HISTORY

Spoiler for HISTORY:

2005–2006: Formation and early works

Before the group's debut, several members already had exposure in the entertainment industry. Leader G-Dragon and lead vocalist Taeyang, signed with YG Entertainment since they were both twelve years old, were known as GD and YB. T.O.P was an underground rapper under the stage name T.E.M.P.O. Big Bang made their debut on August 19, 2006 at the Gymnastics Arena in Seoul Olympic Park during the YG Family concert.

Following the performance, the group's first single, "Bigbang", was released. It contained the songs "We Belong Together," "A Fool's Only Tears" (Korean: 눈물뿐인 바보; Revised Romanization: Nunmulppunin Babo), and "This Love", a cover of the American rock band Maroon 5 song. The single debuted with over 17,000 copies sold in the month of August and later went on to sell nearly 40,000 copies. The second single, "BigBang Is V.I.P", was released in September, selling 21,000 copies that month, and eventually topping 32,000 copies sold. The last single, "Bigbang 03", followed, with final sales nearing 40,000 copies. At the end of December 2006, Big Bang held their first concert, The Real. The following month, their debut album, Since 2007, was released, selling 48,009 copies by the end of February 2007.

2007–2008: Breakthrough success

On February 8, 2007, Big Bang released their live concert album, The First / Real Live Concert, which sold 30,000 copies by the end of the year. The group also began their Want You tour, visiting five cities: Incheon, Daegu, Changwon, Jeonju and Busan.

Their first mini-album, Always, was also released in 2007, and marked several changes for the group. Taking more control over their music, G-Dragon began writing lyrics and creating compositions. The mini-album also saw the introduction of electronic music for Big Bang. Receptions were fairly positive, most notably in regards to the song "Lies" (Korean: 거짓말; Revised Romanization: Geojinmal). Released as the lead single, it became their first #1 hit. Their second mini album, Hot Issue, released that same year, was also fairly successful: the lead-single, "Last Farewell", (Korean: 마지막 인사; Revised Romanization: Majimak Insa) topped various charts, including the Juke-On's chart for eight consecutive weeks. It also won the "Song of the Month Digital Music Award" from Cyworld. Tickets for their Big Bang Is Great concert were also reportedly sold out in 10 minutes.

Near the end of 2007, it was reported that members of the band were hospitalized from over-performing and exhaustion, halting their promotional activities. Reports were later released that Big Bang's albums and singles were in high demand, causing the record company to reprint and repackage them for re-release. Riding on the success of their mini-album, the group collected numerous awards towards the end of the year, including "Best Male Group" and "Song Of The Year" from the 2007 M.NET/KM Music Festival. They later received the "Artist of the Year" award from the 17th Seoul Music Awards.

As 2007 came to a close, Big Bang ventured overseas to Japan. Their first Japanese EP, For the World, released in early 2008, charted at #10 on the Oricon chart with little promotion. The group also held a concert at the JCB Hall in Tokyo Dome City. Their second Japanese mini album, With U, drew criticism for the group when its lead single of the same name was compared to singer Joe's song, "Ride Wit U", from his album, And Then....

Big Bang returned to Korea after promotions in Japan ended. Although group activities were delayed due to solo projects, their third mini-album of 2008, Stand Up, was released. Featuring Daishi Dance and the Korean rock-band No Brain for several songs, Stand Up exceeded the 100,000 mark in sales. "Day By Day" (Korean: 하루하루; Revised Romanization: Haru Haru), the lead single, topped several online charts and held the #1 position for six consecutive weeks. Following the lead single's success, other songs also charted within the Top 20, with "Heaven" reaching #2, "Oh My Friend" hitting #9, "A Good Man" at #12, and "Lady" peaking at #16 — a total of five songs in the Top 20 for the group.

During the release of their Korean materials, Big Bang released the Japanese song, "Number 1", from their album of the same name, performing the song on Japanese radio programs and TV shows; the album peaked at No.3 on the Japan's Oricon daily album chart. Their Korean follow-up album, Remember, also released in 2008, yielded the #1 single, "Sunset Glow" (Korean: 붉은노을; Revised Romanization: Byulkeun Noeul). Its second single, "Strong Baby", Seungri's solo track, did not perform as well. Shortly after, Big Bang received their second "Artist of the Year" award from the 2008 M.NET KM Music Festival award ceremony. At the end of 2008, it was reported that Big Bang earned a total of ₩36 billion (USD$ 24.5 million).

2009–present : Branching out

With the group on break in early 2009, the members pursued solo activities. They later reunited to collaborate with their label's new girl group 2NE1, who had been dubbed "The Female Big Bang", for the song "Lollipop". A music video was also filmed for promotion. Initially used to promote a cell phone, "Lollipop" reached the #1 spot on various online charts.

Their self-titled first full-length Japanese album was released under Universal Music in August 2009, and was promoted with two singles: "My Heaven" and "Gara Gara Go!!" (ガラガラ GO!!?). "My Heaven", a Japanese translation of their Korean single, "Heaven", (Korean: 천국; Revised Romanization: Cheonguk) from Stand Up, was composed by Japanese composer Daishi Dance, and debuted at #3 on the Oricon Chart. "Gara Gara Go!" charted at #5. The album itself peaked at #3.

After their return to Korea, the members went back to their solo activities. On August 18, G-Dragon released his debut album, Heartbreaker, alongside several singles, including its title track. Taeyang released two digital singles, "Where U At?" and "Wedding Dress", to promote his second album, which is planned for release in 2010. T.O.P joined the cast of the Korean thriller drama Iris. They later reunited to record the song "Koe o Kikasete" (声をきかせて, Let Me Hear Your Voice?) for the Japanese drama Ohitorisama (おひとりさま, One Person?). The song was later released as a single, peaking at #4.

For several days in January of 2010, Big Bang performed their 2010 Big Bang Concert Big Show in the Seoul Olympic Stadium. The following month, they embarked on their Electric Love tour in Japan. The group returned in February, with the release of "Lollipop Pt.2", the follow-up to their single, "Lollipop", with 2NE1. The song was used to coincide with promotions for LG Cyon's Lollipop phone. and also reached number one on digital charts. Following on, they received the 'Best 5 New Artists' award from the 24th Japan Gold Disc Awards.

A new album is scheduled for release this summer. While the group is on hiatus, T.O.P, Daesung, and Seungri will be working on solo projects, while Taeyang will be continuing promotions for his album.

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