Big Bang (Korean: 빅뱅; stylized as BIGBANG) is a South Korean boy band formed by YG Entertainment. The group consists of four members: G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, and Daesung. Originally a five-piece band, Seungri departed from the group in March 2019.[2] Dubbed the "Kings of K-pop", they helped spread the Korean Wave internationally and are one of the most influential acts in K-pop history.[3][4][5][6][7][8] They are known for their trendsetting musical experimentation, selfproduction, and stage presence.[9][10] Although their debut album, Bigbang Vol.1 (2006), was released to lukewarm reception, greater success followed with a string of hit singles: "Lies" (Korean: 거짓말), 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" (Korean: 마지막 인사); "Haru Haru" (Korean: 하루하루); and "Sunset Glow" (Korean: 붉은노을). 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—Big Bang (2009), Big Bang 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 innovative and critically acclaimed records. Their fourth EP, Tonight (2011), won them the inaugural Best Worldwide Act Award at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards.[11] 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.[12][13] Eighteen of Big Bang's singles have reached number one in South Korea and have collectively remained atop the Melon charts for a record 51 weeks.[14] The group has reportedly sold over 150 million records globally, which would rank them among the best-selling boy bands in the world.[15][16][17][18][19] 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).[20][21]
