
TNX returns with 'For Real?'
TNX returns as self-producing team
TNX returned with its 4th mini album 'For Real?,' marking its first release in a year after the digital single 'Fuego.'
TNX, a five-member boy group that debuted in May 2022, was formed through the SBS audition program 'Loud.' Originally a sextet, the group reorganized as a quintet after Kyungjun left in October 2024.
The title track, 'For Real?,' features an intense sound highlighted by refreshing drum and guitar elements. The energetic song blends hip-hop, hyperpop and rock, capturing the excitement and confusion of encountering love for the first time. This youthful theme is complemented by the choreography. The album includes five tracks, such as 'Perfect Danger' and 'What If,' showcasing TNX's charms.
''For real?' is a phrase people use all the time in daily life. The title itself is something many can relate to, and the lyrics straightforwardly express the honest emotions of being overwhelmed with feelings for someone. The choreography, which aligns with the lyrics, is also a key point,' said Junhyeok.
Leader Taehun highlighted that this album is special because it is self-produced. 'All of us were involved from the very beginning. Since we spent a long time preparing for it, we tried to convey our emotions deeply. That makes it all the more meaningful.'
Hwi, who took charge of writing the title track's lyrics and the overall production of the album, expressed pride in the group's first self-produced work.
'Since this is our first self-produced album, our agency's founder, Psy, paid a lot of attention to it. After countless revisions, I eventually sent him a long message asking him to trust me. When he replied that he did, it gave me so much strength,' said Hwi.
The members shared that the past year was a crucial turning point for them.
'Since we are making a comeback after a long hiatus, our goal is to repay our fans for waiting with great music and performances. We also want to show the public that we are a group with many different charms by taking on a new concept,' said Sungjun.
'Before, we mostly followed our company's direction and production. But during this break, we reflected on what kind of K-pop idols we truly wanted to be. Our founder supported our desire to become a team that produces and creates our own music,' said Hwi.
'With this album as a starting point, I believe TNX will become a group that truly fits the title of 'artists,'' Hwi added.
The members had to adapt to changes after the group's reorganization but stayed positive during the process. 'Switching to a five-member lineup meant adjusting our stage formations and other aspects. But since it was a decision made with respect for each person's life and choices, we weren't too shaken emotionally. Right now, we are full of confidence,' said Taehun.
Junhyeok expressed his love for fans and reaffirmed the group's commitment. 'With this album, our biggest goal is to show the fans who have been waiting for us that we have grown.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Korea Herald
13-06-2025
- Korea Herald
It was more than J-Hope's concert — BTS reunites on debut anniversary
Jungkook, Jin join J-Hope on stage as BTS reunites for the first time since military discharge Some 27,000 fans roared as they chanted 'J-Hope' over and over until the K-pop star finally appeared on stage at exactly 7 p.m., wearing sunglasses and a striking red outfit, for his encore solo concert 'J-Hope Tour 'Hope on the Stage' Final' at Goyang Sports Complex, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Marking the final stop of his world tour that began in end of February, J-Hope kicked off the show with four back-to-back tracks — 'What If,' 'Pandora's Box,' 'Arson' and 'Stop.' 'What's up, Army (BTS' fan name). What's up, Goyang. Thank you so much to everyone who came to 'Hope on the Stage Final,'' he said, greeting the crowd that filled the stadium. 'This is it — the final show. I can't believe it myself. Starting in Seoul at the end of February, this tour has lasted for three months and it's finally come to an end. I'm honored that the finale is happening on such a meaningful day — June 13,' he said. BTS debuted on June 13, 2013. The 'golden maknae' surprises Army And meaningful it truly was. Following four songs from his special album 'Hope on the Street Vol. 1,' J-Hope was joined on stage by none other than Jungkook, surprising fans who had anticipated the appearance of at least one BTS member. Four members — RM, V, Jimin and Jungkook — were recently discharged from their 18 months of mandatory military service. The stadium erupted in deafening cheers when the youngest member appeared and joined in singing "I Wonder." 'I was so nervous waiting under the stage. I've missed you all so much during the past year and a half,' Jungkook said shyly, clearly not yet used to the crowd. 'My mind just went blank for a second. I can't believe I am really standing here. So many memories rushes back — it feels both nostalgic and new. I've missed you so much. It's such a joy to sing in front of you again.' 'I was watching Hobi (J-Hope's nickname) backstage and he is so cool — he's on a different level,' Jungkook added, before performing 'Seven (feat. Latto)' to give J-Hope time to prepare for the next segment. A bold new chapter: J-Hope's stage three Stage 3 was all J-Hope. Of the four songs performed in this section, three were fresh singles — 'Killin' It Girl (feat. GloRilla),' 'Mona Lisa' and 'Sweet Dreams (feat. Miguel) – FNZ Remix.' 'Killin' It Girl' had just been released half a day earlier. 'This one doesn't need a long explanation,' J-Hope said, referring to his new song. 'It's a song that shows the sexy side of J-Hope. I released the three singles this year — all exploring love in my own way, made for easy listening. I wanted to give the songs a beginning, middle and end.' Later, he fired up the crowd with a BTS medley including 'MIC Drop,' 'Baepsae' and 'Dis-ease,' fueling anticipation for BTS' eventual return to group activities. The final segments, titled 'Fantasy' and 'Wish,' reflected J-Hope's ideals and his hopes for happiness for everyone. The setlist included his Billboard Hot 100 debut track 'Chicken Noodle Soup (feat. Becky G),' the B-side 'Hope World' from his first mixtape, BTS' beloved hit 'Spring Day,' 'Equal Sign' from 'Jack In The Box' and 'Neuron,' the main track of 'Hope on the Street Vol. 1.' A show-stealing finale with Jin and the members But the true highlight of the night came in the encore — when Jin joined J-Hope on stage for a duet performance of 'Spring Day.' He followed it up with a live rendition of his second solo EP's main track, 'Don't Say You Love Me.' 'Today is June 13 — our debut anniversary. I felt like I had to perform. So I just asked Hobi directly if I could do a stage with him. And here I am,' Jin told fans. While only Jungkook and Jin appeared on stage, the rest of the BTS members were also present at the venue to support J-Hope. RM, V, Jimin and Suga were spotted in the VIP section and waved to fans when J-Hope mentioned them during his closing remarks. 'Today is such a happy day — not just for me, but for all of our members,' J-Hope said. 'They came to support this concert. BTS members are so precious to me. Without them, there would be no me. And without all of you (Army), there would be no BTS.' 'As long as I can keep moving, I'll show you the best performances and continue sharing good music with you. Thank you so much for coming.' As those words were broadcast on the stadium's jumbo screen, Goyang Sports Complex was once again filled with the thunderous cheers of Army — a moment that many will remember as the start of BTS' next chapter.


Korea Herald
11-06-2025
- Korea Herald
SBS sets sights on Asia's version of Eurovision
Titled 'Veiled Musician,' the pan-Asian vocal contest to highlight regional talent and cross-cultural artistry Asia is getting its own take on the Eurovision Song Contest. Apparently, 'Veiled Musician,' an upcoming global audition show from leading South Korean broadcaster Seoul Broadcasting System, was made with the world's longest-running television music competition in mind. Featuring participants from 13 countries — Korea, Japan, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and Laos — the show, slated to premiere later this year, will kick off with local competitions in each participating nation. The top three finalists from each territory will then advance to the grand finale, which will be staged in Korea. The show will be broadcast across major local networks in the participating countries and on SBS. Adding a layer of meritocracy, 'Veiled Musician' will strip away personal identifiers, such as contestants' faces and nationalities, focusing solely on vocal talent. The show stands out not only for its scale but also for its production setup. Unlike previous cross-border projects where broadcasting formats were simply licensed, 'Veiled Musician' is a co-produced venture spearheaded by the participating nations, alongside South Korea. 'In fact, there aren't really any broadcasters in other countries that actually do co-productions," claimed Kim Yong-jae, chief revenue officer at SBS' Prism Studios, the entertainment production division of the broadcaster, during an interview with The Korea Herald. "They've only ever bought the format. ... Co-producing like this is probably something that has never happened before,' Kim said. Kim, a veteran of the Korean entertainment industry, whose career includes stints as a producer and deputy head of SBS' entertainment division and who is widely credited with exporting the popular Korean variety show "Running Man" to China, where it became a megahit, is helming the production of "Veiled Musician." According to Kim, 'Veiled Musician' will serve as a powerful platform for cultural diplomacy and create music industry connections across Asia. 'If we do well together with this kind of content, it's an amazing opportunity to really elevate our national image. Also, the show's judges and contestants may even collaborate on producing an album. Our music market could expand as a result as well. For example, a song like 'The Way Back' (translated) could be produced in 12 different versions and exported, creating a powerful ripple effect,' said Kim. Kim emphasized that for him, a win-win structure was key from the outset. For Season 1, he said SBS is waiving format fees and offering financial aid to select nations. 'For the first season, we're essentially offering support. In fact, we're planning to provide 100 million won ($73,000) each to countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, since they (the broadcasting companies) are struggling financially.' Going forward, as SBS' head of globalizing K-content, Kim said he has identified Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand as key growth markets. 'Among them, Indonesia is the best — it all comes down to population size. For example, the Korean film 'Miracle in Cell No. 7' made 20 billion won in Indonesia." Kim is also strategically focusing on Myanmar, where Korean content previously held strong cultural sway. 'Before the coup, Hallyu was really strong in Myanmar. Why? Because they aired Korean dramas from Monday to Thursday right before the 9 o'clock news. As a result, a lot of young people there can speak Korean. And the country is quite large geographically, too." He added: 'Anyway, we need to move quickly and localize ourselves in these Asian countries — be on the ground with them. We need to support them, not just for 'Veiled Musician,' but also by helping develop their music industries while promoting ours. That's how they come to think positively of Korean content and Korea as a whole."


Korea Herald
04-06-2025
- Korea Herald
MBC logs highest viewership on election night
Joint exit polls by broadcasters miss mark, with final tally showing tighter race South Korea's three major broadcast networks, KBS, MBC and SBS, aired marathon coverage of Tuesday's presidential election running some eight hours, with MBC emerging as the clear ratings leader. According to Nielsen Korea, MBC's 'Election 2025' drew the highest nationwide household viewership across all parts of its six-segment broadcast. Its ratings climbed steadily, with Part 1 drawing 4.3 percent, peaking at 14.5 percent in Part 3, and concluding at 5.4 percent in Part 6. MBC was the only network among the three to record double-digit ratings. KBS' election coverage, titled 'Vote That Changes My Life" (translated), saw more modest numbers, starting at 2.4 percent and reaching a high of 5.2 percent in Part 2 before tapering off to 2.0 percent. The SBS special, '2025 People's Vote" (translated), posted still lower figures, opening at 1.4 percent and peaking at 3.7 percent in Parts 3 and 4, before ending at 1.2 percent. MBC's ratings dominance follows a strong performance during April's general election, when it led all Korean broadcasters with a viewership high of 11.7 percent. With election night coverage stretching eight to nine hours, each broadcaster introduced distinct features to retain viewer interest. MBC drew attention for a cinematic countdown video that wove together major moments in Korean history. One segment linked a 1946 speech by independence leader Kim Gu with BTS frontman RM's 2018 address to the United Nations -- an editing choice that garnered considerable online engagement for blending historical gravitas with contemporary cultural relevance. SBS leaned into playful visual effects, incorporating pop culture parodies, including references to "Squid Game" and the viral Pikki Pikki cheerleading dance, both of which gained traction on social media. Meanwhile, the accuracy of exit polls conducted jointly by KBS, MBC and SBS was called into question due to the significant difference between the exit polls and the final vote tally. The poll surveyed 80,146 voters at 325 polling stations nationwide on the day of the election, between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. It carried a margin of error of plus or minus 0.8 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. The poll projected a decisive win for Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung with 51.7 percent of the vote, compared to 39.3 percent for Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party -- a projected gap of 12.4 percentage points. However, the final tally showed a narrower margin: Lee received 49.42 percent of the votes, while Kim garnered 41.15 percent, which amounted to an actual gap of 8.27 percentage points. The low accuracy of the exit polls is largely interpreted as stemming from high turnout during early voting, which took place May 29 and 30 and saw a participation rate of 34.74 percent. Since exit polling is conducted only on Election Day, early voters' preferences may have been harder to capture. To account for potential discrepancies stemming from the early voting turnout, an additional 11,500 people were surveyed by phone and correction factors were applied to the data. Despite these efforts, the broadcasters ultimately failed to deliver an accurate prediction. Some politicians attributed the miscalculation to the influence of so-called 'shy conservatives.' During a radio broadcast on Wednesday, Woo Sang-ho, co-chair of the Democratic Party of Korea's election campaign committee, remarked, 'It has been clearly confirmed that shy conservatives made up about 5 to 5.5 percent,' noting that 'voters in this group, who had been hesitant to cast their ballots, ultimately turned out in full force.' In the 2022 presidential election, exit poll results showed Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung with 47.8 percent and People Power Party candidate Yoon Suk-yeol with 48.4 percent. The actual vote count closely aligned, with Lee receiving 47.8 percent and Yoon 48.5 percent. The early voting turnout during the 2022 presidential election reached 36.93 percent nationwide. The additional phone surveys were conducted to improve accuracy and were credited with producing exit poll estimates that were nearly spot-on.