B.A.P: Standing Out from the Crowd
Standing out in K-pop is a hard task; there’s always a fine balance between being too different from the crowd and alienating potential fans and looking like the rest of the crowd without anything special. So for a group to consistently spend their career finding ways to differentiate themselves from the rest is no small achievement. However, B.A.P were successful at this through their entire time together as well as in their career after disbanding.
B.A.P debuted in 2012 under TS Entertainment after about a year of teasers and reveals. The group’s name means “Best Absolute Entertainment,” and they originally debuted with six members: Yongguk, Himchan, Daehyun, Youngjae, Jong-up, and Zelo. They’ve won numerous awards over the course of their career and have cited artists from a number of genres as influences, including Kanye West, Pharrell, Musiq Soulchild, and even traditional Korean music.
Right from the start, critics, commentators, and fans took note of the group’s unique spirit and style. Of course, the group didn’t invent the ‘bad boy’ look they became known for, but the intensity and specific ways the group performed made them an act to look out for right from the get-go. To this day, retrospectives on the group mention the way they took over the K-pop scene and defied the standard ‘pretty boy’ look of the day.
As the years went on, B.A.P would continue finding success and ways to set them apart from the rest of the industry. Their first few releases in both Korea and Japan saw them charting and receiving general praise. However, in 2014, the group made waves when it was revealed they were suing TS Entertainment for unfair working conditions and supposedly illegal terms in their contracts. The group would enter a fairly public legal battle that lasted for almost a year before things were resolved with the label and they returned to music. While B.A.P is far from the first group to contest with their label or management, this public dispute on behalf of artists helped cement them in the minds of fans.
Ater another few years touring and releasing new music, the group announced their departure from TS Entertainment and their disbandment. However, not one to do things the normal way, several of the members announced earlier this year that they would be reuniting as the new project Bang&Jung&Yoo&Moon. Their first release is scheduled for early August.
The group has been loved not just by fans, but also by other idols who have come later. Being so different from everyone else means that you’re inevitably going to make some waves. For an example of this, here’s a video compilation of some other idols talking about B.A.P.
No matter what comes from this latest reunion, you can expect the boys of B.A.P to always be unique and stand out from the crowd. We’re looking forward to how they shake K-pop up this time around!