While I mostly cover Japanese indie bands on this blog, this past month I’ve been engrossed in the Korean pop group, BOYNEXTDOOR. My fandom ultimately brought me to go to the CD store for the first time in YEARS to buy their July 10th Japanese release: “And,”.
As usual I’ll provide a bit of backstory on the members and my impressions of their Japanese debut. I’ll also include an English translation of their single “GOOD DAY”, and introduce a JLPT N3 grammar point featured in the lyrics, ○○きれない.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Knock, Knock! Who’s there? It’s BOYNEXTDOOR!
- The members
- My impressions of “And,”
- JLPT N3 grammar: 〇〇きれない
- Follow BOYNEXTDOOR and become ONEDOORful~ 🚪
Knock, Knock! Who’s there? It’s BOYNEXTDOOR!
BOYNEXTDOOR consists of six members: Sungho (born 2003-09-04), Jaehyun (born 2003-12-04), RiWoo (born 2003-10-22), LeeHan (born 2004-10-20), Taesan (born 2004-08-10), and Woonhak (born 2006-11-29).
Their sound incorporates funk, RnB, and 2000s American hip hop beats to create playful tracks about love and loss.
Since their name is BOYNEXTDOOR, their videos often feature a door that leads into different scenes which are often bright and exaggerated. Their concept in a nutshell is: youth and naivety.
Much like how their name suggests, they represent boys who are growing up and discovering themselves. While their cartoonish appeal makes these varied experiences of love, betrayal, anger, and sadness more digestible, they maintain a refreshing authenticity that can almost feel comforting at times.
The members
From left to right: Woonhak, Taesan, RiWoo, Jaehyun, LeeHan, Sungho
I won’t go into depth for each one, but I’ll present some interesting things I’ve learned from their official YouTube channel.
Puppy Leader: Jaehyun
pic credit to Modelpress
He often goes by MyungJaehyun, which is his birthname. He said in an interview with Jaejoong on Jaejoong and Friends that he goes by that name to differentiate himself from other idols named ‘Jaehyun’.
He’s often compared to BTS’s Jungkook for his friendly personality and erratic behavior. Although he’s the group’s main rapper, even his singing voice has the same kind of sweetness to it. You can hear him singing LESSERAFIM’s ‘Smart’ HERE. With more training, I think he could easily join the main vocal line.
He also revealed on the official Youtube that when he was younger, he wanted to be a poet, and enjoys writing poetry. You can watch the episode HERE.
Calm Kitty Sungho
pic credit to teenVogue
This is actually my favorite member, the reason being that he is a secret weirdo. I mean that in the best way possible, too. 90% of the time, he’s very unsuspecting, and then all of a sudden he’ll say or do something that’s very bizarre.
I think his muted personality is what makes his chaotic side harder to spot, but the more of him you see on their social media, the more you realize that he’s just as bonkers as the others. And I love him for it.
His hobbies include working out, drawing, and playing guitar. He’s most known for being a neat-freak, which is VERY MUCH in line with him being a Virgo (his birthday is September 4th).
Dance-machine/Otter/Pomeranian RiWoo
pic credit to ModelPress
The one self-proclaimed introvert—that I read in the subtitles to an episode. He started being referred as ‘Pomeranian’ after he bleached his hair for ‘Earth, Wind, and Fire‘. Considering his personality, his small stature, and big brown eyes, I have to agree that the nickname does suit him. He really does look like a Pomeranian!
He likes to spend time alone at cafes or walk around the neighborhood. He’s the main dancer of the group, though his vocals are also very good and VERY smooth. RiWoo was actually the first member that caught my eye because his dancing was so fun to watch. He actually went to Hanlim Arts High school and befriended the dance group, ChillLit, who also happened to choreograph ‘Earth, Wind, and Fire’.
He’s most known for his dad jokes, which people sometimes don’t understand. His energy is probably the purest because he doesn’t always realize he’s being awkward until it’s awkward. It’s very cute~
Cool Cat Taesan
pic taken from dbkpop
As the nickname suggests, Taesan is cool and trendy; a true ‘cool cat’. He has a vinyl record player and revealed a few albums from his collection. During an episode of their YouTube series, he started playing and dancing to The Carpenters. He’s also been heard singing jazz songs like this one: Englishman in New York.
Taesan has two very distinct faces: his cute face, and his cool face. There a times when I forget it’s the same person because of how his appearance sometimes contrasts his personality and interests in vintage items. The other members have also teased him for sometimes looking like a child, but he’s only still young, so….it’s understandable.
Taesan might be the most mischievous member. He may look serious and calm, but he’s not. He’s just secretly plotting, all the time, which makes his appearances fun to watch.
Fish Prince LeeHan
pic taken from kpopping
Much like his precious babies: his fish, Leehan is a bit spacy. He has a cool, calm demeanor, and always seems to be thinking about something. His hobbies include fishing and taking care of his fish, which he can spend hours watching from the tank.
Although he’s only 19, I feel that he has the oldest soul. He’s not so interested in city life, and dreams to one day retire in the countryside with his own little farm. He seems to have a close relationship with his father, as many of the outdoor skills he’s learned were from him. His quiet personality paired with his acquired knowledge thus gives him an air of maturity.
It’s for this reason that when LeeHan does show his playful side, it’s especially charming.
Spicy Woonhak
pic taken from kpopping
I call him ‘Spicy Woonhak’ or ‘Spicy Maknae’ because he’s very straightforward. While he has a very sweet appearance and seems like a nice person, he’s proven multiple times that he will push back. Rather than a typical ‘idol boy’, he still has that familiar high school cheekiness which I think is his greatest asset to the group’s playful image.
He enjoys listening to hip-hop and playing sports. It was also mentioned in an episode of WHAT? DOOR! that he’s very interested in romance, as any person his age would be. In addition, he’s extremely energetic with a huge appetite.
While I don’t know much about his interests, he seems very competitive and is always eager to win a game or to defend his dignity. He really does bring a lot of spice to the group!
My impressions of “And,”
The songs on “And” include Japanese versions of “One and Only”, “But Sometimes”, “Earth, Wind, and Fire”, and the original Japanese song “GOOD DAY”.
While I tend not to be a fan of multi-lingual releases, I LOVE the Japanese versions on “And,”! “One and Only” is especially impressive with the subtle delivery changes to some of the lyrics, such as: “いい奴いない僕より” or “there’s no guy better than me”.
Since I can understand Japanese, it’s possible that I can feel the intention behind the lyrics more strongly than I can in the Korean version. Still, how they sing that line is SO flirty and fun that I ALWAYS sing along.
Another nice change I noticed was in ‘Earth, Wind, and Fire’, when Jaehyun says “TALK”. In the Japanese version, it’s a bit more aggressive, which adds an interesting layer to the intense love being described in the song.
JLPT N3 grammar: 〇〇きれない
Before going into the lyrics, I thought it’d be good chance to introduce a grammar point repeated throughout the chorus: 〇〇切れない, or “~ki-reh-nai, which roughly translates to “can’t finish something”.
The lyric where this grammar appears is from the line “待ちきれない”, or “mah-chi-ki-reh-nai”. This means “I can’t wait” with the nuance of excitement.
One reason I thought it’d be good to pick out this grammar point is because of the formal version: 〇〇かねる, or ~~kah-neh-roo.
To apply these grammar structures, take the -ます form a verb and attach ～きれない・かねる。
For example:
A:もうぉ、本を貸してくれ！もう1ヵ月が経ったよ！
A:Oh my god, give back my book! It’s already been a month!
B: ええ？？でもまだ読んで切ってないよ！あともう少し！
B: Huh?? But I’m not finished reading! Just a bit more to go!
A: もう一人分を食べる？
A: Would you like another serving?
B：いや、もう食べきれないわ.
B: Nah, I’m stuffed. Sorry.
A: その飲み物はどう？
A：How’s that drink?
B：ちょっとまずくて、飲みきれない。。。
B: It’s kinda gross, so I can’t finish it…
★ Based on the examples, we can see that きれない holds the nuance of ‘I want to, but can’t.’ We use かねる to express the same thing in business.
A: 書類もう作り上がりましたか？
A: Have you prepared the documents yet?
B: すみません。今週出来上がりかねる恐れがあります。
A: I’m sorry. I’m afraid it won’t be ready this week.
“GOOD DAY”
“GOOD DAY” uses keyboards and hip-hop beats to create a lo-fi summer song that harkens back to early 2000s RnB. The song is fun and upbeat, evoking the innocent excitement of a first date or a first love. It’s easy to listen to with a danceable rhythm and cute lyrics.
LYRICS/ TRANSLATION
★ I interpreted the song as being a bit bittersweet, so I purposefully changed the subject of ‘I’ to ‘we’ and ‘I’ again to match the story I felt was being expressed.
First, I think the speaker is excited about their new love interest. They have a good time, but then hearts get broken. However, the speaker remains optimistic and shifts the tone from being in love with someone else to loving themselves.
I’m not a professional translator by any means, but that’s what I got from the song. Feel free to share your own interpretations 🙂
新しい朝 hello
Hello, new morning
君と出会う前の
Before meeting you
日常に戻っただけ
things were just normal
New Day… New Day
毎日新しい
Every day is new
自分と出会い
With me
冒険のようだね
It’s like an adventure
恋じゃなくても胸がdance
Even it’s not love, my chest dances
１人で過ごす日も
Even the days I spend alone
意外とromantic
are surprisingly romantic
幸せ
Happiness
潜んでいるよ
It’s just around the corner *the direct translation is ‘lurking’, but that seemed a bit out of place for the tone of the lyrics.
晴れの下で自由に叫ぶんだ
I scream out free beneath the blue sky
心躍る最高な今日を過ごして
Let’s have the best, exciting day
Every day’s a good day
広がる新しい日々が
The new days go on
Enjoy it
待ちきれない
I can’t wait
これからを楽しもう
Let’s have fun from here on out
(Alright) 近所の café, 捲る本の page
(Alright) the neighborhood café, the turned page of a book
静けさを味わおう
Let’s savor the tranquility
何か始まるかも ha
Something might start, ha
道で出会って猫
The cat we met on the road
交差点でぶつかった子
The child we bumped into at the intersection
名前も知らないゲーム仲間も
Games with friends whose names I don’t even know *Google helped me here. I didn’t know how to translate this, so I apologize if it’s way off.
一緒に過ごす大事な partner
Spending the day together with an important partner
「僕たち」って今も言える
Even now I can say ‘We’
１人で過ごす日も
Even on the days alone
意外と romantic
It’s surprisingly romantic
幸せ
Happiness
潜んでいるよ
It’s just around the corner
晴れの空の下で自由に叫ぶんだ
We scream out free beneath the blue sky
心躍る最高な今日を過ごして
Let’s have the best, exciting day
Every day’s a good day
広がる新しい日々が
The new days go on
Enjoy it
待ちきれない
I can’t wait
これからを楽しもう
Let’s have fun from here on out
君との memory
My memory with you
心の隅に
In the corner of my heart
今は僕だけで
Now it’s just me
輝いている
Who’s shining
oh 悲しみも
Oh, even in sadness
寂しさも超えるほどの
Even in loneliness, I can overcome it
毎日が good day
It’s such a good day
晴れの空の下で自由に叫ぶんだ
I scream out freely beneath the blue sky
心躍る最高な今日を過ごして
I’ll have the best, exciting day
Every day’s a good day
広がる新しい日々が
The new days go on
Enjoy it
待ちきれない
I can’t wait
これからを楽しもう～
Let’s have a good day from here on out
Follow BOYNEXTDOOR and become ONEDOORful~ 🚪
What did you think of the Japanese single? I’m really looking forward to their future songs and their overall growth as a group. Woonhak, Jaehyun, and Taesan have already shown interest in song production, as they’ve helped write ‘Earth, Wind, and Fire’ and ‘Serenade’. Maybe we’ll see a little mini-group form!
For more on the group, follow their social media and subscribe to their YouTube! They upload videos often, so you can see how precious these boys are yourselves!
that foreign music blog🌎 
Leave a comment