For the first time in six and a half years, B.A.P. stood on the same stage as a group. However, they weren't able to use their real name for THIS reason, leading the members to shed tears.
On August 8, the original members of the 3rd-gen boy group B.A.P (Best Absolute Perfect) met BABYs (fandom) as a whole group through its first EP, "CURTAIN CALL."
This is their first release since being reformed in June by MA Entertainment, re-organizing the original six-member team into a quintet.
But this time, they returned with only four members excluding Zelo, as he's currently serving in the military.
To commemorate their return, an offline media showcase was then held at Ilchi Art Hall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Here, the quartet greeted the reporters & some fans with wide smiles, confessing their feelings after coming back on stage more than 6 years since they dropped its 8th single album, "EGO" in 2017.
However, what drew attention is that despite being all B.A.P. members, the quartet opted to use their last names during their activities, BANG&JUNG&YOO&MOON.
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Hearing this, Yoo Young Jae conveyed the reason, saying:
"In our opinion, it would have been nice to come out using our original team name, but realistically, it was difficult. We thought a lot about how to set a direction, and our idea was to decide on a new team name rather than the existing one. But, we've been active as a team for a long time, so it's a bit much to decide on a new team name."
As Young Jae wasn't able to hold back his tears, Jung Daehyun continued in his stead and further explained:
"Many of our fans remember us that way, and if we can't use that name, we thought it might be better to meet the public and find our fans under our own name."
In particular, B.A.P. debuted in 2012 under T.S. Entertainment. At the time, they established their name in the music scene with their "bad boy" concept and were considered "rivals" of E.X.O. and B.T.S.Unfortunately, their reign in Korea, Japan, and other countries didn't last long after they filed a lawsuit against T.S. for mistreatment and unfair profit distribution.
The issue was settled in 2015, and they proceeded with their group activities, but their momentum has already slowed down due to the influx of younger boy groups.
Their last straw before initially disbanding in 2019 was when former member Himchan was accused of sexually molesting a woman in 2018. T.S. officially shut down in 2021, but B.A.P. members are supposedly still waiting to retrieve their trademark rights from the label to use their original name again.
Luckily for fans, the four members attested to BABYs that it will not be their last release, and they plan to drop a new album once Zelo returns from the military. .
Their last straw before initially disbanding in 2019 was when former member Himchan was accused of sexually molesting a woman in 2018.
TS officially shut down in 2021, but B.A.P members are supposedly still waiting to retrieve their trademark rights from the label to be able to use their original name again.
Luckily for fans, the four members attested to BABYs that it would not be their last release and they are planning to drop a new album once Zelo returns from the military.
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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz
