Boys24 ( 'Sonyeon Ishipsa', stylized as BOYS24) was a South Korean pre-debut boy band formed by CJ E&M through a 2016 survival show with the same name. There were twenty-seven members in the group divided into four units. The group performed regular shows in their own concert hall, with the debut of the final eight members IN2IT on October 26, 2017.
The first promotional unit (later dubbed Unit Black) who were selected from the 'BOYS24 The 1st Semi-Final' concert consists of Park Doha, Hwang Inho, Oh Jinseok, Kim Sunghyun, Kim Yonghyun, Jung Yeontae, Yoo Youngdoo and Han Hyunuk. The unit release their first single album, Steal Your Heart on April 11, 2017 on Mnet's M! Countdown with the song title "Steal Your Heart".
After completing 260 concerts, the final group was selected from "The Final", consist of eight members: Yoo Youngdoo (Yoo Jiahn), Jeong Yeontae, Hwang Inho, Han Hyunuk, Isaac Voo, Lee Inpyo, Kim Jinsub and Kim Sunghyun. They debuted on October 26, 2017 as IN2IT.
History
On January 10, 2016 CJ E&M announced that they were investing 25 billion won ($20.6 million) over the next three years in a new boy band to perform throughout the year at a permanent venue. CJ E&M had named the boy band and project name “Boys24”, to air the whole process from selecting members to performing in front of audiences.
Concept of Boys24
First, Ahn Seok-joon set the stage of 'Boys24' as four stages, the first being 'excavation'. Of the total of 5500 applicants, 49 were selected by Mnet.com as untreated gemstones. The second stage was 'competition'. The unfinished 49 people formed a total of seven unit teams, where they would vividly confirm their intense competition. The third stage was 'growth', a process of the birth of a 24-member Boys24, which would be confirmed in the theater. The final stage was 'evolution'. It could be said that they had evolved to become a crystal, and among the 24 people, a few select members who had the highest level in all aspects would make their debut as an idol group. They would enter the world of 'pro' and start full-scale activity.
January 2016 - August 2017
The auditions were held from January 18 to February 19. However, due to the large number of applicants, which was more than 4000, the final date of the audition was shifted to March 11. Forty-nine participants who passed the audition competed in a survival show which began airing on 18 June 2016.
After the survival show ended, twenty-eight people were selected as Boys24 members, and the group held their concert three to five days a week in rotation. The concert was set to take place at the Boys 24 X Booto Hall, also known as Mesa Hall, near Shinsegae's duty-free shop in Myeongdong, Seoul. The first concert was held on September 22, 2016.
On August 25, 2016 the group made a special appearance at M! Countdown performing their song "Rising Star". In September 2016, Yellow Unit from the group were chosen as the models for 새싹보리 a barley drink, sold by CJ Health Care. On September 10, 2016, Unit Yellow and Unit Sky from the group held their first fan meeting in Hong Kong. On September 27 and 28, 2016, the group held "Boys24 Live Preview" press call at their own hall to promote their own concert.
On November 2, 2016, Unit Yellow's music video for "E" was released as an award for the unit for being MVP Unit. The track also released on music sites and charted No.1 on Mnet's music chart. On November 3, 2016, Unit Yellow and Unit Sky made a special appearance at M! Countdown performing their song "E". A week later all units from the group made a special appearance again on M! Countdown performing "E".
On December 1, 2016, the group announced that they would collaborate with DIA TV as part of Monthly Idol project broadcasting with various creators from DIA TV. On December 7, 2016, the group released two versions of their first live album from their concert BOYS24 LIVE in CD format. The first version of the album was recorded by Unit White and Unit Green while the second version of the album was recorded by Unit Sky and Unit Yellow.
On February 14, 2017, Lee Hwayoung was removed from the group and his contract was cancelled following his leaked audio controversy for making offensive comments about fans.