FACTS ABOUT YOUR KPOP IDOL

B1A4 [Be the One, All for One]

B1A4 (Korean: 비원에이포) is a South Korean idol group under the management of WM Entertainment. The group debuted in 2011 with the single "O.K" after their first introduction to the public through a webtoon. They have released two studio albums, five EPs and various singles in South Korea.

The group began their foray into the Japanese market late 2011 with a showcase and in 2012, they released their first compilation album that consisted of all the tracks from their first two EPs Let's Fly and It B1A4. The group released remakes of two Korean singles, namely "Beautiful Target" and "Sleep Well, Good Night", as Japanese singles on June and August respectively, both peaking at number four on the Oricon weekly singles chart. Their debut Japanese album 1 was released in October 2012, with its music video released by Pony Canyon.

Pre-debut

Baro, the rapper of the group, was first discovered by a company representative who came across his photo posted on his friend's homepage on social network service Cyworld. At his audition, Baro sang Sumi Jo's "Once I Leave" and Sung Si-kyung's "The Road to Me", in addition to rapping and beatboxing.[2] Similarly, leader Jin-young was discovered from a photo posted on Cyworld. He received training for composing, singing, and acting.[3] Gongchan was also discovered on Cyworld as a result of his winning of an "Eoljjang Challenge" when he was in middle school. He was also a runner-up of a cross-dressing contest while, where he danced to a song by soloist Ivy. Main vocalist Sandeul, who competed in numerous singing contests, 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: Let's Fly and It B1A4

On April 11, the members of B1A4 were introduced through a webtoon. 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; this was later proven false. That same day, WM Entertainment revealed a photo of the first member of the group, leader Jin-young. 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 Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation's (MBC) Show! Music Core. They had their subsequent debut stages on Mnet's M! Countdown, Korean Broadcasting System's (KBS) Music Bank, and Seoul Broadcasting System's (SBS) The Music Trend 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, starred on SBS MTV'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.

On August 31, it was announced that B1A4 would release a second EP the following month.Photo teasers of Jin-young, Baro, CNU, Sandeul, and Gongchan were revealed daily from September 5–9, respectively;The music video teaser for "Beautiful Target" was released on September 10. It B1A4 and the full music video for "Beautiful Target" were released on September 15.[23] The group began promoting the album by performing on KBS' Music Bank, MBC's Show! Music Core, SBS' The Music Trend, and Mnet's M! Countdown.[24][25][26][27] B1A4 began promoting "My Love" on November 18, 2011.

In October 2011, it was announced that B1A4 would debut in Japan under the record label Pony Canyon 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' K-Pop Lovers! Awards 2011.