Beast-dols, Boyfriend-dols, Hiphop-dols, and Actor-dols - idol boy bands are the recipients of various nicknames. However, the current trend is for these idol boy bands to reinvent themselves as "idol artists".

These new boy bands are different from the boy bands of the 90's or early 2000's. They are not just dancing to someone else's music - they are musicians who create their own music.

Consider B.A.P's new album, First Sensibility. They are skilled performers who toured Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and four cities in the U.S. within a year and a half of their debut.

B.A.P is also highly popular in Germany where they received four and three awards respectively in two award shows, "2013 Remarkable Awards" and "2013 So-Loved Awards". They also topped out on Billboard USA's World Album charts. Rather than focusing on TV appearances and reinforcing their idol status, B.A.P will go on tour with their new album first in Korea and then a world tour.

B1A4's leader Jinyoung wrote their title song "Lonely". The popularity of the song is a testament to B1A4 and Jinyoung's musical prowess.

BTOB, who made a comeback this year with their title song "Beep Beep", collaborated among the members to make "Melody" and "Hello Mello" as tributes to their fans. They are also heavily involved in the production of their albums.

Teen Top, who is embarking on their first world tour this year, is also including two self-made songs in their album. The rappers C.A.P. and L.Joe performed their songs "Missing You" and "Love You" during their Seoul concert on February 22nd and 23rd. They are releasing their new album and embarking on a world tour in order to appease both their national and international fan base.

Other groups, such as GOT7 and BTS are already successfully developing their musical spectrum by undertaking various concepts. YG's WINNER will also debut with self-made songs, as hinted on "WINNER TV".

They are not just voices or dance moves - these boys are artists, and artists are the ones that make a difference.