When you make a band, naming it “Best Absolute Perfect” is a big risk. Luckily, for six bandmates from South Korea, their gamble paid off – big time. But they weren’t always a six-piece boy band, nor were they always international superstars. They get their start locally as a trio, before skyrocketing to global fame in 2012. This one year incubation period earned them three more members and thousands of South Korean fans.

The Best Beginnings were Perfect

The band began as a threesome, with Yong Gok as the leader (and main vocalist), Him Chan, and Zelo as support vocals. The group, though barely a year old, managed to land a spot on the Korean TV show Ta-Dah. It was on that show that they realized they needed a few more band members to round out their “best absolute perfect” sound. With the help of producers, they added Dae Hyun, Young Jae, and Jong Up.

That same year (2012), the now doubled-in-size group would record their first hit singles, “Warrior," "Power," and "Stop It.” They put out their first EP album that year too, which they named No Mercy. Quickly thereafter, the group's first studio album followed. 2012/13 was a busy year for B.A.P.! It seems that the band has had no trouble cranking out new songs, almost all of which are immediate hits. Their discography includes over ten albums, though some are “minis” or compilations of their singles.

Global Fame

When there’s a boy band as handsome as B.A.P. putting out music practically twice a year, it’s hard to keep the fame local to Korea. Around their second album, people in the global music industry started paying attention to B.A.P. Americans would say their soulful harmonies reminded them of the Backstreet Boys, but with a Korean edge. The hype hasn’t died down any since they first crossed into American charts.