New bands and new hit songs appear at lightning speed in the music scene, but old music and memories flood back: Big Bang is gearing for a return.
After years of rumors that the band is preparing a new project or might even reunite for the Coachella music festival in the US, the K-pop superstars are ready to add value to the year by greeting and meeting fans by answering the speculation with their new song.
On Monday, Big Bang surprised fans as YG Entertainment said via a press release that the group will drop a new song in the coming spring.
“The band has completed the recording and is going to film a music video for the song,” it added.
The group -- then a five-piece -- last brought their studio sound to the masses in March 2018 through “Flower Road.” And just like the words to the song, Big Bang is ready to greet fans as the spring season nears and the flowers bloom.
Big Bang, have had several problems that kept them away from the music scene. During the four-year hiatus, the current bandmates -- T.O.P, G-Dragon, Taeyang, Daesung and T.O.P -- enlisted for their compulsory military service. All able-bodied South Korean men between the ages of 18 and 28 are required to serve in the country's armed forces for about 18 months.
In 2019, Seungri, who had not completed his service, was a key focus of a probe into a far-reaching sex abuse and drug scandal surrounding Burning Sun, a nightclub in Seoul that he was affiliated with. He then announced his retirement and left YG Entertainment.
Earlier, the band’s main rapper T.O.P received a suspended prison sentence after being found guilty of smoking marijuana in 2017. He has been laying low since then.
The last time the group met fans in person was when they marked their 10th anniversary with fans during their goodbye concert. It was supposed to be a farewell before the members took a couple of years off for their military service. Little did fans know that the goodbye would last more than half a decade.
In their 17th year, the group’s return means more than just releasing a song. Since Big Bang has been away for years, the question is “how” they will fill in the vacuum they left behind.
Each member is a star in their own right and, most importantly, pen their own music. Music lovers have been longing to hear what they will bring to the stage this time.
Although not much has been announced about the exact date of the group’s return and the new song’s title, the news reminded fans that these huge stars are musicians first and foremost. And just like how the cherry blossom season is a time of new beginnings, Big Bang is ready for a fresh start.
After the K-pop act threw their hats into the ring in 2006 with their single, “Big Bang,” the group earned it success with a string of hits.
The group rose to prominence through “Lies,” released in 2007, and “Last Farewell” and “Haru Haru,” both released in 2008, which all topped the South Korean music charts and awards. The band has since stood at the forefront of Korean pop music’s popularity and Asian-wide boom, winning multiple trophies at home and abroad.
The boy band confirmed their global stardom when they took the best worldwide act award at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2011, becoming the first K-pop act to make the milestone.
The K-pop pioneers also went global with “Fantastic Baby” in 2012, becoming one of the K-pop hits to make inroads into American culture, and was also featured on the K-pop episode of the television series “Glee.”
Not only is Big Bang a master of the charts, but the globetrotting foursome are also masters of sartorial style. After fans found out that their wait was over, fans went abuzz with excitement about how the band will take part in the production process, from choosing what to wear to their new release’s cover art. And since the chart-topping group is putting out its first release in nearly four years, many are looking forward to seeing what creative hijinks they come up with this time.
Meanwhile, T.O.P, who also goes by Choi Seung-hyun, announced his departure from the agency, and is expected to withdraw from the music industry. This may come as a surprise, but the rapper hinted that he didn’t want to make a comeback during his Instagram live broadcast last year.
YG Entertainment said the rapper would end his contract with the company soon after the group’s comeback and start a new chapter in his life as a businessman and possibly as an artist.
“We decided to respect his opinion that he wants to broaden his horizons as an individual and discussed the matter with other bandmates. He will join the promotional activities of Big Bang whenever he can,” the company said.
By Park Jun-hee (
junheee@heraldcorp.com)
