K-pop group THE BOYZ (더보이즈) recently announced new plans for the entire group following their contract expiration with their current management company, IST Entertainment. In preparation for their new journey, the group had trademarked a new group name – but Malaysians may find it very familiar.
According to reports, all 11 members have jointly signed with entertainment agency One Hundred following their contract expiration and will begin promotions under the new company in December. However, the group might face difficulties obtaining the original “THE BOYZ” trademark, given that it belongs to IST Entertainment. In response, One Hundred has applied for the trademark of the group’s potential new name, “The New Boyz” and “TNBZ”.
The group will only instate the new names if IST Entertainment doesn’t release the original “THE BOYZ” and “TBZ” trademarks. Many Deobis (THE BOYZ fans) have since reacted to the group’s possible rebranding, with many hoping that the boyband can retain their original name. However, the new name also amused many Malaysian fans because “The New Boyz” is taken – at least in Malaysia.
For those unfamiliar, New Boyz, also known as The New Boyz, is a Malaysian group founded in 1997. The group is still active, and one notable member is singer Tomok. The possible name change prompted many jokes amongst Malaysian Deobis, particularly about how the two groups might accidentally stir up confusion amongst the public. Some even joked that the Korean group might start singing in Malay if they changed their name.
Funnily enough, this isn’t the first time a K-pop group shared a name with a Southeast Asian band because K-pop group SEVENTEEN (세븐틴) shares a name with the Indonesian rock band Seventeen. The shared name has long been an inside joke amongst CARATs (SEVENTEEN (K-pop) fans), especially in Malaysia and Indonesia.
So far, there aren’t any updates on whether THE BOYZ will change its group name, but this can spark a potential collaboration between the two groups. What are your thoughts on this?
