It all started with an Instagram post of five guys chilling on a couch – many of whom are shirtless – and their faces completely covered by an animated face (the character is named ARLO). The WAYF BOYS captioned it, “no shoes on the couch.” This was the start of the intrigue of a new group (their name stands for “Where Art Yields Freedom”) – slowly gaining hundreds of thousands of fans – all without announcing their debut date.
Each day, they posted several times across all their social media accounts, never revealing their faces. Instead, the group – members Andrew, Junmyeong, Samuel, Anderson, and Ryan – showcased their vocal and dance skills, all between their hilarious antics. One post featured Samuel singing Bruno Mars or Ryan singing Maroon 5, followed by images of the members taking outrageous bathroom selfies or going out on the town. One of the members – who we later find out was Anderson – went clubbing in the Philippines (he is Filipino Canadian).
A week after they opened their account, they posted an a cappella version of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature,” showcasing the five harmonizing beautifully, which went viral. Their Instagram account had nearly 720,000 followers at the time, and TikTok grew even faster. The boys were showing their talent and fresh attitudes, but with so many fifth-generation groups, there have been so many “rebel” concepts.
That changed with a post that looked like leaked footage of two members physically fighting. Andrew and Junmyeong got into a heated argument that led to fists flying, and the other two members, Ryan and Anderson, tried to break them apart. This wasn’t something expected in the K-pop world, so it came as an even bigger surprise to learn that WAYF BOYS were the ones who posted the video, asking fans, “who won??” Later that day, the group finally posted their faces, introducing the world to who WAYF BOYS are.
Two weeks after their first post, the group surpassed 1 million followers on TikTok, then Instagram a few days later. The group exploded before their debut date was even announced, but when it finally was, fans were elated. They officially debuted on August 7 with their single, “What WAYF BOYS Do.” Within three weeks, the group signed a partnership with Interscope Records to expand their global markets.
The group knows their promotional efforts are unconventional, especially in the K-pop space, but WAYF BOYS are not your typical K-pop group.
The members began marketing themselves as “Nu-Pop,” a new generation of cultural style that blends Y2K, hip-hop, K-pop, and hyper-pop, entirely controlled by the members. All but one member (Junmyeong) hails from outside of South Korea – Andrew, Samuel, and Ryan are Korean Americans, and Anderson is mixed Filipino-Canadian. But they all came to South Korea hoping to become artists. At one point, each member trained at other agencies and competed in Korean music survival shows. Because of this, they were all friends who decided to become a group after Ryan recorded a demo with music producer – and eventual CEO of WAYF – Czaer.
“I met everyone outside the company,” Ryan says over Zoom from the WAYF office in Seoul. “They’re all so talented. We were all originally friends who just hung out and partied. We all gathered here. There was actually one more friend of mine who was supposed to debut with us, but things didn’t work out, and he went his own way. We’re all still really tight.”
Ryan called Anderson, who was in Toronto, and Samuel, who hails from Glendale, California, to come try out this potential new group. Anderson and Sam looked at each other and smiled as they said in unison: “Nahhhhhh.”
The two flew over to Korea to join Ryan, Andrew, Junmyeong, and one other mutual friend to test it out. Sam replies, “We came here for two months to see how it is, and [the company] really respected our opinions. So we were like, ‘Yo, you know what? Let’s do it.”
Ryan admits the group could have potentially been a six-member group, but things didn’t pan out, and there were no hard feelings. Ryan shares, “He went his own way. We’re all still really tight.”
Throughout the entire conversation, the members were open and honest – sometimes, even blunt – about their musical journey, as they were brought up in both Western diaspora and Eastern cultures. Anderson shares, “We want to show off our color and separate ourselves from others in the industry. We’re just being natural and showing 100% of who we are as is. Having no filter was the best way to go about it. So that’s what we were trying to do.”
That’s also why the group has released three high-energy, playful hip-hop songs – “WAYF BOYS DO0”, “SWAG,” and their latest, “A4M.” Yes, they said “Ass” in the song, and they are okay with it. They understand people want to hear the sweet harmonies and melodies they’ve shown on their socials, and they plan to deliver. But, as of right now, they’re enjoying the moment – or as Anderson says, “We’re enjoying the ride.”
“Right now, what we’re doing, there’s no bigger picture to it,” Ryan explains. “There’s no bigger meaning to anything we’re doing right now. We’re just doing everything as it goes [and] having fun. This year, we want to have fun.”
WAYF BOYS honestly had no idea how much they’d blow up before their debut. Samuel admits it all happened so quickly, “This happened all of a sudden. [Ryan] called us up while we were in the States, and he’s like, ‘You want to be in a group?’ I said, ‘Hell no!’ But he’s like, ‘Bro, just check it out.’ Everything happened in a short matter of time, so we’re honestly making music for fun. But, at the same time, since we love music, we definitely have a lot more things planned.”
At the same time, the boys are doing what people their age (early 20s) typically do: clubbing, drinking, partying, dating, and hanging with the bros. They are also aware of what’s going on in the world, especially in America. In their debut single, “WAYF BOYS DO,” they say “Fuck ICE” (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Though many believe that including ICE appeals to the Western audience, South Korea is very aware of the federal agency.
“In terms of our first three songs, I wouldn’t say there are many songs in K-pop that are like that,” Andrew states. “We’re trying to push boundaries and show our color because we have different upbringings. We all came from different places and were brought up differently. So we try to show ourselves the most by pushing boundaries naturally.”
The tracks the group has released feel very young Gen Z, like something you would hear at a club in Los Angeles, New York, Itaewon, or Hongdae. The boys cheer when they hear that. Andrew shouts, “FIRE.”
Anderson shares, “There are a lot of aspects from each song that do push [those] boundaries in a certain direction, like ‘WAYF BOYS DO’ mentioning the political thing. In ‘SWAG,’ we’re swearing openly. And as for ‘A4M,’ well… we’re talking about ass.”
With K-pop moving toward adding Western elements and blending them with their music, Ryan, who hails from New York City, says that since they are from both worlds and cultures, it comes off more naturally. explains, “Nowadays, some companies are trying to be a bit more modern, pushing Western sounds, which we also take inspiration from. The difference is that we’re from there, and that’s why we’re doing this stuff.”
“It’s in our upbringing,” Andrew adds. “Being surrounded by a lot of that culture from a young age has definitely inspired us to be doing a lot of the stuff that.”
They also understand what is appropriate and what’s not when it comes to who they are and the music they represent. Despite the rugged, outspoken personas they present, the guys want to show an honest depiction of their youth while also being seen as a positive influence on young kids. They also want to show that they’re a different type of K-pop idol.
Junmyeong, who was born and raised in Korea, grew up in a K-pop culture and structure that was very strict. He struggled to adjust to WAYF’s system, which gives members more freedom to express themselves. He says, “In this company, there are Americans and a Canadian, and a lot of the staff speak English too. The strict parts of the K-pop world make it hard to have a lot of freedom, especially in this industry. [This company] doesn’t take those parts here. This company is not super controlling.”
When asked whether they felt truly K-pop because they’re more Westernized, they said they did. They said this because they all trained in the K-pop system and their music has elements of K-pop, but they feel they can appeal both in Korea and globally.
“We’re still living in Korea and based out of Korea, so we do actually like K-pop and the culture,” says Ryan. “There are parts that we want to keep and some we want to take out. There are great things about K-pop, but we also agree there are things that we don’t necessarily want within our environment here as artists.”
Anderson appreciates coming from a small, independent company, especially with their CEO, Czaer, “He wants us to have the best environment for us to make music freely and express ourselves exactly how we want to.”
WAYF BOYS doesn’t feel the pressure to balance both Korean and international audiences. They hope people will like them for being themselves, but also understand they can’t please everyone.
“If they’re going to hate us for being ourselves, then the people who hate us will hate us,” Anderson says calmly. “The people who love us will love us.”
The group is boisterous throughout the entire time, laughing over each other and sometimes finishing each other’s sentences. They’re all together on the couch, with Anderson putting his arms around Junmyeong and Andrew. The boys do argue often, as people who are constantly around each other do. The video footage they posted of Andrew and Junmyeong getting into a physical altercation was real.
Sam chuckles, revealing that he and Anderson had a major fight two days ago. They both looked at each other laughing as if they told a hilarious joke.
Ryan explains, “Andrew was not there at the time, so he was in the dark. It was me, JM, Sam, and Anderson in the room – and [Sam and Anderson] were going at it. I was scared.”
The two were prepping for a live, which Samuel usually runs, but they were all sharing their opinions. A misunderstanding between Anderson and Samuel escalated into heated words, which they now both reflect on and can laugh about. Anderson says it’s part of the journey.
“It’s not all sunshine and rainbows that everyone loves to portray,” he affirmed. “There’s a whole range of emotions that goes around, especially being five guys who have to see each other every day. We see each other every day and are in the same room with each other.”
Samuel agrees because there’s so much censorship in the K-pop industry, so they wanted people to catch a glimpse of how it really is. “We fight, and then the next hour we are [fine].”
WAYF BOYS do plan to release more music, and hope fans will tune in. They are frank about how they want fans to feel about their current tracks. Ryan says, “We don’t want people to think about nothing.”
Anderson elaborates, “We don’t want people to put a specific branding or name or image on us because of the songs that we have out right now.”
Because the members have trained with so many companies, they really don’t want a concept attached to them. They know their musical talents – as do the fans who watch their content and hear their musicality, but they want to show everyone their personalities and “their fun side.” They know it’s not for everyone – it doesn’t have to make sense to everyone as long as it does for them, that’s what matters.
“There’s some stuff coming up, and some crazy things that we could do that we haven’t shown the world yet,” Anderson declares. “We have a lot [of plans]. Another big thing is that these days a lot of people listen to a song for the first time with a pen and paper. There’s so much criticism now when it comes to music. I think people are forgetting to just enjoy it a little bit. Sometimes you got to appreciate stuff for what it is. That’s the culture that we want just to incorporate again.”
WAYF BOYS’s “A4M” is out now on all streaming platforms.
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