The Chinese boy band Boy Story was created in 2017 as a joint effort between the South Korean media giant JYP Entertainment and the Chinese streaming company Tencent Music Entertainment Group. Composed of Hanyu, Zihao, Xinlong, Zeyu, Ming Rui, and Shuyang, the group made its official debut in September 2017 with the single "How Old R U," followed by "Can't Stop" in December of that year. In 2018, after the release of the singles "Jump Up" and "Handz Up," Boy Story issued their first EP Enough (2018), which contained all of the group's previous singles as well as the single of the same name. I=U=WE : 序 (2020), the group's second EP, dealt with themes of personal and artistic growth, and featured creative contributions by the entire band. Later that year, Boy Story inaugurated the STAGE: On Air series, a string of online concerts that were seen by over 5 million viewers. This success was followed closely by the chart-topping single "WAI" from the soundtrack of the Chinese web drama Airbenders, as well as by a third extended play titled I=U=WE: 我 in November 2020. In 2021, Boy Story began teasing the third part of their I=U=WE trilogy through the singles "Monster" and "Be Yourself," both included in their fourth EP I=U=WE : U. 2022 found the group firing on all cylinders with the release of their studio debut, WE, and the unveiling of the single "Friends," which peaked at Number 11 on China's Pop Weibo charts.
