Bigbang

BigBang, one of the most successful and influential boy bands in South Korean K-pop, are renowned in their homeland and Japan with several hit singles in Southeast Asia and many regional music awards. Singers T.O.P., Taeyang, G-Dragon, Daesung, and Seungri formed the group in 2006 under the auspices of music firm YG Entertainment. They have had 14 tracks on the Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100 and 13 on the Japan Hot 100 since their debut album BigBang Vol. 1. They have put out critically acclaimed releases such as Always (2007), Stand Up (2008), Number 1 (2008), Remember (2008), Big Show: 2009 Bigbang Concert Live Album (2009), Big Bang Special Edition (2011), and Big Bang 2 (2011). Their fourth Korean EP Tonight went to number 3 on Billboard's World Albums Chart in 2011 while simultaneously topping the Circle charts in South Korea. Released in 2012, BIGBANG's fifth Korean extended play, Alive, reached number 4 in the US, further boosting the group's international profile. A reissue titled Still Alive hit the shelves later that year, hitting number 1 in South Korea and leaving its mark on the American charts. Their biggest hits in South Korea and Japan include eight in the Top 10 in 2012, with "Monster" and "Blue" reaching number 1 on the Korea K-Pop Hot 100. They toured internationally and performed in the closing ceremony of the 2014 Asian Games but the hectic pace of their career resulted in a lengthy break that ended with the release of their album MADE, which topped Billboard's World Albums Chart in 2016. With the singers all facing obligatory military service in South Korea, they performed in a reality show titled Run, Big Bang Scout! in 2017 and, in 2018, they announced a hiatus as they released the farewell single "Flower Road" which went to number 2 on the Billboard Korea K-Pop 100 and number 10 in Japan. Following his involvement in the Burning Sun nightclub scandal, Seungri announced his departure from the band in 2019. "Still Life," BIGBANG's first release in four years and their first as a four-piece, arrived in 2022 and earned the group their eleventh chart-topping single on the Korean charts. Despite their triumphant comeback, remaining members T.O.P., Daesung, and G-Dragon had all terminated their contracts with YG Entertainment by 2023.