TFBoys
TFBoys in 2015
Background information
OriginChina
GenresMandopop
Years active2013 (2013)–present
LabelsTime Fengjun Entertainment
Members

TFBoys (Chinese: 加油男孩, 加油少年; pinyin: Jiā Yóu Shào Nián,[1][2] stylized in all caps), also known as The Fighting Boys, is a popular Chinese idol group that consists of three members: Karry Wang (王俊凯; Wáng Jùnkǎi), Roy Wang (王源; Wáng Yuán), and Jackson Yee (易烊千玺; Yì Yángqiānxǐ). The group debuted on August 6, 2013 with their first single album "Start of Love" at the ages of 12 and 13 years old. The group as a whole have an estimated commercial value of more than US$430 million (CN¥3 billion) combined from endorsements and branding as of 2018,[3] and their average sales per member from band merchandises alone amasses more than US$17 million per month.[4]

Career

2013–2014: Formation and debut

TFBoys first appeared on August 6, 2013 with a promotional video sent out by Time Fengjun Entertainment called "Ten Years".[5] October 4, they held a showcase of their debut ep at the Sun Moonlight(SML) Center in Yuzhong District, Chongqing. They debuted on October 18, 2013 with the release of a single album "Start to Heart", including the title track "Heart".

The group subsequently released a series of hits in 2014, including "Magic Castle",[6] "For Dreams, Always Be Ready"[7] and "Manual of Youth".[8] Their album "Manual of Youth" went on chart at number 1 on YinYueTai V Charts for 5 consecutive weeks and has won multiple music awards.[9]

On August 3, 2014, TFBoys held a fan appreciation meeting for their first anniversary at the Beijing Hualian Changying Shopping Center. After the event, Li Xiaolin, chairperson of International Cooperation Department of China Population Welfare Foundation, and her party issued a letter for TFBoys that stated them as ambassadors for the charity "Happy Smiles". TFBoys have been giving donations to children that suffer from cleft lip and palate through their large social media platform. The number of topic interactions on this issue has exceeded 800 million. At the time of their first anniversary, it has raised more than 370,000 yuan. A total of nearly 40,000 netizens participated in the donation. The donation helped more than 100 children with cleft lip.[10]

2015–2016: Mainstream popularity, international success and contributions

On January 14, 2015, TFBoys attended the "2014 Weibo Night" ceremony and won the top charity contribution award for their previous year of charities.[11] On September 16, they sang a promotional single "Love With You" for the "2015 MusicRadio我要上学 (I want to go to school)" charity project. The project was aimed at left behind children in poverty stricken areas who dream of attending school.[12]

On September 23, they participated in the 2015 Bazzar Star Charity Night and helped raise 4.17 million yuan in funds for the "为爱加速 (I love to Progress)" charity in the Siyuan Basha poverty-stricken county. In November, TFBoys became a public interest spokesperson for the Chongqing Public Security Fire Department.[13] Later on in the year, they attended the "QQ Red Scarf Project" public welfare conference jointly sponsored by Tencent QQ, QQ Space, China Poverty Alleviation Fund and Tencent Public Welfare to customize winter warm clothes for young people in remote and poverty-stricken areas.

TFBoys held their 2nd anniversary fan meeting to a sold-out show at the Master Card Center in Beijing on August 15 entitled "出道兩週年紀念 《TFBoys Fan's Time》". The event was two and a half hours and they sung their best hits including "Manual of Youth" and "Heart".[14]

In September, Jackson Yee appeared on his first solo live broadcast for the video app "美拍 (Beauty Shot)". The number of people that watched live totaled 8.128 million, more than 863 million likes, and had more than 8.529 million comments . He broke the previous record set by his group back in June.[citation needed]

In December, the group released their first EP The Big Dreamer.[15] On the album includes the song "Adore" (宠爱), the lyrics convey the thoughts and feelings of the boys entering puberty (14–15 years old). Lyrics like "I want to share happy things with you", "This is my first time to be nervous around someone" and "Is this love? I still don't understand yet" express the inner emotions of young people. "Adore" was Song of the Year at the ERC Chinese Top Ten Awards (第23届东方风云榜).[16] The award shows honors the top 10 biggest hits in mainland China. The EP peaked at number 1 on the Billboard China V chart for 6 weeks.[17]

In 2016, they won Top Group at The 4th V Chart Awards. The group also starred in their own web drama Finding Soul.[18]

2017–present: Individual activities and "Our Time"

In 2017, the group starred in their own drama Boy Hood, an inspirational youth drama which focuses on baseball.[19] The main OST for Boyhood "Go! Amigo" hit number 1 Billboard China V Chart for 4 weeks in a row. They also won Top Group of the Year at the 5th V Chart Awards for a second consecutive time.[20]

On August 11 and 13, TFBoys held their 4th anniversary concert titled 'Alive Four' in Nanjing. On the 13th, they posted on Weibo that they would be donating 100 million yuan to the victims and rescue efforts of the 2017 Jiuzhaigou earthquake.[21] The earthquake was a 7.0 magnitude and killed more than 25 people.

The same year, the group announced that the members will set up their own personal studios to focus on their own individual activities.[22]

Roy Wang's endorsements have a more international appeal. His includes Paris L'Oreal brand ambassador, H&M China new generation image spokesperson, Oreo brand ambassador, HP Star series spokesperson, Chopard brand ambassador, FILA brand spokesperson, Xiaomi smartphone endorser, and Line Friends global chief creative officer. In March and April 2018, Wang Yuan fans' purchases exceeded 13.93 million yuan alone. In October last year, the "TFBoys Business Value Insight" produced by the First Financial and Economic Data Center wrote: "The price level of the consumer group of Roy Wang influence radiation is the highest among the TFBoys..."[23]

In 2018, TFBoys released a book titled "2023: Non-Fiction Growth Story" for their 5th anniversary to showcase the struggles and successes as a group. On August 2, TFBoys attended the unveiling of their wax figures at Madame Tussauds Shanghai.[24]

On August 5 2023, the group released new single titled "See You Tomorrow".[58] On August 5, the group held their 10th Anniversary concert titled “Ten-year engagement(十年之约)" in Xian, China. Driving Xi 'an tourism GDP up to 460 million.[59]

Members

Name Date of Birth Birthplace
Wang Junkai (1999-09-21) September 21, 1999 (age 24) Chongqing
Roy Wang (2000-11-08) November 8, 2000 (age 23) Chongqing
Jackson Yee (2000-11-28) November 28, 2000 (age 23) Huaihua, Hunan

Role in society

TFBoys is considered to be one of the most popular Chinese boy bands and is seen as a Chinese pop-culture sensation.[25] Since their debut in 2013, they have won many major music awards and earned more than 200 million Weibo followers combined. Their sales of band merchandise average more than $17 million per month. Their success was attributed to their fresh school-boy looks, which filled the void of young male idol groups in China;[26][27] as well as their "wholesome and boy-next-door" image.[28] Due to their image, the group has won a large number of "mother fans", women in their mid–20s to 60s who have developed maternal instincts for the boys.[29]

Politics

The government supports the boy band group, which has been featured for four consecutive years (2016–2019) on the CCTV New Year's Gala. The Communist Youth League’s official Weibo account often promotes the group’s activities. On the International Children’s Day in 2015, the Communist Youth League released a video featuring TFBoys singing "We Are the Heirs of Communism", the song of the Young Pioneers.[30] They have been selected as a brand ambassador of China's 2020 Chinese Mars Mission. The band is part of the government's efforts to promote its policies among China's youth. Critic Zhu Dake sees the boy band as serving to provide modernized propaganda.[31]

Artistry

The group's musical style is mainly dance-style music with rap elements, often classified as "bubblegum pop". Their songs have been noted for having uplifting and positive lyrics, which explores the trials of growing up and teenage love, such as "Manual of Youth" and "Imperfect Kid".[32][33]

Discography

Extended plays

Title Album details
Big Dreamer
  • Released: December 29, 2015
  • Label: Time Fengjun Entertainment
  • Formats: CD, Digital Download
Track listing[34]
  1. Adore (宠爱)
  2. Young (样)
  3. Big Dreamer (大梦想家)
  4. The Rest of Our Summer (剩下的盛夏)
  5. Love with You
  6. Youth Say (少年说)

Single albums

Title Album details
Heart – Start to Love
  • Released: October 18, 2013
  • Label: Time Fengjun Entertainment
  • Formats: CD, Digital Download
Track listing
  1. Heart
  2. Love Start (爱出发)
  3. Start on Dream (梦想起航)
Magic Castle
  • Released: April 28, 2014
  • Label: Time Fengjun Entertainment
  • Formats: CD, Digital Download
Track listing
  1. Magic Castle (魔法城堡)
  2. Magic Castle (Instrumental)
For Dreams, Always Be Ready
  • Released: August 6, 2014
  • Label: Time Fengjun Entertainment
  • Formats: CD, Digital Download
Track listing
  1. For Dreams, Always Be Ready
  2. For Dreams, Always Be Ready (Instrumental)
Manual of Youth
  • Released: October 17, 2014
  • Label: Time Fengjun Entertainment
  • Formats: CD, Digital Download
Track listing
  1. Manual of Youth (青春修炼手册)
  2. Lucky Symbol (幸运符号)
  3. Happy Island Tour (快乐环岛)
  4. In the Name of My Faith (信仰之名)
Our Time
  • Released: December 15, 2017
  • Label: Time Fengjun Entertainment
  • Formats: CD, Digital Download
Track listing
  1. Our Time (我们的时光)
  2. Hide and Seek (躲猫猫)
  3. Imperfect Child (不完美小孩)
  4. It's You (是你)
  5. Fairy (小精灵)
  6. Homeward – Karry's solo (小棉袄 – 王俊凯单曲)
  7. Grown Up – Roy's solo (长大以后的世界 – 王源单曲)
  8. You Say – Jackson's solo (你说 – 易烊千玺单曲)
  9. Try my Heart (真心话太冒险)
  10. Firefly (萤火)

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Notes
CHN
Baidu Chart 		CHN
Billboard V Chart
"In the Name of My Faith" (信仰之名) 2014 — 1[35]
"Big Dreamer" (大梦想家) 2015 — 1[36]
"Imperfect Child" (不完美小孩) 2016 — — Used as theme song of The Floating Plane
"Truth or Dare" (真心话太冒险) — —
"It's You" (是你) — —
"The Little Elf" (小精灵) — —
"Firefly" (萤火) — 2[37]
"Our Times" (我们的时光) 2017 — —
"Hide and Seek" (躲猫猫) — —
"I Have An Appointment with 2035" (我和2035有個約) 2018 — — CCTV Spring Festival Gala limited song
"The Best Years" (最好的那年) — —
"I Like You" (喜欢你) — —
"My Friends" (我的朋友) 2019 — —
"First Love Confession" (第一次告白) — —
"Be With You" (和你在一起) 2020 — —
"Lights" (灯火) — —

Soundtracks

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
CHN
Baidu Chart 		CHN
Billboard V Chart
"Sing As I Like" (想唱就唱) 2014 — — No Zuo No Die OST
"The First Lesson" (开学第一课) — — Theme song of Kai Xue Di Yi Ke
"Love of The Journey to The West" (恋西游) 2015 — — Meng Huan Xi You 2 OST
"Fight for Future" (未来的进击) 2016 — — Finding Soul OST
"Endless River" (不息之河) — — The Warriors OST
"Go! Go! Amigo!" (加油！Amigo) 2017 — 1[38] Boy Hood OST
"Same Second Happiness" (同一秒快乐) — — Theme song of Happy Camp

Promotional songs

Title Year Peak chart positions Notes
CHN
Baidu Chart 		CHN
Billboard V Chart
"We Are the Heirs of Communism" (我们是共产主义接班人) (feat. Han Geng) 2016 — — Promotional song of Young Pioneers of China
"Dreams Lantern" (梦想天灯) (feat. Yu Quan) — — Promotional song of Tingyi Beef Noodles
"Protecting Home" (守护家) — 2[39] Promotional song of Safeguard
"Give Me happiness" (给我的快乐) — — Promotional song of Fanta
"The sun in the pupil" (瞳孔里的太阳) (feat. various artists) — — Promotional song of 2016 World AIDS Day

Filmography

Feature films

Year English title Chinese Title Notes
2015 Pound of Flesh 致命追击 Cameo
Mr. Six 老炮儿
2019 L.O.R.D: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties 2 爵跡2：冷血狂宴 Supporting roles

Television dramas

Year English title Chinese title Notes
2016 Noble Aspirations 青云志 Cameo[40]
Love for Separation 小别离 Cameo
2017 Boyhood 我们的少年时代 Leading roles
2018 Eagles and Youngster

Web dramas

Year English title Chinese title Notes
2016 Finding Soul 超少年密码 Leading roles

Reality shows

Year Title Notes
2013–2014 TF Teens Go (Season 1) with trainees of Time Fengjun Entertainment
2014 TFBoys Idols Diary 11 episodes[41]
TF Teens Go (Season 2) with trainees of Time Fengjun Entertainment
2015 TF Teens Go (Season 3) with trainees of Time Fengjun Entertainment
TFBoys Observational Diary 18 episodes
2015–2016 Run for Time Cast member[42]

Awards

V Chart Awards

Year Category Nominated work Results Ref.
2014 Favorite Artist (Mainland China) Won [43]
Live Popular Singer Won
2015 Won [44]
Favorite Artist (Mainland China) Won
Hot Trend Artist of the Year Won
2016 Top Group (Mainland China) Won
2017 Won

ERC Chinese Top Ten Awards

Year Category Nominated work Results Ref.
2015 Top 10 Songs of the Year "Manual of Youth" Won [45]
Best Group Won
Hot Trend Group of the Year Won
2018 Top 10 Songs of the Year "Firefly" Won [46]
National Choice Group Won

Top Chinese Music Awards

Year Category Nominated work Results Ref.
2015 Most Popular Song "Manual of Youth" Won [47]
Most Popular Group Won
Most Popular Group (Mainland China) Won

QQ Music Awards

Year Category Nominated work Results Ref.
2015 Most Popular Mandarin Group Won [48]
Best New Group Won
Social Networking Kings "Pamper" Won
2016 Most Popular Mandarin Group Won

CSC Music Awards

Year Category Nominated work Results Ref.
2016 Most Popular Group Won [49]
Top 20 Songs "Big Dreamer" Won

Fresh Asia Music Chart Award

Year Category Nominated work Results Ref.
2016 Best Group Won [50]
Recommended Music Video of the Year "The Rest of Our Summer" Won
2017 Best Group Won

iQiyi All-Star Carnival

Year Category Nominated work Results Ref.
2014 Song of the Year "Manual of Youth" Won [51]
Most Popular Group Won

Weibo Night Awards

Year Category Nominated work Results Ref.
2015 Charity Contribution Award Won [52]
2017 Weibo King Won [53]
2018 Weibo Positive Influence Idol Won [54]
Outstanding Public Figure of the Year Won [55]
2019 Weibo Most Influential Group Won [56]

Mobile Video Festival

Year Category Nominated work Results Ref.
2016 Hot Trend Idol of the Year Won [57]

References

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  2. ^ 央视春晚节目单曝光！TFBoys改名加油男孩组合 (in Chinese). 七丽时尚网. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  3. ^ "CBNData明星商业价值：TFBoys——撬动300亿线上消费的超燃少年团". www.yicai.com. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  4. ^ Kan, Karoline (2017-05-06). "In China, It's the Party That Keeps the Boy Band Going". The New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  5. ^ 十年 TF BOYS组合形象片 – TF家族. YinYueTai (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 2016-05-11.
  6. ^ TFBoys《魔法城堡》京首签会 "三缺一"人气爆棚. iFeng (in Chinese). May 30, 2014.
  7. ^ TFBoys：为梦想，时刻准备着. Tencent (in Chinese). August 7, 2014.
  8. ^ TFboys《青春修炼手册》MV变帅气转校生. Sina (in Chinese). August 19, 2014.
  9. ^ TFBoys小鲜肉组合风头正劲挡不住 破5项V榜吉尼斯. Sohu (in Chinese). September 8, 2014.
  10. ^ 中国人口福利基金会聘请TFBoys为"幸福微笑"爱心大使 (in Chinese). August 4, 2014.
  11. ^ 小身躯大能量 TFBoys获2014微博之夜"年度公益贡献奖". CRI (in Chinese). January 16, 2015.
  12. ^ TFBoys献唱"我要上学"助力公益帮助贫困留守儿 童. Sina Weibo (in Chinese). September 16, 2015.
  13. ^ TFBoys担任重庆消防宣传大使 小鲜肉配消防服网友点赞. Xinhuanet (in Chinese). November 4, 2015. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018.
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  49. ^ 第9届城市至尊音乐榜荣耀揭晓 星光闪耀盛典. 163.com Entertainment (in Simplified Chinese). June 12, 2016.
  50. ^ 2016年度亚洲新歌榜荣誉名单. Sina (in Chinese). September 27, 2016.
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  53. ^ "Sina Weibo Night Awards: the most bloggable celebrities". Sina. January 17, 2017.
  54. ^ "Sina Weibo Night Awards". Sina. January 18, 2018.
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