Meet the real big bang of K-pop
BEFORE there was Psy, there was BigBang. It may be hard for the recent K-pop converts to believe but this five-man act from YG Entertainment is arguably bigger than South Korea’s current idol.
BigBang won Best Worldwide Act at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards, beating fellow nominees Jay Chou and Britney Spears.
And BigBang were your nontypical K-pop idols long before Psy flexed his flab on YouTube – BigBang was considered too short and too ugly for an idol group when they first debuted in 2006.
What made them popular was their edgy music (by K-pop standards) and sensitive lyrics.
It is no wonder that their sixth and latest mini album “Alive” has seen four songs – Fantastic Baby,
Blue, Bad Boy and Monster on YouTube’s list of most viewed K-pop videos this year. The album itself broke into the US Billboard 200.
It helps that like Madonna and Lady Gaga, BigBang love to experiment with different looks and sounds. They have definitely evolved from their Brooklyn-rappers wannabe early days into a slick, sophisticated pop group with a modern electro hip-hop sound.
To no one’s surprise, tickets for their BigBang Alive Galaxy Tour 2012 shows around the world sold out within hours.
It may be to the trepidation of their management company, but this K-pop megastars are lately number one nominees for the Bad Boy throne in the squeaky clean Kpop music scene.
Group member Taeyang said as much to the press in Singapore when they were there for their Alive Galaxy Tour show recently: If they were to make a Korean drama series, they would base it on their own lives. “Each and every day of our lives is so unique, it would be a good drama. However, there’s a chance it might have to be X-rated.”
YG need not worry too much though – if Psy has proven anything, it is that the international fans love their K-pop stars to be not too perfect.
G-Dragon, 24, leader and producer
The fashionista of the group, G-Dragon (GD) got his stage name from his real name Kwon Ji Yong (“Yong” means Dragon in Korean). GD has not only been voted the top male artiste women would most love to go shopping with, he is also considered one of the most talented artistes in K-pop today. Having begun his music career at the age of eight before joining YG when he was 12, GD now composes and produces most of the group’s songs.
An award-winning solo artist, he also has two solo albums, including the recently released One Of A Kind, which charted on the Billboard 200. Last year, GD was inflicted by the K-pop idol fifth-year curse (tagged so because many K-pop idol groups previously tended to break up after five years) when he was involved in a scandal after testing positive for marijuana. Luckily, he was soon cleared of the allegations.
TOP, 25
Like his childhood friend GD, TOP joined the industry at a young age, performing as underground rapper Tempo. In 2010, they revisited their rapping childhood with a collaboration album, “GD&TOP” which combined TOP’s deep, sexy drawl with GD’s unique rapping style. They won the Best Rap and Hip-Hop Performance award for the album at last year’s Melon Music Awards. TOP has also flexed his acting chops, famously for his student soldier role in Korean war film 71:
Into The Fire which bagged him a Best Newcomer award at the 2011 Asian Film Awards.
Daesung, 23
Widely reckoned as the best singer of the group, Daesung is the only one with a solo track, Wings, on the group’s latest “Alive” album, which he co-wrote with G-Dragon. The song is meaningful to the shy and self-deprecating singer, who was traumatically involved in a car accident in which a motorcyclist died last year. Although he was later cleared, Daesung took a six month hiatus from BigBang for “self-reflection”.
Seungri, 22
The youngest member of the group, Lee Seung Hyun started out as a dancer and has choreographed many of BigBang’s performances.
Tagged as the troublemaker, the baby of the group is known for his tricks and impersonations of his
sunbae (seniors). Last year Seungri released his solo album, VVIP, and appeared in various musicals and movies. He became the latest from the group to be hit by a “scandal” – last month, a Japanese woman exposed a kiss-and-tell sex tryst to a Japanese tabloid.
Taeyang, 24
He gained new fans after buffing up and releasing his solo R&B albums “Solar” (2010). With its different sound, Taeyang – “sun” in Korean – was able to show off his soulful voice and sultry moves. The album clinched him Best Male Artiste at the Mnet Asian Music Awards. Taeyang, or real name Dong Young Bae, was one of the first trainees recruited by YG and like GD he started training when he was 12. He was supposed to debut with G-Dragon as the duo, GDYB. Now that he is ripped – he is the fittest of the group – Taeyang loves to tear off his shirt onstage, but maybe not in Malaysia.