Big Bang [빅뱅]

Big Bang (korean:빅뱅), commonly stylized as BIGBANG, is a South Korean pop boy band. The group's formation was chronicled on the television series Big Bang Documentary, from July to August 2006. The show was also aired online on GomTV and on MTV Korea. Initially a six-member group, one member, SO-1, got eliminated during the airing of the show before the official debut leading to their current line-up of G-Dragon, Taeyang, T.O.P, Daesung and Seungri.

Signed to YG Entertainment, Big Bang went on to release successful singles and Eps. Their first release, the EP Always (2007), spawned the number-one single "Lies" (Korean: 거짓말, Revised Romantization:Geojitmal). Their follow-up Eps Hot Issueand Stand Up were similarly successful. After they received the "Artist of the Year" award from the M.net KM Music Festval and the Seoul Gayo Daesang Award, the group expanded their activities into Japan, releasing mini-albums and airplay singles. Their material would not receive major promotion until the following year with the release of their first physical Japanese single, '' My Heaven''

By the end of 2009, Big Bang became the most searched artist in South Korea. They also became the first foreign group in Japan to receive the Japan Cable Broadcasting Award for "Best Newcomer", and the first from Korea to receive the Japan Records award. In recent years, the members have branched out to do solo activities: Taeyang and G-Dragon have released solo materials while T.O.P, Daesung and Seungri have started acting.

During the early days of their career, Big Bang's music was predominately hip hop, although they incorporated R&B songs into their albums as well. A writer for Yahoo! Japan once compared their early materials to that of American hip-hop artists such as the Black-Eyed Peas, stating that their material included "catchy vocals, [...] rap and characters". Always was noted for its change of musical styles from their previous efforts, with the group experimenting with electronic music and setting it as the new music trend in Korea.G-Dragon later stated that they hoped "to reach even more fans" with the new direction. In 2008, they recorded "Oh My Friend", a rock-based song, with the Korean rock-band No Brain. In an interview, the group also expressed interests in covering the music genretrot.

Members of the band have branched out to other styles for solo projects. Taeyang's mini-album,Hot, was mainly a collection of R&B songs, with the singer stating that the genre was his "main focus". Daesung's first digital single, "Look at Me, GwiSun" (Korean:날 봐, 귀순), was a trot song, which drew criticisms due to Big Bang's image as "hip-hop artists".For his debut album, Heartbreaker, G-Dragon incorporated a mix of dance, hip-hop, and R&B songs. Big Bang has been called "rich in variety" for their fans.

Following the release of Always, G-Dragon began involving himself with the production of the group's materials, penning the lyrics and composing the songs "Lie", "Last Farewell", and "Day By Day". His involvement was praised by the Korea Times, who described him as a "genius singer-songwriter". G-Dragon himself described the group as "an idol group not born of talent but through effort". A writer for Yahoo! Japan complimented the group for their involvement in their work, stating that "perhaps by [each of the members'] contributing to their own materials, not only do they become in sync with one another, but each person's personality stands out."