Here’s What Happened To B.A.P, A Rising Boy Group That Was As Popular As EXO
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B.A.P debuted on 26 January 2012. They made a shocking debut with all the members sporting platinum blond hair. With their name standing for “Best, Absolute, Perfect“, the boys made a perfect and amazing start to their career with “Warrior”.
But just a few years after their debut, they suddenly fell into an abyss and all but disappeared from the public eye. Just what had happened? Read on to find out why their star fell.
1. Initial Success
The song and concept were considered groundbreaking for the era. Although boy groups seemed to be moving away from the cute, innocent concept by then, not many could pull it off. B.A.P also infused elements of fighting and delinquency, rather than just a boy-crush vibe.
Consisting of 6 members, Bang Yongguk, Himchan, Daehyun, Youngjae, Jongup, and Zelo, the group’s chemistry added to their popularity. At a time when K-Pop was not well-known globally, it was a huge achievement when their debut album entered Billboard’s World Albums Chart at #10. Their first album also sold over 10,000 copies within two days of release. Three months later, their comeback album, Power, sold out the first press of 30,000 copies.
2. Their Popularity
B.A.P capitalized on their initial debut buzz, having 5 comebacks in the same year of their debut. This meant that they had 6 rounds of promotions including their debut, in 2012 alone. Back then, promotions lasted from between a month to a year, unlike the week-long promotions that groups do now.
In 2014, their first full-length album, First Sensibility, topped Billboard’s World Albums Chart. This was a huge achievement for a K-Pop group back then.
Just how huge was their popularity? In 2012, SM Entertainment‘s huge boy group project, EXO, debuted. Coming from a huge company, EXO had fans from pre-debut already, unlike B.A.P, who came from a tiny company. EXO and B.A.P were consistently mentioned together by the general public who saw them as rivals, having debuted in the same year. Their popularity was on the same level but B.A.P’s was growing globally compared to EXO who focused their energies domestically and in China.
3. What went wrong?
B.A.P successfully held a world tour that spanned North America, Europe, and Asia. They had 24 concerts, including their Seoul stop. But in November of the same year, 2014, the boys filed a lawsuit against TS Entertainment to void their contract. They claimed unfair working conditions and profit distribution. The boys had made $9 million USD in 3 years, a huge sum for a K-Pop group. But each of the 6 members were only paid $18,000 USD in total. This meant that around $8.9 million USD went into the pockets of the company.
The lawsuit took up an entire year and was only settled in 2015. The one-year hiatus took a toll on their popularity as fans waited for them to return. In the meantime, many fans left for other groups. The sudden halt was a blight on their swiftly rising star.
Although B.A.P returned to the scene in 2015 with Matrix, their competitors had already surpassed them to clinch the top boy group status. EXO achieved mainstream success with “Wolf” and “Growl” in the time that B.A.P took to settle legal matters. In the meantime, BTS debuted in 2013 and was the new rising star in 2015.
4. Where are they now?
B.A.P continued to promote over the years until 2018, when Zelo and Yongguk left the company. In 2019, the other four followed suit. So where are the members now?
Youngjae has moved into acting. He starred in Police University and Mimicus recently.
Zelo has become a dancer and teaches classes. He recently joined a reality show, Artist Game.
Leader Bang Yongguk consistently released solo music over the years and seems to be taking a break for the moment.
Himchan was embroiled in a series of sexual assault allegations.
Jongup has since been promoting as a solo artist.
Last but not least, Daehyun has found success as a solo artist.
The group continues to be close, sometimes updating fans if they meet up.
Jongup has promised that a reunion might be possible in the future, but news is still yet to be heard of. Fans can only pray that they get to see more of the talented group!
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