Warrior (B.A.P song)

Background and release

On January 8, 2011, B.A.P aired its fictional documentary show entitled Ta-Dah It's B.A.P on SBS MTV. The documentary is based on the story of how six alien beings (B.A.P), who decide to become singers in order to dominate Earth, deal with adapting the life of a K-Pop idol. Early episodes of the show featured behind the scenes footage of B.A.P's recording session and music video set of "Warrior". On January 18, 2012, TS Entertainment announced that "Warrior" will be the name of their debut song. On January 19, 2012, TS Entertainment released the music video teaser for "Warrior". TS Entertainment wanted to debut B.A.P with a different musical direction unlike the "typical boy band route", thus coming up with the idea of dealing with the "heavy issues of our society". On March 26, 2012 B.A.P officially released "Warrior" on various online music sites. A representative from TS Entertainment described "Warrior" as "a feast of splendid and grand sound combined with heart-throbbing rap and vocals.”

Composition and theme

"Warrior" is the title track of B.A.P's first mini-album of the same name. "Warrior" is an uptempo hip hop song that runs for 3:29 (3 minutes, 29 seconds). The song was written and produced by Kang Ji-won and Kim Ki-bum, the same producers of Song Ji-eun's "Going Crazy" and Bang & Zelo's "Never Give Up". Additionally, B.A.P's leader, Bang Yong-guk co-wrote "Warrior". The song's lyrics describes the injustice of the current society and the protagonist's desire to end it. Kaylin Ro of Arirang Pop's in Seouls described "Warrior" "as a song in a new genre that blends the elements of krump and rock with an intense hip hop beat." Ro added that "it contains a powerful message, speaking on behalf of those who face numerous challenges in their daily lives, and the spectacular performance on stage is definitely eye-catching.

Image concept

The members have all dyed their hair platinum blonde. They have personally participated in their stage ensembles, their concept, as well as writing and producing their songs on the album in order to express their unique colors. Through OSEN, member Yoo Youngjae commented:

"I like the platinum blonde look. All six of us are really unique, and we wanted to prevent ourselves from being too different, because we wanted a ‘team’ image on stage. Our company listens to our opinions, and Yong Guk hyung who wrote all the songs on our album is really serious and determined, as are the rest of us.”

Critical reception

Tina Xu of MTV Korea commented " 'Warrior' features a gritty, industrial concept that clearly reflects the group’s hard, get-down-to-business image. We’re loving their no frills, simple style of black wifebeaters paired with classic Timberlands, which, thankfully, doesn’t take away from the colorful production’s graffiti-heavy setting. The song’s strong urban sound is further enhanced by some impressive breakdancing and step dance moves, making B.A.P quite the versatile group." Nancy Lee of Enews World commented "It appears [that] B.A.P has set out to differentiate itself among the pretty-boy male idol groups currently dominating the K-Pop world with a tough, bad boy image, smashing car windows, kicking up dirt and, you know, doing as boys do." iTunes wrote "The title track sounds like something straight out of Step Up 3D, with gigantic drums, walls of synths, and a whistle punctuating the whole song" Yun Seong Yeol of Star News Korea wrote, "The title song "Warrior" contains lyrics that criticize the current social system, which might be unfamiliar to many people who are used to today's friendly boy groups. Excluding all electronic sounds, which are often used in many K-pop songs, they highlight hip-hop beats". Seo Mi-Yeon of TV Report Korea wrote, " 'Warrior' has a fast, strong beat and its fantastic stage performance leaves an impression. This song credits those who live in the darkness of suicide, violence at school and others by comparing them to warriors.

Chart performance

On January 28, 2012, "Warrior" debuted at number fifty-four on the Gaon Music Chart. The following week, the song jumped ten places and peaked at number forty-four. On the Gaon Streaming Chart, "Warrior" debuted at number eighty-three and peaked at number fifty-one. On the Gaon Digital Chart the song debuted at number eighty-five and peaked at number forty-six. In Chart Korea the song debuted at number nineteen and peaked at number thirteen during the week of February 20, 2012.

Live Performances

B.A.P first performed "Warrior" on Music Bank on January 27, 2012, followed by a debut stage on Show! Music Core, on MTV's The Show and on Inkigayo. On January 28, 2012, B.A.P performed the song on their debut showcase on Seoul, South Korea were 3,000 fans attended the show. On February 23, 2012, TS Entertainment announced that B.A.P will conclude the promotion for "Warrior" and will promote "Secret Love" in the following week.

Endings

Each member has been delivering a different ending for each live performance. It began with the youngest Zelo, who displayed a scene of getting shot by the rest of the members. Next was Himchan who collapsed in the hands of leader Yongguk. During B.A.P’s fourth week of performing "Warrior", lead vocalist Daehyun ended the performance while during the most recent live performance, leader Yongguk himself delivered an electrifying ending.

Background

The shoot for the music video took place for a full four days in sets located in Namyangju and Ilsan, and the video let loose the members’ appeal and performances on a large-scale set. Director Hong Won-ki, who worked on videos for Girls' Generation's "The Boys", Seo Taiji's "Moai" and Beast's "Shock", directed the piece.

Track listing

Korean Single:

Credits and personnel

These credits were adapted from Warrior liner notes.