WAYF BOYS land on Interscope's artist page one week after debut
A Seoul indie label's debut act dropped 'WAYF BOYS DO' on Aug 7 and inked a deal with a UMG-backed major within days.
WAYF BOYS landed on Interscope Records' official artist page seven days after their debut single hit.
The five-member group—Anderson, Andrew, Ryan, Junmyung, and Samuel—released WAYF BOYS DO on August 7 through WAYF, a newly established independent label based in Seoul. One week later, Interscope added them to its roster. The imprint sits alongside Sony Music and Warner Music as one of the three major record companies globally. UMG itself dates to 1934 and operates publishing across 60-plus territories.
Here's what stands out: WAYF pulled off the Interscope partnership without backing from any of Korea's established entertainment giants. The label built this from the ground up, starting with their first artist's debut.
Before August 7, WAYF BOYS took their first official stage at Waterbomb Seoul 2026, performing WAYF BOYS DO ahead of the formal release date.
The group calls themselves the "Nu-Kpop 1st generation"—a deliberate rejection of the generational labels that dominate K-pop discourse. Members handle styling and content production themselves. The label frames this as a "creator-type group" approach.
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