A Filipino THE B Talks About Her Favorite Group THE BOYZ And Her Bias HyunJae

Are you also curious about fellow K-Pop fans?! Let’s hear their stories and interests in Kpopmap Fan Interview Project.

There are K-Pop fans across the globe who share the same passion. But on online platforms, it is hard to know about each other’ stories and K-Pop life. Even if we are in the same fandom, it is hard to get to know each other.

So at Kpopmap, we started the Kpopmap Fan Interview Project to get to know more about K-Pop fans from different countries: more about their K-Pop life and tastes and to give them the opportunity to share with our readers about their favorite group(s) and bias.

 

Ann is the next fan to answer our questions. She is from the Philippines and is a fan of THE BOYZ, and particularly of HyunJae! Check out how she entered the fandom, the songs and content she advises to new fans, and much more!

 

Can you introduce yourself? Where are you from?

Hi, my name is Ann. I’m a THE B from the Philippines.

 

How and when did you enter the fandom?

I became a THE B during ‘The Stealer’ era (2020). Back in 2020, I ran a translation account on Twitter dedicated to another group where I happened to pass by a selca from a THE BOYZ member in that account. I bookmarked the post to search for his name since he was good looking, and because I have heard the name “THE BOYZ” multiple times from my mutuals who were both fans of the group I was a fan of and THE BOYZ. It simply piqued my curiosity. After a while, I forgot about it but stumbled upon THE BOYZ’s ‘Bad Guy’ dance video with KooSung Jung on 1MILLION Dance Studio’s YouTube channel. I fell in love with the bucket hat guy. I was captivated with the way he danced. After scrolling through the comment section, I found out that the member in the Twitter post that I bookmarked and the bucket hat guy in the ‘Bad Guy’ video was the same person — it was JuYeon! After that, I slowly started watching their variety shows and listening to their music. Not only did they have endearing personalities and a great sense of humor in their variety shows, their music is also great.

 

What are the reasons why you love your favorite group?

THE BOYZ is dubbed as an “all-center group.” Not only do they excel as a group, they shine individually as well. Every member has the looks, the talent, and the personality. They are incredibly talented and versatile. Whether it be singing, dancing, rapping, or other endeavors like captivating an audience on variety shows, rocking photoshoots, or delving into acting, they do it well. I’m left in awe when watching their behind the scenes vlogs. The dedication and passion they put in their craft touched my heart. They have great teamwork and they’re hands on in what they do. Their outputs are not solely based on what their creative team feeds them, they frequently contribute ideas and brainstorm on how they can make ideas come to life. The way they invest time and hard work, and how they seek continuous improvement in order to give out the best output for their fans is commendable.
Also, the members communicate with fans a lot. In line with that, they give a lot of inspirational and motivational words. With THE BOYZ, you never run out of content to watch or posts to view. They spoil their fans with a lot of content. I have been a K-Pop fan since 2013 yet it’s my first time liking a group as much as I like THE BOYZ. THE BOYZ feel like home. They bring such warmth and comfort to THE Bs.

 

Who caught your attention at first and why?

At first it was JuYeon. Not only does he look so handsome, the way he dances is also mesmerizing. He has great stage presence and charisma on stage. What made him cuter was the contrast in his off stage personality — he’s actually soft and cute. Everything he does is endearing. He cares for the members a lot and is naturally witty.

 

Who is your bias, and why?

My bias is HyunJae. I adore his personality and talent. He’s not simply a pretty face, he’s multi-talented. HyunJae, despite mainly being known as a vocalist, is actually an amazing lead dancer as well. His dancing skill is often showcased in dance breaks where he performs alongside the main dancers. He also did a great job briefly acting in a web drama called “I Can See Your MBTI”. Personality-wise, he’s witty and fun. He often jokes around and makes the mood light, but when needed, he can be serious. He’s the one who consoles them in sadness and he’s the one who is the happiest for them during their achievements. He’s known as THE BOYZ’s emotional pillar. When everyone is overwhelmed with emotions he holds his tears and consoles the members first. He relays to the audience what the members can’t say when they’re choked up with emotions. HyunJae is such a kind friend and an older brother who is always there for his members. It’s cute how he always flexes his THE B ring to show his love for the fans. He’s also a filial son.

 

Can you recommend a title track and a B-side track for new fans?

The title track I recommend is ‘Bloom Bloom’. The Boyz rocks both refreshing concepts and dark concepts, but their bright songs hit differently. ‘Bloom Bloom’ is a song that makes you feel light and refreshed after listening to it. It was also the song that gave them their first music show win.

 

THE BOYZ is known for having a lot of good B-sides. My personal favorites that I want to share are ‘Merry Bad Ending’ and ‘Survive The Night’. ‘Merry Bad Ending’ has paradoxical lyrics and is about a happy but sad farewell, you can feel the emotions in the song. ‘Survive The Night’ is a song solely written by Sunwoo.

 

Can you recommend a fancam, V Live, cover video, cover dance, or individual content video of your bias to our readers?

HyunJae’s cover of TaeYeon’s ‘A Poem Titled You’ and IU’s ‘When Love Passes By’ shows his heavenly vocals! The songs compliment and suit HyunJae’s vocal color well.

 

HyunJae’s fancam fron their cover of EXO’s ‘Call Me Baby’ cover is something worth watching as well. His charisma and stage presence in the video is breathtaking.

 

Can you also do the same type of recommendation for the group?

There is a series of 11 individual interviews in line with their identity film, “Generation Z”. The way they answered each question was raw and genuine. The questions were tailored specifically to each member so their answers will tell you a lot about their individual identities.

 

Can you share with us one of your favorite lyrics?

Kevin, ChanHee (New), and SunWoo’s line from ‘Survive The Night’:
“Holding my trembling hand and smiling brightly
‘We’ll be together, no matter what the pain is’.”
(“떨리는 내 손을 잡고 풋 웃음을 지으며 ‘우린 함께일 거야, 어떤 아픔이든’.”

 

Are there any words from the members you would like to share?

When THE BOYZ won the survival program “Road to Kingdom”, in their ending speech, SunWoo imparted words to the other teams that they competed against. He said, “Whether we stand in the front or back, that doesn’t define our value. When we perform for the people we love, I think that’s when our value is determined.” THE BOYZ have frequently shared that in their early debut days they always automatically went to the back in music shows when the winners were being announced. HyunJae has shared before that seeing that, he had doubts whether THE BOYZ will do well. And SunWoo expressed his desire to even just feel the nervousness of whether they win 1st or not, not even winning 1st place per se. It was touching how SunWoo validated the other groups and told those words knowing well the struggle everyone went through during “Road to Kingdom”, wherein everyone was being pushed to be defined by rankings.

he has a lot of matured moments but sunwoo’s rtk speech really touched me. they already won but he just wanted to tell tbz and their competitors to not let ranks define their worth. pic.twitter.com/f43TVdSAmU

— 앤 🐻 (@hyunjaemwohae) August 29, 2022

 

If you are collecting goods, what is your most precious treasure?

HyunJae starred in a variety show called “My K-Star Family” back in 2021. This was a photocard from an event of that show. It’s quite rare so I treasure it a lot. It’s also cute to see HyunJae in a Harry Potter costume.

 

Is your bias different while performing and in real life? What is your reaction to the difference (if there’s any)?

He is. On stage, HyunJae is very charismatic and fierce. People even mistakenly think he’s cold, but actually, he’s someone who jokes around a lot and is a warm hearted person. Even members Q and New once said that it’s HyunJae who has the biggest off stage and on stage gap among them. He acts cool on stage to match the concept, but off stage, he acts cutely to the members. I find it adorable every time. When you see HyunJae off stage he’s always sporting the most adorable smile. He’s very energetic and friendly, but can be a bit shy at first. It’s cute to see the difference between THE BOYZ HyunJae on stage and Lee JaeHyun (his real name) off stage.

 

Do you have a dream subunit/unit?

It would be a dream come true if HyunJae got to be in a unit with PENTAGON’s Kino. They’re good friends even way back trainee days and in high school at Hanlim. You can see a glimpse of their friendship during their interactions on “Road To Kingdom”. It was also fun to watch them together when Kino recently guested on Hyunjae’s show, “HyunJae’s Now”. They’re both great artists so it would be exciting to see them perform together!

 

Please recommend your favorite selfie by your bias.

HyunJae with glasses is a rare sight but he definitely looks great with glasses on.

 

What is your favorite group/bias’ influence on your daily life?

As a graduating pre-law student who often struggles with the demands of law recitations, THE BOYZ are my rest. They have given me immense happiness. I’m grateful for existing in the same timeline as them. They have positively influenced me in all aspects of my life. In their interviews, lives, and private messages, the members often give out advice and words of wisdom that are from their experiences and hardships. Seeing their growth and how they overcame such hardships urges me to take their words to heart. And seeing their dedication in what they do and their outlook in life motivates me to work hard like them in order to reap positive results. And as an introvert it was hard to make friends. But THE BOYZ have paved the way for friendships to bloom. Through THE BOYZ, I have bonded and grew close to other THE Bs because of our mutual love for TBZ.

Thank you for answering our questions, Ann.