Will B.A.P's International Popularity Carry Through Their First Official Album?

Group B.A.P released their first full album, titled First Sensibility. It's receiving rave reviews already in Korea, but the question is whether their unprecedented international popularity will continue throughout this album's performance. Their strong hip-hop-influenced music was very popular internationally but as their music has shifted to a more popular style, many are wondering if their newest efforts will be equally accepted by their international fanbase.

B.A.P debuted to acclaim from not only Korea but Asia Pacific, Japan, US, and Germany. Their 2012 album showcasing in Malaysia drew almost 2,000 fans, while their second single form the same album, "Power", took the first place on Malaysian K-Pop charts.

They toured internationally in 2013 after only a year and half after their debut. Their concert 'Live on Earth Pacific Tour' spanned four US cities, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong to almost 50,000 fans worldwide. Every concert of theirs sold out, and an encore concert in Japan alone summoned 10,000 fans. Their appearance on MTV at New York's Times Square drew 3,000 fans that shut down the streets.

They even placed, along with international superstar PSY, on the "Best of 2012" list published in January of 2013 by the Grammy foundation. Their second mini album "One Shot" placed 1st on Taiwan's' G Music Chart and Five Music Chart as well as Malaysia's Nite Live K-Pop Chart. Their album was also on the iTunes top ten list and was first on the Billboard World Album Chart.

German fans were especially receptive of B.A.P's rough and harsh style of music. Each title song took the previous title's song's place as the #1 hit. They were the #1 on German's K-Pop Chart for nine weeks straight with the singles "One Shot" and "Bad Man" and stayed in the top 10 for over 23 weeks. They swept German's Remarkable Awards 2013 as well as Europe's So-Loved Awards with four and three top awards in each awards ceremony.

In their rookie year, they received a record-setting fourteen New Artist of the Year awards from Korea, Japan, Germany, France, China, and many more.

Many believe that a part of their charm is their powerful choreography that has sunk stages before. That's where the break happens - this album's title song, "1004", will not feature such powerful moves. Although the dance itself will have power, the marriage of their perfectly choreographed dance with the enjoyable melody line will give a new appeal that the fans of B.A.P may or may not recognize.

Their first full album features a different array of music, including Acoustic Dance, Break Beat, House, Funk, Slow Jam, and even Heavy Metal. "1004" is a song that mixes many different genres, but rest of the songs will feature a specific genre.

B.A.P's "1004" is doing fairly well in Korea. It has hit the #1 spot on Bugs Music and Soribada several times and is climbing up the charts on Naver Music, Daum Music, and Cyworld Music as well.

B.A.P's international popularity was proven through their recent Twitter interview with the fans. They decided to tweet with the fans on Sunday, February 3rd, at 11 A.M. They were trending prior and after the interview; in fact, during the duration of the interview, they were continuously trending on Twitter.

Despite Super Bowl Sunday, B.A.P also received much love from his international fans from the U.S. They were the #4 trending topic even during the Super Bowl. They were also the first and second trending topic on the Japanese and Russian Twitter.

Since their popularity is internationally spread, it will be interesting to see how their popularity pans out with each successful album. The expectation is the wider-spread of the international fanbase with this album. How will their international fans receive it? We have yet to know.

Their comeback concert, 'Live On Earth Seoul 2014,' will be held on February 8th and 9th in Korea.

Tags
B.A.P
First Sensibility
1004
Join the Discussion

Latest Photo Gallery

Real Time Analytics