THE BOYZ Open Up About The Pressure Of "Kingdom" And How They Grew From It

In a recent interview with NME, THE BOYZ took some time to reflect on their experience on the competition shows Road to Kingdom and Kingdom: Legendary War.

Eric, Kevin, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Sunwoo, Jacob, Sangyeon, Q, Younghoong, Juhaknyeon, New. | *@Creker_THEBOYZ/Twitter*

THE BOYZ were crowned the winners of Road to Kingdom in 2020 after delivering incredible performances that showcased their musical talents, dance abilities, and stage presence. Eric said that it was a worthwhile opportunity, but it wasn’t easy.

Being on Road to Kingdom and Kingdom was very worthwhile, but it wasn’t easy. Because it was an opportunity to try out a lot of different stages and concepts, it was a stepping stone… We’re in that spot where we can be more confident and try new things that we have never done before.

— Eric

Eric for *THRILL-ING* | *@Creker_THEBOYZ*

Road to Kingdom featured K-Pop groups who were described by the show creators as having great potential despite being “unknown to most.” On the other hand, Kingdom: Legendary War saw THE BOYZ compete alongside “trending” boy groups to win a reality show and special promotional week through Mnet.

Jacob, Eric, Sunwoo, New, Juyeon, Sangyeon, Hyunjae, Kevin, Juhaknyeon, Q, and Younghoon. | *@WE_THE_BOYZ/Twitter*

THE BOYZ brought their level of performance to new heights on Kingdom. Kevin spoke about the intense pressure of moving forward and “teaming against bigger groups.”

The pressure was very intense. In Road To Kingdom, everyone was going into it blind, no one really knew what to expect, so we just showed everything that we had. With Kingdom coming up, we were trying to think of ways to go further, to aim higher, given the fact that we were teaming against bigger groups with more experience than us. But I think that the outcome was very satisfactory.”

— Kevin

Kevin for *THRILL-ING*. | *@official_theboyz/Instagram*

THE BOYZ finished in second place and even though they didn’t win the show itself, the lessons they learned from the experience continue to positively affect them as artists today.

(더보이즈 일동) 사랑해 더비 🥰 pic.twitter.com/5PyNAWNqyW

— THE BOYZ (더보이즈) (@WE_THE_BOYZ) June 3, 2021

Juyeon said that thanks to the stages they performed in Kingdom, they have “become more natural” and can “digest the stage better and everything that goes on at that moment.”

Juyeon for *THRILL-ING* | *@Creker_THEBOYZ*

THE BOYZ have certainly seen incredible growth both artistically and commercially in just the past year. Their most recent EP THRILL-ING is their most-preordered mini-album to date and shows off their range as artists.