K-pop Group The Boyz Talk Style, Concepts, & Underwear Backstage at Music Bank in Paris
Snapshot!is a Teen Vogue style series where we ask artists to take candid pics and share a glimpse of their style and beauty routines. In this installment, the 11 members of K-pop group The Boyz take us behind the scenes at Music Bank in Paris.
It takes around three hours for each of the 11 members of The Boyz to get fully styled before stepping on stage. Whether it's for a two-hour tour stop or a twenty-minute performance overseas like the one they just finished at KBS's festival Music Bank in Paris, the process is always the same.
First, they get dressed in carefully picked and often custom-made outfits. Then, they put on makeup that highlights their best traits and enhances any mood they want to convey, like flower stickers on their cheeks for the lively "Bloom Bloom" or graphic eyeliner for the enigmatic "The Stealer." Last but not least, they complete their looks with a myriad of hairstyles — from full bleaches and colorful dyes to bouncy perms and sultry undercuts.
It might seem like an ordeal, but it pays off. "The more perfect your styling is, the more confident you feel when you go on stage," Q, whose real name is Ji Changmin, tells Teen Vogue just hours after they took the stage in Paris on April 8. Since The Boyz's debut in late 2017, Q and his bandmates Sangyeon, Kevin, Jacob, Younghoon, Juyeon, Hyunjae, New, Juhaknyeon, Sunwoo, and Eric have built a reputation for not only sounding but also looking good. Each of them portrays a different side of their overarching concept: “boy.” Despite their seemingly contrasting charms, the 11 members of the Boyz still form one cohesive and striking unit. Even barefaced and clad in sweats as they gather around a conference room table, the group appears to be basking in some kind of post-performance glow. (And no, it’s not sweat.)
Just a few hours before this interview, pre-shower and skin care routines, The Boyz were hyping up the crowd at La Défense Arena, wearing mostly black jeans and jackets, with some members sporting touches of gray, white, and cornflower blue. Multiple silver chains adorned their necks, wrists, and belts, giving them a rebellious edge — a nod to their latest single and opening song of the night, “Roar.”
"In this comeback, we could see each member's individual characteristics," says Vancouver-raised Kevin about their February EP, Be Awake. "I think it was also a representation of our musicality. It's cool to see how that translates to fashion." In practice, that meant some members, like Juyeon, were tasked with wearing long leather overcoats — "It was so hard to dance," he admits — while others, like Eric, rejoiced on the chance of showing more skin.
To Eric, the best part of this comeback was revealing his abs. He explains that since he's been working out consistently, exposing his body didn't make him feel uncomfortable but rather inspired him to hit the gym even harder. "Performing in a cropped top makes me look better when I'm doing big moves," he says.
Some members, however, prefer comfort over making a statement. It's the case of Juhaknyeon, who admits to accepting any kind of style change — even shaving his head. "I still don't mind," he says, adding that “as The Boyz, we wear neat or fancy clothes to be seen by [our fandom] The B. On the other hand, when I am at home, I dress comfortably because I think that if I'm comfortable when I'm at home, I can concentrate even more when I work.”
It's a perspective shared by Q, who aims to be "someone who looks comfortable and not overwhelming to others." He is the type to meticulously manage everything about his work, including people's expectations. "There is a preparation process that I always do after finishing my hair, makeup, and styling, and when it goes well with the plan I had in mind, I feel relaxed, but when it doesn't, I feel uncomfortable," he says.
Hyunjae is the same, constantly looking to improve himself. Aside from his grounding voice, he is often praised for his visuals (even Stray Kids' Bang Chan fell for his charms). "I don't think I'm good-looking," he still dares to say, even if no one believes him, "But I do think I need to work on it and keep at it." He considers himself the kind to try out any styling in the name of fashion. "I like neon [hair] colors," he admits, but quickly backs away when asked if he would also shave his head like Juhaknyeon. "Uh... nope!" he says with a laugh.
Jacob has tried out more than a handful of hair colors in the past, but he still wavers when it comes to one particular shade. "I don't know if I want to try pink hair. I've tried a lot of colors, but not pink, or red. I don't know if I could pull it off." Born in Toronto, Canada, he also feels like global trends impact his fashion sense. How exactly? "[Well,] I don't really wear skinny jeans. Back in the day, that's all I used to wear, but now that I started to wear baggy clothes, it's really uncomfortable."
From students in their debut single "Boy" to lifeguards in "Thrill Ride" and werewolves in "Reveal," The Boyz have experimented with enough concepts in their career to know what fits them and what doesn't. "I think there's always trial and error to the process; you gotta experiment to get an enhanced version of yourself," says Kevin, who finds inspiration in the likes of Beyoncé, Janelle Monáe, and Pharrell. As for the errors.... "We have so many," Juyeon interrupts. "Such as?" Kevin asks. "Such as 'Giddy Up.' It was a trauma." The room erupts in laughter, and Hyunjae brings back the pain with two words: “Lobster T-shirt.”
"You know what's funny?" Eric asks. "At that time, looking at my own outfit, I was like, 'Oh, damn! Oh, sexy!' But now I'm like, 'Wow, why was I wearing that?!'" he says with a laugh. Such realizations are the price of evolving — a concept that fellow member New knows too well. He considers himself the member whose style has changed the most since debut, and Eric agrees. "[New] really puts in a lot of effort and time to show off his charisma in fashion," Eric adds. "He has his own style that none of us would be able to pull off, so…respect."
Rapper Sunwoo, on the other hand, might disagree with that affirmation. "Back in the day, when we all used to live under one roof, Sunwoo would steal people's socks, underwear, clothes…." Eric reveals. Once again, the room fills with cheers and cackles. "I still do," defies Sunwoo, like the harbinger of chaos he is. It's simply because the "hot kitsch boy," as he describes himself, lives by the premise of "what's yours is mine and what's mine is yours."
He might have a point, per Younghoon, who says that "just hanging out with the members" changed his style for the better. When remembering his trainee-era looks, he winces in disbelief. "He used to wear tight shirts and a lot of pants that came up to his shins," says the ever-expressive Eric, pulling up his own pants to illustrate his point exactly. "Literally, they came up here," he says, pointing to the midpoint between his knee and his foot.
As they reminisce, it becomes clear that style isn't just essential to completing The Boyz's music; it's also a converging point where they find connection, trust, and growth in themselves and in each other. "I think styling is more than half of [my self-esteem]," says New, who also appreciates how the members "find individual characteristics and then show them as different charms." According to Sangyeon, who thinks his best era was 2018's "No Air," being well-dressed “makes my day.”
They all agree that good outfits, makeup, and hairstyles — even if they take three hours to achieve — are worth it. "It's usually hard because of the waiting time," says Sangyeon. “But I love the excitement of being able to show The B our great looks.”
They are aware that there's still a lot of prejudice against men who take care of their appearance and wear unconventional clothes and makeup, but who cares? "I respect their perspective, but it's our job," says Hyunjae. Kevin adds: “Just like music or dancing, makeup and styling [are] also a form of expression. I don't think [they] should be placed under one category or limited to a certain group of people. Korea definitely has less of a prejudice, but I think it's cool that the world is opening up. I think K-pop is playing a big role in that.”
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