I. Introduction
BATTLE was a Korean boy group with six members. Good Entertainment, M.Net and Coca-Cola sponsored a show called Let's CokePlay Battle Shinhwa. The idea was that Shinhwa's members would select six young men out of a group of 12 finalists (from 1,800 applicants) to form the "next Shinhwa". Members were chosen by their singing, dancing and endurance skills. In 2009, it was confirmed that the group would go on hiatus as two members were entering the military, while the other three would focus on their solo activities. As members came back from military with not comeback announcement for the group, and member Jin Tae Hwa announced he joined a new boy group, it's safe to assume that the group has disbanded.
II. Career
III. 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 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 performed very strongly.
IIII. 2008: Kihyun's departure, Step by Step, and solo careers
Kihyun announced he would leave Battle shortly before their next comeback. On May 30, Battle's homepage was officially opened and their new looks were unveiled. Here the next album was teased, with photos releasing daily. Their music video was released two hours later than scheduled. They made their comeback stage on Music Bank's Summer special, on June 13. A comeback was speculated in 2009, but members Hwi-chan and Lio entered the military on June 2 and July 7, respectively, putting the group on hiatus. The other three members focused on their solo activities: Ryu started an acting career while Chris studied Music in New York; lastly, Taehwa announced a solo career shortly after.
Despite all these, Good Entertainment stood firm that the group would not disband.
IIIII. 2009—2010: Military service, Good Entertainment's bankruptcy and indefinite hiatus
On October 6, 2009, member Jin Taehwa released his first solo single under the name Zin Taehwa. Although no official statement was released, Ryu entered the military. Following Good Entertainment's bankruptcy, the group became inactive.
IIIV. 2019: I Can See Your Voice
On January 25, 2019, member Hwi-chan had lost I Can See Your Voice on the first round. Due to this, all members (minus Lio) performed "Step by Step", showing what they had achieved in the past 10 years.
III. Discography
IIII. Singles
[2006.12.14] Crash (Crazy in Love)
[2007.05.31] Marhae! (말해!; Tell Me!)
[2008.06.09] Step By Step
