BigBang (South Korean band)

BigBang
  • BigBang in 2012
  • L-R: G-Dragon, Taeyang, and Daesung
Background information
OriginSeoul, South Korea
Genres
Years active
  • 2006–2018
  • 2022
Labels
Spinoffs
Members
Past members
WebsiteOfficial website at the Wayback Machine (archived May 17, 2023)

BigBang (Korean: 빅뱅; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by YG Entertainment. The group consists of three members: G-Dragon, Taeyang, and Daesung. Originally a five-piece band, Seungri retired from the entertainment industry in March 2019[2] and T.O.P left in May 2023.[3] Dubbed the "Kings of K-pop", they helped spread the Korean Wave internationally and are considered one of the most influential acts in K-pop.[4][5][6][7][8][9] They are known for their trendsetting musical experimentation, self-production, and stage presence.[10][11]

Although their debut album, BigBang Vol.1 (2006), was released to lukewarm reception, greater success followed with a string of hit singles: "Lies", which topped Korean music charts for a record-breaking six consecutive weeks and won Song of the Year at the 2007 Mnet Km Music Festival and the 2008 Seoul Music Awards; "Last Farewell", "Haru Haru", and "Sunset Glow". After winning Artist of the Year at the 2008 Mnet Korean Music Festival and the 2008 Seoul Music Awards, the group released four Japanese studio albums—BigBang (2009), BigBang 2 (2011), Alive (2012), and Made Series (2016)—all of which were certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).

After a two-year hiatus in South Korea, the quintet returned with their fourth EP, Tonight (2011), which won them the inaugural Best Worldwide Act Award at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards.[12] Their fifth EP, Alive (2012), became the first Korean album to chart on the US Billboard 200. Their third studio album, Made (2016), was preceded by several chart-topping singles and won the group Artist of the Year awards at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards for the third time and at the 2015 Melon Music Awards. Its supporting tour, the Made World Tour, attracted 1.5 million people and set a new record for the most-attended concert tour headlined by a Korean act in history at the time.[13][14]

Eleven of BigBang's singles have reached number one on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart and have collectively remained atop the Melon charts for a record 51 weeks. Forbes Korea ranked them as one of the most powerful celebrities in South Korea from 2009 to 2016 (placing 2nd in 2009, 2012 and 2014); and they were the first Korean artists to be included on the Forbes Celebrity 100 (2016) and 30 Under 30 list of most influential musicians in the world (2017).[15][16]

  1. ^ Fujimori, Sachi (November 8, 2012). "Leading up to its Newark shows, is Big Bang ready to bring K-pop to the U.S.?". NorthJersey. The Record. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference seungriout2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference withdrawn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Bigbang is going on tour: Get to know the kings of K-pop". The Straits Times. April 2, 2015. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  5. ^ Cracan, Andreea-Mihaela (April 30, 2015). "Bigbang: The kings of k-pop are back". UK Blasting News. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  6. ^ Maria, Sherman (October 12, 2015). "K-Pop Kings Bigbang Fly Seoul's Soul to NYC". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on November 3, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  7. ^ Lee, David (October 13, 2015). "Review: Kings of K-Pop Bigbang Performs First U.S. Show In 3 Years". Vibe. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  8. ^ Bui, Hoai-Tran (April 21, 2016). "BIGBANG: The biggest boy band in the world you probably haven't heard of". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2018. BIGBANG – unofficially called the "kings of K-pop" – are old pros in the increasingly youthful K-pop industry, still beating out newbie boybands and girl groups every year in both awards and album sales.
  9. ^ Liu, Marian (February 18, 2017). "K-pop's growing pains: Why Asia's biggest bands are splitting up". CNN. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017. In January, 'Kings of K-pop' Big Bang played their last concert before going on hiatus – after dominating the charts for 10 years.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference LA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Frost, Caroline (July 11, 2011). "MTV EMA Awards: Britney Spears Loses Out To Bigbang, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Eminem All Winners". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 2, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  13. ^ Kim, Jae-heun (March 7, 2016). "Big Bang's Seoul concert had it all". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  14. ^ "Bigbang is always different… World tour that has drawn 1.5 million fans ended in great success". YG Life. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference :9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference :13 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).