorite moment was when my family in Vancouver saw me in the show in LA and it was the first time they got to see me in a live show.
Will we ever be able to see The Boyz in Italy?
Jacob: We want to go wherever The B's are, so if you invite us, we'd love to go!
Kevin: We'd love to go! We've been seeing a lot of posts from our fans in Italy on Fan Cafe and social media, and we'd love to see the beautiful scenery!
Who are The Boyz now?
Hyunjae: A group that is always full of boyishness.
Juyeon: Boys with infinite possibilities.
Sunwoo: A boy.
