MUSIC
Controversy Surrounds AKMU's Lee Chan-hyuk and His Project Band 'BABO'
On October 15, cultural critic Kim Do-heon took to social media to criticize a band without naming them directly. He wrote, "Earlier this year, I attended a club performance in Hongdae. The crowd was much larger than usual, even before the doors opened. The band that drew them in didn't even share the waiting room with other bands."
Kim continued, "After watching a foolish performance last night, I wanted to ask: What is the purpose of forming a band? Why travel all the way to a music festival, especially one as far as the DMZ Festival, just to play pretend? Should we just accept it as a celebrity's hobby? I genuinely wondered."
Netizens speculated that the band Kim criticized was BABO, led by Lee Chan-hyuk. On October 14, Lee performed with BABO at the DMZ Festival, which Kim attended.
Criticism of BABO continued online. A self-proclaimed fan of Lee Chan-hyuk commented, "I love Lee Chan-hyuk as a musician, but I can't accept this. If he plans to continue performing on indie stages, he needs to consider the people within the industry."
The fan added, "Everyone knows it's Lee Chan-hyuk behind the mask, so why maintain this mystique that alienates the audience and harms industry insiders? It's all too deceptive." This statement resonated with many, garnering around 1,000 shares.
Other netizens criticized BABO's approach, saying, "Wearing masks and performing one-sided shows prevents audience connection," "Lee Chan-hyuk doesn't respect the indie scene," and "Despite debuting only six months ago, they take prime slots at festivals."
Meanwhile, BABO debuted as a new band on December 31 last year with their album 'b'. The members, known as chicken, dog, and bull, perform anonymously, wearing masks to conceal their identities.
