Battle (South Korean band)

Formation

Though most members of boy bands are found through auditions or have been in training for years, the members of Battle instead participated in a popular reality show, Let's Coke Play! Battle Shinhwa!, hosted by the members of Shinhwa themselves. The show was sponsored by Good Entertainment, M-NET and Coca-Cola. The boys, originally six but now five, were hand-picked particularly by each of the Shinhwa members. They were chosen because of their singing, dancing, and endurance skills. Although Kim Jang Hyun was picked during the course of the show, he decided to leave the group due to conflicting musical styles. Dongwan, the one who picked Jang Hyun, replaced him with Hwichan.

Though initially marketed as the next Shinhwa, meaning legend or myth, Battle did say that though it is an honor to be compared to the legendary band Shinhwa, they do not want to be the next Shinhwa; rather, they want to make a name for themselves and consider Shinhwa to be their mentors.

2006—2007: Debut and first tour

Their first single was Crash, a song with a strong guitar and drum accompaniment. The music video was very dark, showing the members destroying various objects such as T.V.s, cars, etc. As opposed to Crash, which was a melodious dance tune combined with hardcore guitar and staccato drum beats, their other song, Icarus, was a ballad, showing their smooth vocals and harmonizing skills. Many of the fans also mention that "Icarus" sounds a lot like Shinhwa's number one hit song, "Once in a Lifetime". Flying Up, the third track from the single, was a rap song with great beat. Their first ever debut performance was on SBS Gayo where they received very little applause and cheers though it being their first performance they achieved very well from then on when they first did their live performance critics all stated that Battle is weak in vocal skills, despite the rolling rumors and comments Battle went on MBC Music Core and did a live performance for the very first time and succeeding very strongly.

After gaining some popularity in Thailand, the group started their first concert tour there on April 30, 2007. Subsequently, their second single "Tell Me! (Mal Hae)" was ranked 7th on the monthly "Top 20 Album Sales" with 10,263 copies sold in May.

After their tour from Thailand, Battle flew to Beijing, China on July 31, 2007. There, they appeared on numerous shows, including the popular CCTV-4 music program Joonghwajeong.

2008

On May 30, Battle's homepage was officially opened and their new looks were unveiled. Each were sporting a unique style unlike their previous singles where they were wearing outfits similar in style and color. Every two days or so, each of their photos were released. And finally their music video was released 2 hours later than scheduled. They made their comeback stage on Music Bank's Summer special, on June 13.

Most fans have speculated that the group will release a single sometime in 2009 after the activities for their comeback have ended late last year. But after a long silence, Battle has decided to have a break from any of their activities as a group with the announcement that the members HwiChan and Lio entering the military on June 2 and July 7, respectively. Meanwhile, the other 3 members will be focusing on their solo activities: the leader, Ryu, on his acting; Chris, the youngest member, is said to be back in the U.S. to study Music in New York; lastly, Taehwa is rumored to release a solo album.

Despite all these, Good Entertainment stands firm that the group is not disbanding.

2009—present

On October 6, 2009, member Jin Taehwa released his first solo single under the name Zin Taehwa.

Although no official statement was released, it has been known to most fans of the group that as of July 2010, the group's leader Ryu has also entered the military. There are now three members doing their military service. However, there are no news on whether the remaining member Taehwa will be entering the military as well (Considering that Chris is still in the U.S.).

Members

Former Members