Big Bang (Korean: 빅뱅) is a South Korean boy band formed by YG Entertainment. Consisting of members G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, Daesung, and Seungri, the group officially debuted on August 19, 2006.
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While K-pop is notorious for producing highly manufactured bubblegum groups, Big Bang have been praised for their individuality and ability to fuse a pop sound with rap, R&B and dance elements.
During the early days of their career, Big Bang's music was predominantly hip hop and pop rap, although they incorporated R&B songs into their albums as well.
The group is known for maintaining tight control over their career, heavily involving themselves in the creation of their music and lyrics, as opposed to other Korean artists.
During the early days of their career, Big Bang's music was predominantly hip hop and pop rap, although they incorporated R&B songs into their albums as well.
The group is known for maintaining tight control over their career, heavily involving themselves in the creation of their music and lyrics, as opposed to other Korean artists.
Fandom
Big Bang's fans dubbed themselves the V.I.P. (named after the single of the same name) and hold crown-shaped yellow light sticks.
Despite their Korean heritage, the group are noted for having an international multicultural fan community.
In 2016, V.I.P.s were named the top fan base of 2016, beating against the fan base of popular artists such as Demi Lovato, Britney Spears and Selena Gomez in an online poll.
In 2016, V.I.P.s were named the top fan base of 2016, beating against the fan base of popular artists such as Demi Lovato, Britney Spears and Selena Gomez in an online poll.
Labeled as the "Kings of K-pop" and "Nation's Boy Band," the members’ involvement in composing and producing their own music, most notably G-Dragon, has earned the group respect and praise from the music industry.
Since the Gaon Chart began tracking sales, Big Bang—including members' solo releases—has sold over 92 million records, and with the previous releases including the sales from Music Industry Association of Korea (MIAK) and The Korea Music Content Industry Association (KMCIA) they have sold over 115 million records, with over 108 million digital singles, selling an average of 4.3 million downloads per title track and 1.5 million downloads per non-title track, and over 6.7 million albums in Korea, Japan, and the rest of Asian continent, making them the best-selling digital group of all-time in Asia.
They have won numerous awards and set several records, including the all-time best-selling artist in Cyworld, most Artist of the Year Award wins at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, and the first Korean's to enter Forbes Celebrity 100. Citing their global popularity and contribution to K-pop, The Washington Post have described them as "the biggest band in Asia" and the Hollywood Reporter as "the biggest boy band in the world."
Since the Gaon Chart began tracking sales, Big Bang—including members' solo releases—has sold over 92 million records, and with the previous releases including the sales from Music Industry Association of Korea (MIAK) and The Korea Music Content Industry Association (KMCIA) they have sold over 115 million records, with over 108 million digital singles, selling an average of 4.3 million downloads per title track and 1.5 million downloads per non-title track, and over 6.7 million albums in Korea, Japan, and the rest of Asian continent, making them the best-selling digital group of all-time in Asia.
They have won numerous awards and set several records, including the all-time best-selling artist in Cyworld, most Artist of the Year Award wins at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, and the first Korean's to enter Forbes Celebrity 100. Citing their global popularity and contribution to K-pop, The Washington Post have described them as "the biggest band in Asia" and the Hollywood Reporter as "the biggest boy band in the world."
2015–2016: Made
After a three-year hiatus, Big Bang made their comeback by releasing special "project singles" for their album Made: "M," "A," "D," and "E."
The first single, "M" (May 2015), included the two songs "Loser" and "Bae Bae," with the former charting at No. 1 and the latter at No. 2 on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart, the second Korean act to do so after labelmate Psy for his songs "Gangnam Style" and "Gentleman."
At the 13th Korean Music Awards, "Bae Bae" won Best Pop Song and Song of the Year.
The first single, "M" (May 2015), included the two songs "Loser" and "Bae Bae," with the former charting at No. 1 and the latter at No. 2 on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart, the second Korean act to do so after labelmate Psy for his songs "Gangnam Style" and "Gentleman."
At the 13th Korean Music Awards, "Bae Bae" won Best Pop Song and Song of the Year.
The following month saw the release of "A" (June 2015). Its two songs, "Bang Bang Bang" and "We Like 2 Party," also went on to occupy the number one and two positions on Billboard's World Digital Chart.
On the music video charts of QQ Music, "Bang Bang Bang" and "We Like 2 Party" held the No. 1 and No. 2, while "Loser" and "Bae Bae" occupied the No. 3 and 6 positions.
"Bang Bang Bang" later won International Song of The Summer on MTV IGGY.
"D" (July 2015) contained "If You" and "Sober." On the music video charts of QQ Music, "Sober" took the number one position surpassing "Bang Bang Bang." (The group did not release a music video for "If You.") "If You" and "Sober" landed on Billboard's World Digital Chart with "If You" at number two and "Sober" at number three.
The strings of singles concluded with "E" (August 2015), with the songs "Zutter" (featuring the subunit of GD & TOP) and "Let’s Not Fall In Love."
The latter debuted at number one on the Gaon Singles Chart as well as peaked at number one on Billboard World Digital Songs chart.
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The combined sales of the singles have accumulated to over 15 million copies throughout Asia.
To promote their singles, Big Bang commenced the critically acclaim and commercially successful MADE World Tour. Kicking off with two shows in Seoul on April 25 and 26, the tour gathered 1.5 million fans around the world, making it the largest tour by any Korean act.
By the end of the year, Big Bang earned over ₩140 billion (USD$120 million).
To promote their singles, Big Bang commenced the critically acclaim and commercially successful MADE World Tour. Kicking off with two shows in Seoul on April 25 and 26, the tour gathered 1.5 million fans around the world, making it the largest tour by any Korean act.
By the end of the year, Big Bang earned over ₩140 billion (USD$120 million).
Announced on November 21, YG Entertainment revealed that Big Bang would be releasing their completed, full-length Made album on December 12, with a physical version later revealed to follow on December 23.
The album features double title tracks, with the first, "FXXK IT", revealed on December 5 for release on December 12 along with an accompanying music video. "FXXK IT" was produced by YG main producer Teddy and G-Dragon, with lyrics by Teddy, G-Dragon, and T.O.P., and additional composition and arrangement by Black Label signee R.Tee.
On December 6, "LAST DANCE" was revealed to be the second title track, also scheduled for release on December 12—it is a slow, R&B track written by G-Dragon, T.O.P., and Taeyang, with composition by G-Dragon.
2012–2014: Alive
In January 2012, YG Entertainment began releasing teasers for Big Bang's fifth Korean EP Alive, which was released in both digital and physical formats in February. Preorders for Alive amounted to 260,000 copies in two weeks.
The album was generally well received and praised for showcasing the group's "progress, musical variety, [and] non-conformity" while "still maintaining Big Bang’s unique identity"
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Its lead single, "Blue," was released a week prior to the album's release and reached the number one position on all major domestic charts.
The EP was a commercial success, selling in excess of 200,000 copies after one month. Internationally, Big Bang obtained five spots out of the top-ten on Billboard K-pop's Hot 100 and charted at no. 150 on Billboard 200, making them the first Korean artist with a Korean album to do so. Their popularity also boosted them onto the Billboard Social 50, entering at number twenty-four. They later received recognition from notable sites such as Time magazine and a photo of the group was featured on the Grammy Awards homepage. |
Following the success of their comeback, Big Bang released a special edition album titled Still Alive on June 3. It featured four new tracks including two new Korean tracks of which their lead single was titled "Monster," as well as Korean remakes of the two additional tracks in the Japanese version of Alive. The album sold over 100,000 copies in its first month of release.
On March 6, 2012, the music video for "Fantastic Baby" was released on YouTube. This is currently the band's most popular song, having received more than two hundred and fifty million views on YouTube, the most watched video by a Korean group.
2009–2011: Solo endeavors, Japanese activities, and Tonight
While the group was on a break in early 2009, members pursued solo activities.
Their second self-titled Japanese studio album was released under Universal Music in August 2009 and was promoted with two singles: "My Heaven" and "Gara Gara Go!! (ガラガラ GO!!?).
After their return to Korea, members promoted individual projects, though they reunited to record the song "Koe wo Kikasete" for the Japanese drama Ohitorisama (おひとりさま One Person?)
Their second self-titled Japanese studio album was released under Universal Music in August 2009 and was promoted with two singles: "My Heaven" and "Gara Gara Go!! (ガラガラ GO!!?).
After their return to Korea, members promoted individual projects, though they reunited to record the song "Koe wo Kikasete" for the Japanese drama Ohitorisama (おひとりさま One Person?)
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"Tell Me Goodbye," was recorded for the Japanese re-release of Korean drama Iris. The song proved to be popular and gained favorable reviews, winning Song of the Year at the 52nd Japan Record Awards. They released the Japanese single "Beautiful Hangover" on August 25, 2010. |
For most of the year, members again individually promoted their own work, including the introduction of the sub-unit GD & TOP with their collaboration album.
After nearly two-year hiatus as a full group, Big Bang returned to South Korea with their 2011 Big Show concert.
They also showcased songs from their latest EP Tonight.
The album had a pre-sale order of 10,000 copies in Cyworld, beating the record set by TVXQ's 6,500 copies back in 2008, and moved 100,000 units in a week. Seven days after the album's release, it was reported that Big Bang had already earned ₩7 billion (USD$6.6 million).
They also showcased songs from their latest EP Tonight.
The album had a pre-sale order of 10,000 copies in Cyworld, beating the record set by TVXQ's 6,500 copies back in 2008, and moved 100,000 units in a week. Seven days after the album's release, it was reported that Big Bang had already earned ₩7 billion (USD$6.6 million).
After promotions for Tonight was finished, Big Bang released a special edition album with two new tracks: "Love Song" and "Stupid Liar." "Love Song"'s music video on YouTube gained 2 million views within just two days.
At the 2011 MTV EMA, Big Bang won the Best Worldwide Act award as representatives of the Asia-Pacific region with over 58 million votes.
"Love Song" also won Best Music Video at the 2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards.
Big Bang later celebrated YG Entertainment's 15th anniversary by participating in the 2011 YG Family Concert Tour. This was followed by a release of their third Greatest Hits album The Best of Big Bang on December 14, which contained a Japanese version of their number one hit "Day by Day." The album topped the Oricon Daily chart on its first day of release and went on to sell over 14,000 copies in the first week. It was reported that Big Bang earned ₩88 billion (USD$84.5 million) in 2011 even though they had just promoted for half a year.
"Love Song" also won Best Music Video at the 2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards.
Big Bang later celebrated YG Entertainment's 15th anniversary by participating in the 2011 YG Family Concert Tour. This was followed by a release of their third Greatest Hits album The Best of Big Bang on December 14, which contained a Japanese version of their number one hit "Day by Day." The album topped the Oricon Daily chart on its first day of release and went on to sell over 14,000 copies in the first week. It was reported that Big Bang earned ₩88 billion (USD$84.5 million) in 2011 even though they had just promoted for half a year.
2007–2008: Breakthrough success and Japanese debut
On February 8, 2007, Big Bang released their live concert album, The First / Real Live Concert, which sold 30,000 copies by the end of the year.
Their first extended play, Always (2007), marked several changes for the group. Though the members had previously involved themselves with writing and composing, the group took more creative control over their music, moving away from their hip-hop roots. G-Dragon composed and wrote most of the tracks included in their first EP, including "Lies" (Korean: 거짓말; Revised Romanization: Geojitmal).
Their first extended play, Always (2007), marked several changes for the group. Though the members had previously involved themselves with writing and composing, the group took more creative control over their music, moving away from their hip-hop roots. G-Dragon composed and wrote most of the tracks included in their first EP, including "Lies" (Korean: 거짓말; Revised Romanization: Geojitmal).
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The EP also saw the introduction of electronic music for Big Bang. Receptions were fairly positive, most notably in regards to "Lies," which critics described as "through the roof." Released as the lead single, it became their first number one hit. |
Their second EP, Hot Issue, released that same year, followed its predecessor's success: the lead-single, "Last Farewell," (Korean: 마지막 인사; Revised Romanization: Majimak Insa) topped various charts, including the Juke-On's chart for eight consecutive weeks.
It also garnered the Song of the Month (Digital Music) Award from Cyworld. They also staged their Big Bang is Great concert, with tickets selling out in 10 minutes.
It also garnered the Song of the Month (Digital Music) Award from Cyworld. They also staged their Big Bang is Great concert, with tickets selling out in 10 minutes.
Due to over-performing and exhaustion, however, several members were hospitalized, halting promotional activities. Despite this, their albums and singles were in high demand, causing the record company to reprint and repackage them for re-release. Riding on the success of their EPs, the group collected numerous awards, including Best Male Group and Song of The Year from the 2007 Mnet Asian Music Awards. They later received the Artist of the Year Award from the 17th Seoul Music Awards. The group earned a total of ₩12 billion ($11.5 million) by year's end.
As 2007 came to a close, Big Bang ventured overseas to Japan. Their first Japanese EP, For the World (2008), charted at number 10 on the Oricon chart with minimal promotion.
Although group activities were delayed due to solo projects, their third Korean EP, Stand Up, was released. Featuring artists sch as Daishi Dance and the Korean rock-band No Brain, Stand Up exceeded the 200,000 mark in sales.
Although group activities were delayed due to solo projects, their third Korean EP, Stand Up, was released. Featuring artists sch as Daishi Dance and the Korean rock-band No Brain, Stand Up exceeded the 200,000 mark in sales.
"Day By Day" (Korean: 하루하루; Revised Romanization: Haru Haru), the lead single, topped several online charts and held the number one position for six consecutive weeks.
It also became one of the most successful singles of all-time in South Korea, selling over 5.4 million digital downloads in South Korea alone.
The EP also included the top-five song "Heaven," the top-ten "Oh My Friend," and the top-twenty "A Good Man" and "Lady.
The EP also included the top-five song "Heaven," the top-ten "Oh My Friend," and the top-twenty "A Good Man" and "Lady.
During the release of their Korean materials, Big Bang released the Japanese song, "Number 1," from their first Japanese studio album of the same name, performing the song on Japanese radio programs and TV shows; the album peaked at number three on the Japan's Oricon daily album chart. Their second Korean studio album, Remember (2008), yielded the number one single, "Sunset Glow" (Korean: 붉은노을; Revised Romanization: Byulkeun Noeul). "Strong Baby," performed solely by Seungri, was released as the second single. The album went on to sell over 200,000 copies. Big Bang received their second Artist of the Year Award from the 2008 Mnet Asian Music Awards. At the end of 2008, it was reported that Big Bang earned a total of ₩36 billion ($34.5 million)
2000–2007: Formation and Big Bang Vol. 1 - Since 2007
Prior to the group's debut, a few of the members were already exposed to the entertainment industry. G-Dragon and Taeyang were the first ones to receive training under YG Entertainment at the age of eleven. T.O.P was an underground rapper.
After G-Dragon was approached by YG Entertainment for possible candidates to start a boy group, G-Dragon contacted T.O.P, his childhood friend, leading to the latter to audition.
Seungri first appeared on the reality television series Let's Cokeplay: Mnet Battle Shinhwa, a show in which idol group Shinhwa search for members to make up the "second-generation Shinhwa."
The original lineup consisted of six members: the aforementioned ones along with Daesung and Hyun-seung, who were both auditioned in. Their formation was documented on television; prior to their official debut, Hyun-seung was dropped. Big Bang held their official debut on August 19, 2006 at the Gymnastics Arena in Seoul Olympic Park during the YG Family 10th Year Concert, which was broadcast the following month. Their first single "Bigbang," released shortly thereafter, contained the songs "We Belong Together," featuring label mate Park Bom; "A Fool's Only Tears" (Korean: 눈물뿐인 바보; Revised Romanization: Nunmulppunin Babo); and "This Love," an adaptation of the American rock band Maroon 5 song, rewritten and performed by G-Dragon.The single went on to sell nearly 40,000 copies. The second single, "BigBang Is V.I.P," was released in September, eventually topping 32,000 copies sold. Their last single, "Bigbang 03," followed, with final sales nearing 40,000 copies. The group held their first concert, The Real, that December, followed by their debut album, BigBang Vol. 1 – Since 2007; it sold over 48,000 copies by the end of February 2007.
After G-Dragon was approached by YG Entertainment for possible candidates to start a boy group, G-Dragon contacted T.O.P, his childhood friend, leading to the latter to audition.
Seungri first appeared on the reality television series Let's Cokeplay: Mnet Battle Shinhwa, a show in which idol group Shinhwa search for members to make up the "second-generation Shinhwa."
The original lineup consisted of six members: the aforementioned ones along with Daesung and Hyun-seung, who were both auditioned in. Their formation was documented on television; prior to their official debut, Hyun-seung was dropped. Big Bang held their official debut on August 19, 2006 at the Gymnastics Arena in Seoul Olympic Park during the YG Family 10th Year Concert, which was broadcast the following month. Their first single "Bigbang," released shortly thereafter, contained the songs "We Belong Together," featuring label mate Park Bom; "A Fool's Only Tears" (Korean: 눈물뿐인 바보; Revised Romanization: Nunmulppunin Babo); and "This Love," an adaptation of the American rock band Maroon 5 song, rewritten and performed by G-Dragon.The single went on to sell nearly 40,000 copies. The second single, "BigBang Is V.I.P," was released in September, eventually topping 32,000 copies sold. Their last single, "Bigbang 03," followed, with final sales nearing 40,000 copies. The group held their first concert, The Real, that December, followed by their debut album, BigBang Vol. 1 – Since 2007; it sold over 48,000 copies by the end of February 2007.