Gowri Kanagarajah
B.A.P (comprised of Bang Yongguk, Kim Himchan, Jung Daehyun, Yoo Youngjae, Moon Jongup and Choi Junhong) performed here 4 months ago, as part of their Live On Earth Continent Tour. This time, they had the honor of being the first K-pop group to perform as part of MTV Sessions.
MTV Sessions is a series of concerts where fans can get to share an intimate space with their favorite artistes and experience their music. Through MTV Sessions, fans will also gain insights on the artistes’ lives.
VJs Hanli Hoefer and Alan Wong took their time to tease the crowd of 200 fans before the performers took the stage.
Outfitted in their characteristic black, B.A.P opened the night with “Excuse Me”, one of their powerful anthems, and continued the club-worthy atmosphere with “Hurricane”.
BABYs (moniker for B.A.P’s fans) gave their loudest cheers as the opening strains of “Where Are You? What are You Doing?” were heard. The song, which was released only digitally, has never been performed on music shows in Korea. It was a truly memorable moment for the BABYs who were hearing it for the first time in Singapore.
For their final song, B.A.P chose “1004 (Angel)”, which won them their first #1 on Korean music shows.
During the Q&A session, the members divulged the quietest member was leader Yongguk and it was a tie between Yongguk and dancer Jongup for taking the longest time to shower. Leader Yongguk also said B.A.P was very honored to be the first K-pop group to perform for MTV Sessions.
During the earlier press conference, they were asked about their opinions regarding the lip-sync ban on Music Core, a music show broadcast by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). Main vocalist Daehyun said, “B.A.P always does live, not lip-sync.” True to his words, the members sang live throughout the showcase, proving why they were South Korean music’s power rookies of 2012.
Although the track list was a 5th of the songs B.A.P would usually perform at a full-length concert, the BABYs wholesomely showed their support, chanting the members’ names and singing along with them. The sea of green Matoki (masked rabbit) lightsticks, LED boards and banners was a sight to behold.
B.A.P has been on a roll ever since releasing their full-length Korean album, First Sensibility. After concluding their Live On Earth 2014 Continent Tour, they have been busy promoting “Excuse Me” in Japan, as well as preparing for their 1st full-length Japanese album.
MTV Sessions: B.A.P was a milestone event for BABYs all around the world, and we were left anticipating what the talented boy band has planned for their fans, or rather the world.
Wanna watch more of B.A.P? Head over to www.mtvasia.com/mtvsessions for more videos of that night!
All photographs courtesy of MTV Asia/Aloysius Lim