Dark smoky makeup. White colored suits. Unique but stylish vocals. Perfect performances.

BEAST has arrived.

BEAST, shortened from Boys of EAst Standing Tall, came on to the music scene 4 years ago already, looking forward to their Hallyu domination. Six trainees who have trained anywhere from 2 years to 6 years came together, and the music industry knew they were seeing the next big group emerging.

Today marks the 4 year anniversary of the debut of BEAST, so let's take a trip down memory lane and see their emergence into one of the biggest K-pop stars ever.

-Bad Girl, A New Wave of Sound

October 14th of 2009 was when the first mini album, BEAST IS THE B2ST, was released. Their title song was "Bad Girl". Their song was addicting. It was one of the first "hook songs", a style of music that has a repetition that is easy to sing along to and memorize.

They used recording equipment from the 80's and 90's to create their unique sound and wrote their own lyrics. They were already on a different orbit than other idol groups.

-Shock, Shell-Shock of a Heavier Sound

It only took four months for BEAST to drop their 2nd mini album, Shock of the New Era. The title song was "Shock", which was also far from ordinary. Powerful synth loops and heavy beats went against the grain of light and fluffy 'idol group music'.

The lyrics were especially well written to express sadness. This was the start of BEAST's unique brand of new age romance music.

-Breath and the Rediscovery of their Vocal Talent

Five months later, on September 28th, BEAST released their 3rd mini album, Mastermind. Mastermind is defined as someone who is in total control of the situation, and this was representative of the way BEAST wanted to do their music - totally on their own and expressing their musical superiority.

Their title song of that album was "Breath". The extremely difficult vocal part of the chorus was covered without a hitch by Yang Yoseob, and this may have been around the time when people discovered just how vocally talented BEAST is.

-Beautiful, a Change from Dark to Light

It's always a challenge for idol groups to leave behind the original motif that brought them success in order to pursue change, but that is exactly what BEAST was able to do with their 4th mini album, Lights Go On Again. They were no longer the smokey eyed dark knights, but the cuteness that they were able to portray was well received.

Their title song, "Beautiful", was written about a confession of love. As is such, it was a runaway hit with their fans. BEAST's natural personalities bled through this song.

-On A Rainy Day with BEAST, the Balladeers

BEAST underwent transformation again on May 12th, 2011, when they released their ballad, "On A Rainy Day". Known to have been recorded on an actual rainy day, their emotional portrayal of a break up was once again, well received. The fact that a dance group was able to sing such a deeply romantic and emotional ballad was nothing short of sensational.

-Fiction and the Rest Is History

Among a sea of mini albums and digital singles, BEAST's first official album was released on May 17th, 2011 and was titled, Fiction and Fact. Their title song, "Fiction", was a sad song about a man who composes a fictional novel to keep believing that his own relationship is still ongoing.

However, the beat was hard and the sound was electronic and catchy - and this led to their first win of the Annual Korean Pop Music Awards. The song and the album placed BEAST as the number one group in all of Korea.

-It's a Beautiful Night and Recognizing the Fans

After a year of hiatus, BEAST returned with their 5th mini album, Midnight Sun. Their title song was "It's a Beautiful Night". It was once again sad romantic lyrics sung over a heavy dance sound. The difference was that the music was a different type of fun - it was a vintage electrosynth pop sound.

They wanted to break the notion that their music is generally all the same, so they fearlessly broke the notion by doing something different. With this song and their vast experience, BEAST was able to draw the crowd in and play off their energy for the song. It was an exciting summer hit.

-SHADOW completes the BEAST circle

At last, 2013. BEAST released their album on July 19th with the title, Hard to Love, How to Love. Their title song was "SHADOW", which represented the distancing of a lover just like a shadow that disappears when the light comes near. It was written by BEAST member Yong Jun Hyung.

Their smokey makeup and fancy accessories marked a return to their first concept of darkness and mystery. The thing that had changed was their dominating performance that was built on over 3 years of experience.

Will this year again be the year of the BEAST?