THE BOYZ Have Gone Dark With “Maverick” Comeback
Fans have come to know THE BOYZ for their youthful charm and fresh looks. The vibes, however, are completely different this time around, with MAVERICK hinting at THE BOYZ’s future as fully well-rounded, grown-up artists. This time they’ve gone to the dark side.
During the THRILL-ING comeback, which had fresh and bright (if cheeky) vibes, members of the group expressed an interest in pursuing a darker, sexy concept. In hindsight, it seems like they were hinting at their dark turn in MAVERICK, which is THE BOYZ’s chance to do something beyond the youthful image they’re known for.
It makes sense that the members would be interested in trying something new. After all, they are now in their fourth year as an idol group, and must therefore be at a point where they want to express sentiments and experiences beyond bright, youthful innocence. Besides, the wide range of concepts that they portrayed in Road to Kingdom and Kingdom: Legendary War brought them a lot of attention and popularity, as New explained in an interview with South China Morning Post.
“We’re known as a group that’s able to show off a boyish charm, but we realised we were able to bring in a lot of fans when we did darker, moodier concepts, so we aimed to do that with the sexier, more intense Maverick. We wanted to show that contrast, and show off this ability of ours to transition between different styles.”
— THE BOYZ’s New on South China Morning Post
It’s safe to say that THE BOYZ have achieved that. After numerous performances in this year’s Kingdom: Legendary War, in which they came in second, THE BOYZ have proven that they are versatile, and that they can do justice to many different concepts.
As a matter of fact, their Halloween-themed dance practice for MAVERICK should be considered solid evidence of their versatility! Member Q was even praised for his fun costume by Chucky himself, while Hyunjae was praised for his by Studio Ghibli. Hopefully Haknyeon will be recognised for his hilarious take on the Hunger Cell from Yumi’s Cells, and Kevin for his hard work on his Cruella costume (which he did the makeup for himself)!
