A slew of fresh boy bands is slated to debut in January next year.

Pledis Entertainment, home to Seventeen, will put forth a new boy band called TWS in January, the agency said Thursday.

TWS will be the agency’s first boy band in nine years since Seventeen.

The name of the new boy band comes from the phrase “Twenty Four Seven With Us,” referring to “always be with TWS,” according to the agency.

Detailed information, including the band's debut date and members, are still to be announced.

Boy band All(H)ours is set to debut under Eden Entertainment, which was founded by the former JYP Entertainment executive behind Stray Kids. Eden currently represents singer Baek A-yeon.

The seven-member group will drop its debut EP, “All Ours” on Jan. 10, Eden Entertainment said Thursday. Preorders will open on Dec. 26.

The seven members are Kunho, Youmin, Xayden, Minje, Masami, Hyunbin and On:N.

The band’s name has two meanings: “all ours” and “all hours,” suggesting that the band will pour everything it has at all times.

A third boy band, NEXZ, is set to debut under JYP Entertainment early next year.

The band consists of the seven finalists — Tomoya, Haru, Yuki, Ken, Yu, Yuhi and Seita — of the audition survival show “Nizi Project Season 2,” which aired on Hulu Japan and JYP Entertainment's YouTube channel between July 21 and this Friday.

The first season of “Nizi Project” (2020) launched girl group NiziU, which debuted in December 2020 with the release of its debut single, “Step and a Step.”

The band's name, NEXZ, meaning “Next Z (Generation)” or “the next generation,” was created by JYP Entertainment's chief creative officer, Park Jin-young. It signifies that the band aims to “open up the future of a new generation,” the agency said Monday.

NEXZ released its track “Miracle” in Korean and Japanese on Monday ahead of its official debut.

“Miracle” was the final mission track during the audition.

To find out more about K-pop boy bands, visit Celeb Confirmed!


BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]