B1A4 () is a South Korean

boy band A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...

formed by

WM Entertainment WM Entertainment (Hangul: WM 엔터테인먼트) is a South Korean entertainment company established in 2008 by former singer Lee Won-min (birth name: Kim Jung-soo). The company is responsible for managing artists such as B1A4, Oh My Girl, and ...

. The group debuted on April 23, 2011, with the single "O.K" from the EP '' Let's Fly'', after being introduced to the public through a

webtoon Webtoons () are a type of episodic digital comics that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allo ...

. They have released nine studio albums (four Korean and five Japanese) and seven

EPs An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

, as well as four compilation albums. The group had considerable commercial and critical success in both the Korean and Japanese markets. They have also toured in the United States.

History

Pre-debut

Baro, the rapper of the group, was scouted by a company representative who came across his photo posted on his friend's homepage on the social network Cyworld. At his audition, Baro sang

Sumi Jo Sumi Jo, OSI (; ; born 22 November 1962) is a South Korean lyric coloratura soprano known for her Grammy Award-winning interpretations of the bel canto repertoire. Life and career Early life and education Jo was born Jo Su-gyeong in Ch ...

's "Once I Leave" and Sung Si-kyung's "The Road to Me", as well as rapping and

beatboxing Beatboxing (also, and sometimes, called beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (usually a Roland TR-808, TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. The group's leader Jinyoung was similarly discovered from a photo posted on Cyworld. He received training in composition, singing, and acting. Gongchan was also discovered on Cyworld as a result of his winning an " Ulzzang Challenge" when he was in middle school. Main vocalist

Sandeul Lee Jung-hwan (; born March 20, 1992), better known by his stage name Sandeul () is a South Korean singer-songwriter. He is a member of the South Korean boy group B1A4, that debuted on April 23, 2011. He debuted as a solo artist on October 4, ...

was approached by a company agent after performing a song by Kim Yeon-woo in a talent show. Prior to their debut, the group underwent a training period of two years.

2011: Debut with ''Let's Fly'' and ''It B1A4''

On April 11, the members of B1A4 were introduced through a

. Initially, it was believed that B1A4 would be a mixed gender group due to the presence of a female character named Anna in the webtoon. The same day, WM Entertainment revealed a photo of the first member of the group, leader Jinyoung. The remaining members Baro, Gongchan, Sandeul, and CNU were revealed on a daily basis between April 12–15. A music video teaser for B1A4's promotional single "O.K" was uploaded on April 19. The full music video, as well as their debut EP '' Let's Fly'', was released on April 21. The group made their debut performance on the April 23 episode of MBC's ''

Show! Music Core ''Show! Music Core'' (), or simply ''Music Core'' is a South Korean music television program broadcast by MBC. It airs live every Saturday at 15:30 (KST). The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform live on stage. I ...

''. They had their subsequent debut stages on

Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

's ''

M Countdown ''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet from the CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul. It features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. First hosted by Leeteuk ...

'', KBS' '' Music Bank'', and SBS' ''

Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' (; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform on stage. ...

'' on April 28, April 29, and May 1, respectively. B1A4 began promoting "Only Learned the Bad Things" on June 18, 2011. The group, alongside

Block B Block B () is a South Korean boy band managed by KQ Entertainment, and consists of seven members: Taeil, B-Bomb, Jaehyo, U-Kwon, Park Kyung, Zico, and P.O. Block B has received several accolades, including nominations for seven Golden Disc ...

, starred on

SBS MTV SBS M is a South Korean pay television music channel owned by SBS Medianet, a division of SBS Media Holdings. It features South Korean pop artists, international music, news, and a few reality and variety programs. It was launched in 2001 as t ...

's reality show ''Match Up''. It began to air on June 22. The music video for the second promotional single "Only Learned the Bad Things" was aired on the first episode. B1A4's second EP '' It B1A4'' with the lead single " Beautiful Target" were released on September 15, 2011. The group promoted the EP on ''Music Bank'', ''Show! Music Core'', ''The Music Trend'', and ''M! Countdown''. B1A4 began promoting "My Love" on November 18. In October 2011, it was announced that B1A4 would debut in Japan under the record label

Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966, which distributes music, films, home video, and video games. It is affiliated with the Japanese media group Fujisankei Communications Group. Pony Canyo ...

in January 2012. Prior to their debut there, the group held their B1A4 – Japan Showcase Live 2011 at the Sinagawa Stellar Ball in Tokyo on December 9, 2011; the tickets for the event sold-out within one minute, an unprecedented feat for newly debuted groups. B1A4 performed nine songs at the event, which was attended by 1,000 people. At the end of the year, B1A4 won the Rookie of the Year Award at

Tower Records Tower Records is an international retail franchising, franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when ...

' K-Pop Lovers! Awards 2011.

2012: Debut in Japan and first concert

Before entering the Japanese music industry, B1A4 released a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

on January 25, 2012, which consists of all the tracks previously included on '' Let's Fly ''and '' It B1A4'' in Japan''.'' On March 5, B1A4 released the digital single "This Time Is Over" ahead of the release of their first studio album. B1A4 released '' Ignition'' and the promotional single "Baby I'm Sorry" on March 14, and they began promoting the song on ''M! Countdown'' the following the day, followed by performances on ''Music Bank'', ''Show! Music Core'', and ''The Music Trend''. A repackaged edition of the album entitled ''Ignition: Special Edition'', as well as the promotional single " Baby Good Night", was released on May 23. B1A4 released their first Japanese-language single "Beautiful Target" on June 27, 2012. The song debuted at number four on the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...

weekly singles chart, selling 32,665 in its first week. On July 25, B1A4 took part in season six of the reality show '' Hello Baby'', where the group learns to care for children. On August 29, B1A4 released their second Japanese-language single " Oyasumi Good Night", which also debuted at number four on the Oricon weekly singles chart, selling 35,779 in its first week. They released their debut Japanese-language studio album '' 1'' on October 24, 2012; it debuted at number five on the Oricon weekly albums chart, selling 20,547 in its first week. Their third EP, '' In the Wind'', was released on November 12, 2012; they began performing the promotional single "Tried to Walk" on ''M! Countdown'' on November 15, as well as on ''Music Bank'', ''Show! Music Core'', and ''The Music Trend'' the following days. Tickets for B1A4's first solo concert, BABA B1A4, went on sale on October 18, 2012. The concert was co-produced by WM Entertainment and

CJ E&M CJ ENM Entertainment Division (), formerly known as CJ E&M, is a South Korean entertainment and mass media division (formerly company) of CJ ENM. In July 2018, the company merged with the parent company's subsidiary CJ O Shopping, with the latte ...

's global concert brand, M-Live. Before ticket sales began, 75,000 people were on the server waiting to buy the tickets resulting in 8,000 tickets to be sold out in 5 minutes once ticket sales opened. From December 8–9, 2012, B1A4 held their first solo concert BABA B1A4 at the

SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium () is an indoor arena, indoor sporting arena located at the Olympic Park, Seoul, Olympic Park in Bangi-dong, Songpa District, Seoul, South Korea. The arena was built from September 1984 to April 1986. History It ...

2013–2014: Commercial success and world tour

On January 7, 2013, the

Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pro ...

released the list of winners for the 2013 Japan Gold Disc Awards where the group won two awards. In the same month, BABA B1A4 in Japan was held in two cities, with four shows held between the 27th and the 30th. Their fourth EP ''What's Happening?'' was released on May 6, 2013, which contains five-tracks including the title song "What's Happening". The music video of the title song was released on the next day. On May 18, B1A4 took their first music show win since debut with "What's Happening?" at MBC''Show! Music Core''. On June 19, 2013, WM Entertainment announced B1A4's 2nd solo concert, Amazing Store. After tickets went on sale on June 26, the concert sold out its 10,000 seats in under 5 minutes. The concert took place from August 7–11 at the Uniqlo AX to an audience of 2,000 each day. The group released their second Korean studio album ''Who Am I'', containing twelve-tracks including the title song "Lonely" on January 13, 2014. They held their third solo concert 2014 B1A4 Concert The Class on February 15–16 at the SK Olympic Handball Stadium at Olympic Park. B1A4 released their 5th EP with the same name of the title track "Solo Day" on July 14. The EP composed of six tracks including the title track with member Jinyoung, CNU and Baro participate in writing lyrics, composing and producing for the EP. It was announced that B1A4 would be appearing at 'The 12th Korea Times Music Festival' and KCON 2014 in Los Angeles, California. WM Entertainment announced that the group would held their first world tour 'Road Trip'. Their first concert took place in Taiwan on August 23, 2014, and Shanghai on August 30, 2014, then the boys headed on over to Manila on September 6, 2014, Melbourne on September 18, 2014, and Sydney on September 20, 2014. The boys also performed in New York on October 3, 2014, Chicago on October 5, 2014, Dallas on October 8, 2014, and San Francisco on October 11, 2014.

2015–2018: world tour, ''Good Timing'' and Baro and Jinyoung's departure from WM

On August 10, 2015, B1A4 released their sixth EP '' Sweet Girl'', which the lead single "Sweet Girl" and "You Are a Girl, I Am a Boy" firstly performance at Guerrilla Concert on August 6. In July 2015, WM announced that the group's fifth concert tour, B1A4 Adventure 2015, would begin in Seoul on September 12 and 13, 2015. The concert also held in Dallas on November 8, Mexico on November 11, Puerto Rico on November 13, Hong Kong on November 29 and continue their Europe tour in Helsinki on December 9, Berlin on December 11, Madrid on December 13, Bogota on February 12, 2016, Santiago on February 14, and Lima on February 17, 2016. On December 10, they released winter single "It's Christmas Time" for the first time since their debut. On November 28, 2016, their third Korean studio album '' Good Timing'' was released, with 13 self composed tracks, including the lead single "A Lie". The group held their first comeback showcase since debut at Yes 24 Live Hall in Gwangjang-dong at 3 p.m. on the same day. B1A4 held their sixth concert "B1A4 Live Space 2017" on February 4–5 and 11–12, 2017 at Seoul's Samsung Card Hall with a total 8,000.Shortly after, they held their second US tour titled "B1A4 Four Nights in The U.S. 2017", with concerts in New York on February 15; Chicago on February 17; San Francisco on February 19; and Los Angeles on February 20. In May 2017, CNU was cast to play the lead in the Korean version of the musical adaptation of Hamlet. The band toured Japan as "B1A4 Live Space 2017" with concerts in Osaka on May 22; Okazaki on June 8, Fukuoka on June 9, and Tokyo on June 15. On September 25, 2017, B1A4 released their seventh EP '' Rollin'''. On June 30, 2018, WM Entertainment confirmed that Jinyoung and Baro had left the agency following the end of their contracts, while the others renewed with the agency. Their activities with the group remain in discussion. On November 16, WM Entertainment has announced that B1A4 members Jinyoung and Baro will not promote with the group for the time being, with the remaining three members – CNU, Sandeul and Gongchan – to continue promoting as B1A4.

2019–2023: Military enlistments and ''Origine''

On January 22, 2019, CNU enlisted in the military as an active duty soldier. He was officially discharged on August 28, 2020. On September 29, 2020, WM Entertainment announced that B1A4 would be making a comeback with their fourth Korean studio album '' Origine'' and its lead single "Like A Movie" on October 19, 2020. On April 23, 2021, B1A4 released the digital single "10 Times" to commemorate the group's 10th anniversary. On November 11, 2021, Sandeul enlisted in the military as a social worker. Before his enlistment, B1A4 released a new digital single titled "Adore You" on November 10. On March 14, 2023, CNU was announced to have renewed his contract with WM Entertainment, while Gongchan was confirmed by WM to be exempted from serving in the military for health reasons. On August 10, 2023, Sandeul was discharged from military service as a social worker.

2024–present: Post-military enlistment activities and ''Connect''

On January 8, 2024, B1A4 made a comeback with their 8th EP ''Connect'' and its lead single "Rewind"

Public image

The group has been dubbed "countryside-dols" (countryside idols) by the Korean media due to the fact that all of the members of B1A4 are from the countryside: Jinyoung is from

Chungju Chungju () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Uamsan is a mountain located within the outskirts of the city. The city is famous for the annual martial arts festival held in October. Al ...

North Chungcheong Province North Chungcheong Province (), also known as Chungbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Chungcheong has a population of 1,578,934 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Hoseo region on the south-centre of the Korean Peninsula. No ...

; CNU from Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province; Sandeul from

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

; Baro from

Gwangju Gwangju (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated Special cities of South Korea, metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home ...

South Jeolla Province South Jeolla Province (), formerly South Chŏlla Province, also known as Jeonnam (), is a province in the Honam, Honam region, South Korea, and the Provinces of Korea, southernmost province in mainland Korea. South Jeolla borders the provinces of ...

; and Gongchan from

Suncheon Suncheon (; ) is the largest city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, with a population of 280,719 as of 2022. It is located in the southeast of the province and is a scenic agricultural and industrial city, known for tourist attractions, suc ...

, South Jeolla Province. They were also referred to as "blood-dols" (blood idols) in reference to the origins of their name (which references the group members' blood types), as well as "paper-dols" (paper idols) because of the paper classification A4. In an effort to distinguish themselves, B1A4 had also promoted a nickname "saessakdol" (, "sprout-dol") and created a so-called "saessakchum" (, "sprout dance"), which was showcased in various shows including '' Quiz to Change the World''. In January 2015, B1A4 members hugged Muslim female fans in a meet and greet session in Malaysia. Internet commenters called for the organizers to be charged afterwards.

Philanthropy

B1A4 have participated in philanthropic acts throughout their career. On May 31, 2012, it was reported that B1A4 had visited a fan's home to prepare a meal and help take care of the fan's ill mother. On August 31 that year, the group donated 140 kg of rice garlands initially donated by fans to Seoul SOS Youth Camp in Yangcheon District. On September 1, 2012, B1A4 held a mini concert at the Wonju Market to help raise awareness for traditional markets. As they hosted their first solo concert, BABA B1A4, fans from all over the world sent gifts and donations to B1A4, which the group then donated to charity. On July 19, 2013, as B1A4 prepared for their second solo concert, B1A4 asked fans for school supplies rather than flower wreaths. They were working with

CJ Group CJ Corporation (), doing business as CJ Group () or simply CJ, is a South Korean conglomerate holding company, operating internationally. It is one of the largest chaebol headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous businesses in ...

's charity foundation "Donor's Camp" to support the education of children who are in need. The group donated part of the proceeds from their third solo concert to Seoul Arts College's matriculation ceremony, which took place on February 27, 2014, at the Olympic Park Olympic Hall. Seoul Arts College used the donation to purchase rice to be given to the charities Gangnam Start Center and Gangnam Vision Center. In December that year, they participated in a charity event to raise funds to provide those in need with coal briquettes for heating.

Discography

;Korean albums * '' Ignition'' (2012) * ''

Who Am I Who Am I? or Who Am I may refer to: Film * ''Who Am I?'' (1921 film). a silent drama directed by Henry Kolker * ''Who Am I?'' (1998 film), a Hong Kong film starring Jackie Chan * ''Who Am I?'' (2009 film), a Cambodian film * ''Who Am I'' (2 ...

'' (2014) * '' Good Timing'' (2016) * '' Origine'' (2020) ;Japanese albums * '' 1'' (2012) * ''2'' (2014) * ''3'' (2016) * ''4'' (2017) * ''5'' (2018)

Filmography

* ''MTV Match Up'' (2011) * ''B1A4's Selca Diary'' (2012) * ''B1A4's Real Player'' (2012) * '' B1A4's Hello Baby Season 6'' (2012) * ''Wide Entertainment News'' (2013) * ''B1A4's One Fine Day'' (2014) * ''A Song For You (2015)

Concerts and tours

Korean tours

* 2012: BABA B1A4 * 2013: Limited Show mazing Store* 2014: THE CLASS * 2015: B1A4 ADVENTURE * 2017 : LIVE SPACE

Japanese tours

* 2013: BABA B1A4 in Japan * 2013: Limited Show mazing Storein Japan (Zepp Tour) * 2014: Listen to the B1A4 (Arena Tour) * 2016: The Great World Of B1A4 * 2017: Be The One * 2018: Paradise

World tours

* 2014: B1A4 Road Trip – Ready? * 2015–2016: B1A4 ADVENTURE * 2017: 4 Nights in the U.S

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
B1A4's profile
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:B1a4 Japanese-language singers of South Korea K-pop music groups Musical groups established in 2011 Pony Canyon artists Universal Music Japan artists South Korean dance music groups South Korean boy bands Musical groups from Seoul WM Entertainment artists 2011 establishments in South Korea