Boy band TNX isn't going quietly. Four years after debuting as P Nation's first boy band, the quintet named its third digital single "Die Another Day" — and means it as a statement of intent, not just a title.
The track arrives at 6 p.m. Thursday. It marks a sharp turn from "Call Me Back," TNX’s brighter, more youthful second single, which topped 10 million YouTube views within two weeks of its release seven months ago. This time, the group says it drew on its own experiences — setbacks, doubts, comparisons — to reveal a more determined side of itself.
"I prepared for this comeback with more grit," Hwi said. "I want to prove how much we've changed, how much better we've become and that we're a team that deserves to be loved."
The “setbacks” go unnamed, but there have been several. TNX rebranded as The New Six in 2023 before returning to TNX in late 2024. Jun-hyeok also took a yearlong health hiatus. The group was then eliminated from Mnet's "Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace" (2024) and Woo Kyung-jun left that same month, reducing the lineup from six members to five. The long gap between releases also weighed on the group. Jun-hyeok later said it felt as though TNX had been “standing still.”
But “Die Another Day,” an alternative pop track built around electric guitar riffs and heavy drum beats, reflects the idea of refusing to give up even when everything appears to be over, according to agency P Nation.
“The song says that even when you reach a moment that feels like the end, you keep pushing forward without looking back,” Jun-hyeok said. “I hope people remember that determination to never fall apart.”
Hwi co-composed the song, and wrote all of its lyrics.
“The biggest point of the lyrics is that each member tells his own story in his part,” Hwi said. “I talked a lot with Psy [P Nation’s founder] while working on the lyrics, and we decided that we wanted each member’s emotions to come through. I then assigned parts based on which experiences and emotions best suited each member.”
A concept photo of boy band TNXP NATION
“Hwi thought a lot about which lyrics would fit each member best,” Sung-jun said. “I think that is an important part of this song.”
The result is a more serious sound than TNX has shown in much of its recent music.
“We’ve performed many songs that had a youthful and somewhat bright feel,” Hyun-soo said. “This time, I think people will see a more mature side of us and something deeper and more serious than before.”
The members also said the comeback preparations strengthened the group as a team.
“Each member has grown a lot in both mindset and skills,” Tae-hun said. “More than anything, preparing for this comeback gave us a chance to become even stronger as a team.”
Jun-hyeok pointed to live vocals and dance as two areas where the members improved the most. Those live performances were also a priority for Psy, the founder of P Nation.
“He told us, ‘Let’s sing and dance as if we’re going to die onstage,’” Tae-hun said. “After hearing that, I thought, ‘Right, what can’t we do?’”
A concept photo of boy band TNXP NATION
Producer Ryan S. Jhun, who co-composed “Die Another Day,” also encouraged TNX to show a fiercer side of itself. One remark in particular stuck with Hwi.
“He said, ‘I want to show that the people who said you wouldn’t make it were wrong,’” Hwi said. “That made the direction of this comeback much clearer to me.”
“Our goal is for this to truly become not the end but another beginning,” Sung-jun said. “We want to honestly express what TNX has been through and use these promotions to create a new start.”
TNX was formed through SBS’s boy band audition program “Loud” (2021) and debuted in May 2022 with the EP “Way Up” as P Nation’s first boy band. The group originally debuted with six members and became a quintet after Woo Kyung-jun left in October 2024. It now consists of Tae-hun, Hyun-soo, Jun-hyeok, Hwi and Sung-jun.
