| Warrior | |
| Cover: | B.A.P Warrior Single Cover.jpg |
| Border: | yes |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | B.A.P |
| Album: | Warrior |
| Recorded: | 2011–2012 |
| Genre: |
|
| Length: | 3:27 |
| Label: | TS Entertainment |
| Producer: | Kang Ji-won, Kim Ki-bum |
| Chronology: | B.A.P Korean |
| Next Title: | Secret Love |
| Next Year: | 2012 |
"Warrior" (Korean: 워리어) is a song recorded by the South Korean boy group B.A.P. It was released as a digital single on January 26, 2012, by TS Entertainment. The song was B.A.P's first single and the first from their first EP, Warrior. "Warrior" was written and produced by Kang Ji-on and Kim Ki-bum, the same producers of Song Ji-eun's "Going Crazy" and Bang & Zelo's "Never Give Up". B.A.P's leader, Bang Yong-guk, co-wrote "Warrior". The song's lyrics describe the injustice of current society and the protagonist's desire to end it.
The choreography of "Warrior" was created by Park Sang-hyun who also choreographed Secret's "Magic", "Shy Boy" and "Starlight Moonlight". The song's music video was directed by Hong Won-ki. "Warrior" was lauded by various media outlets and netizens for its powerful and fierce imagery on its music video and live performances.
| "When we decided the direction of our music, we promised not to make the same songs as others'. So we wrote "Warrior," thinking that it would be good to talk about some heavy issues that criticize the current society. We want to talk about various different issues in the future, as well." | |||
—Kim Him Chan, discussing the conception of "Warrior"[1] | |||
"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.[1] 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.[6]
The members all dyed their hair platinum blonde. They personally participated in their stage ensembles, their concept, as well as writing and producing their songs on the album 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."[7]
| "They've already proved what they're showing on the stage is very distinctive. Their perfect group dance, strong charisma, Bang Yong Guk's raw rap, and Zelo's high-speed rap are in perfect harmony. And Dae Hyun and Young Jae's great voices make their performance reach the climax. As befits their aggressive moves, their performances are very intense. Even top singing groups might have to pay attention to them." | |||
—Yun Seong Yeol of Star News Korea, commenting on "Warrior's" live 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.[12] [13] On the Gaon Streaming Chart, "Warrior" debuted at number eighty-three and peaked at number fifty-one.[13] On the Gaon Digital Chart the song debuted at number eighty-five and peaked at number forty-six.[13] In Chart Korea the song debuted at number nineteen and peaked at number thirteen during the week of February 20, 2012.[14] [15]
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 in Seoul, when 3,000 fans attended the show. On February 23, 2012, TS Entertainment announced that B.A.P would end the promotion for "Warrior" and would promote "Secret Love" the following week.
Each member gave a different ending for each live performance. It began with the youngest, Zelo, who displayed a scene of being 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", the lead vocalist, Daehyun, ended the performance while during the most recent live performance, Yongguk delivered an electrifying ending.[16]
The shoot for the music video took place for a full four days on sets 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 video.[17]
Korean Single:
These credits were adapted from Warrior liner notes.[18]
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South Korea (Chart Korea) | 13 |
| South Korea (Gaon Singles Chart) | 44 |
| South Korea (Gaon Local Singles chart) | 43 |
| South Korea (Gaon Streaming Singles chart) | 51 |
| South Korea (Gaon Download Singles chart) | 46 |
| South Korea Billboard K-pop Hot 100[19] | 49 |
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | January 26, 2012 | Digital download | TS Entertainment |
| South Korea | |||