For anyone about to turn 20 years old and is in need of a major confidence boost to face their adult life, K-pop boy band BoyNextDoor has the perfect album for you.

“19.99” comes as the band’s first new album in five months since its second EP “How?” and a year after its first album “Why.." was released last September.


The number 19.99 in the seven-track album's title symbolizes the in-between stage of adolescence and adulthood, the borderline of passion and reason and the somewhat irrational sense of confidence that youngsters are filled with despite the many obstacles they will start to face in adulthood.

“We wanted to tell the story that’s truly about us; the things that we feel and experience in our everyday lives,” Jaehyun told reporters during a showcase held in central Seoul for the new album.

“The album contains all the complicated feelings that you come across as you close in on the age of 20,” he continued. “It’s like the growing pains of a 19-year-old all put together. So, I went back to the school I used to go to so that I could remember what kinds of things I used to think about before and get across the stories that every growing person will relate to.”

For the lead track, “Nice Guy,” BoyNextDoor went for an easy listening, laid-back pop sound that shows “the confidence of a 19.99-year-old who just wants to look so cool,” contrary to the rebellious, hip-hop themed lead tracks the band had pushed for in the past. “Nice Guy” was produced by Zico, a renowned songwriter and the head of BoyNextDoor’s agency KOZ Entertainment, and Pop Time.

“What makes this song so amazing is that it sticks to you differently from the first time you hear it to the fifth or 10th time,” Jaehyun said. “It may be different from the songs in the past, but we think it’s our duty as BoyNextDoor to always show a new side of ourselves to the audience. We think it will always be a mission for us and we think that this album may be the beginning.”

Other tracks also express the wildness of youth, such as the prerelease hip-hop track “Dangerous,” a cute song about youngsters sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night and telling their parents they’ll be “back in 10 minutes.” Another track dedicated to youth is “20,” where members Jaehyun and Taesan took part in writing the lyrics and the song and Woonhak helped out with composing the music.

Jaehyun, Taesan and Woonhak also took part in either writing the lyrics or the music for “Nice Guy” and the B-side track “Call Me.” The album includes an English version of “Nice Guy” as well as “Gonna Be A Rock and “Skit.”

“The album really is filled with our experiences,” Taesan said. “I called my dad while I was writing the lyrics for ‘Call Me’ and told him that I was having a really bad day — not because I was really having a bad day but because I needed inspiration. Hours later, he wrote me a really long letter with comforting text, and I brought that into the chorus of the song. "

“We’re always thinking about how we can make music that many people can relate to,” Sungho said. “We also hope to make our name, BoyNextDoor, known to more people. We talk about how we can enjoy ourselves more on the stage and communicate with the audience, and we believe this is a great strength that we have.”

BoyNextDoor debuted in May 2023 with its debut single “WHO!” under KOZ Entertainment, with members Sungho, Riwoo, Myung Jae-hyun, Taesan, Leehan and Woonhak. The band recently performed at the Summer Sonic 2024 music festival in Japan in August, a month after releasing its first Japanese single, “And,” on July 10.

“We can see that more people are supporting us on the stage,” Sungho said. “Seeing people shout our names out and hold our [fan club] light sticks really makes us feel a sense of responsibility both on and off the stage. We will always try our best and never get arrogant.”

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]