BigBang (; 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. BigBang was originally a five-piece band; Seungri retired from the entertainment industry in March 2019 and T.O.P left the group in May 2023. 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. They are known for their trendsetting musical experimentation, self-production, and stage presence.
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. 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.
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. They have sold over 140 million digital and physical records globally, which makes them one of the best-selling boy bands in the world. 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).
History 2000–2006: Formation and debut
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. 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. At the time, T.O.P was an underground rapper under the stage name "Tempo". One of his most popular tracks was "Buckwild" with NBK Gray. 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. The Internet broadcast of the documentary exceeded one million views.
BigBang held their official debut on August 19, 2006, at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul during the YG Family 10th Anniversary 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" 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 quintet received the award of New Artist of the Month for October in the 2006 Cyworld Digital Music Awards. In December, the group held their first concert, The Real, at Olympic Gymnastics Arena for 12,000 fans. The release of their debut album, BigBang Vol. 1 – Since 2007 (2006) followed. Debuting at no. 3, the album went on to sell over 110,000 copies.
2007–2008: Mainstream popularity and Japanese debut On February 8, 2007, BigBang released their live concert album, The First / Real Live Concert, which sold 30,000 copies by the end of the year. They also began the Want You Tour in support of Since 2007, visiting five cities: Incheon, Daegu, Changwon, Jeonju and Busan. Their first extended play, Always (2007), marked several changes for the group. Though 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, including the lead single "Lies". The EP also saw the introduction of electronic music for BigBang. 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 and the album sold over 120,000 copies. Topping music charts for six weeks, "Lies" went to become the first song to win the Song of the Month award from the Cyworld Digital Music Awards for two consecutive months, as well as gathering the highest monthly sales in Cyworld's history, with over 200,000 copies sold in September.
Their second EP, Hot Issue, released in November of the same year, contained six tracks, all written by G-Dragon, who was also the album's producer. Hot Issue followed its predecessor's success: the lead-single, "Last Farewell", topped various charts, including the Melon chart for eight consecutive weeks, becoming the longest-running number one hit by a boy group. It also garnered the Song of the Month (Digital Music) Award from Cyworld. "Fool" and "But I Love U", other tracks from the EP, also ranked within the top 10. The digital success led Hot Issues sales to be moved over 120,000 copies total in South Korea. They also staged their BigBang is Great concert, with tickets selling out in 10 minutes.
Due to over-performing and exhaustion, 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 for "Lies" in the 2007 Mnet Asian Music Awards. They later received the Artist of the Year and Digital Record of Year awards 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, BigBang ventured overseas to Japan. Their first Japanese EP, For the World (2008), charted at number 10 on the Oricon chart with minimal promotion. The group also held a concert at the JCB Hall in Tokyo Dome City. BigBang returned to South Korea after their promotions in Japan ended. Although group activities were delayed due to solo projects, their third Korean EP, Stand Up, was released. Featuring artists such as Daishi Dance and the Korean rock-band No Brain, Stand Up exceeded the 200,000 mark in sales. "Haru Haru", the lead single, topped several online charts and held the number one position for seven consecutive weeks. It also became one of the most successful singles of all time in South Korea, selling over five 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".
During the release of their Korean materials, BigBang 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", a remake of the song of the same name by Lee Moon-se, released in 1988. "Strong Baby", performed solely by Seungri, was released as the second single. The album went on to sell over 200,000 copies. BigBang received their second Artist of the Year Award from the 2008 Mnet Asian Music Awards. At the end of 2008, it was reported that BigBang earned a total of ₩36 billion ($34.5 million).
2009–2011: Solo endeavors, Japanese activities, and commercial success While the group was on a break in early 2009, members pursued solo activities. They reunited to collaborate with 2NE1, their label's new girl group who had been dubbed as "The Female BigBang" at the time, for "Lollipop", a song used to promote a cell phone by LG Cyon. A music video was also filmed for promotion. BigBang also released their third endorsement digital single "So Fresh, So Cool" to promote the beer brand "Hite", although Seungri was not in the commercial due to the fact he was not of drinking age. Their second self-titled Japanese studio album was released under Universal Music in August 2009 and was promoted with two singles: "My Heaven" and "". "My Heaven", a Japanese re-recording of their Korean single "Heaven" from Stand Up, debuted at number three on the Oricon Music Chart. "Gara Gara Go!" charted at the fifth spot and the album itself peaked at number three.
Kicking off the new year with the 2010 Big Show concert at Olympics Gymnastics Arena, BigBang flew to Japan to embark on their Electric Love Tour. Their third Japanese studio album, Big Bang 2 (2011) was preceded with three singles: , "Tell Me Goodbye", and "Beautiful Hangover". "Koe wo Kikasete" was used in the Japanese drama , and peaked at number four on the Oricon Chart. "Tell Me Goodbye" was included in 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. Two promotional singles were also released in their home country: the number one song "Lollipop Part 2" to once again promote LG Cyon's Lollipop phone, and "Shout of the Reds" featuring the Korean rock band Transfixion and figure skater Kim Yuna in support of the 2010 World Cup. For most of the year, members individually promoted their own work, including the introduction of the sub-unit GD & TOP with their collaboration album. BigBang also won several notable awards, including the Best 5 New Artists award from the 24th Japan Gold Disc Awards as well as the Best New Artist award. Near the end of May, the group received the awards for Best Pop Video and Best New Artist from the MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2010.