BigBang celebrates 10th anniversary

An installation view of “BigBang10 the Exhibition: A to Z” at S-FACTORY in Seongsu, Seoul / Courtesy of YG Entertainment

By Kim Jae-heun

Popular K-pop idol group BigBang of YG Entertainment marks their 10th anniversary Aug. 19. The group will celebrate the occasion with a year-long project, including an exhibit opened Friday.

During a press conference Thursday, the five members talked about the 10th anniversary projects and the next 10 years of their career, including a two-year hiatus for military service, which is mandatory for most Korean males.

“When we debuted, it was the year of 10th anniversary for Shinhwa and I thought ‘How would it feel on the stage if we go that far? It would be a piece of cake,’” said Daesung during the press event at S-Factory in Seongsu, eastern Seoul, Thursday. “But it’s nowhere close to that and being on stage is still tense and burdensome. We are lucky to receive so much love in this fast-moving era.”

Leader G-Dragon said, “The 10th anniversary means more to those who supported us and watched us grow up. We were happy doing what we love since we debuted and I think the anniversary is meaningful for those who have witnessed us come this far, such as friends or family.

Members of BIGBANG, from left, Seungri, T.O.P, Taeyang, Daesung and G-Dragon, pose for a photo during a press conference commemorating the boyband’s 10th anniversary of debut.

“About the army, I will have to go eventually when the country calls me, because it is obligatory,” G-Dragon said. “But I don’t know when it will be and as far as the time allows us, I want to stay in BigBang for a long time.”

T.O.P, the rapper of the band who is most likely to join the army first, said, “Our music does not have to think about the audience even when it comes to the time when all the members get discharged. Young people as well as old people listen to our songs. We will be there as long as we have fans loving us. But when there is no love, we wouldn’t be able to perform even if we want to.”

G-Dragon implied that the group’s activities after military service could be in any form and it does not restrict to the group to just singing and dancing on stage. The leader said it could an exhibition or documentary film like what they have prepared as one of the five anniversary projects.

BigBang began the first part of their 10th anniversary celebration in June with the documentary film “Big Bang Made.” It featured backstage footage from the band’s 340-day world tour to 32 cities in 13 countries in 2015. The film premiered on June 30 in Korea and Japan, attracting over 55,000 viewers in Korea and in more than 70,000 in Japan. YG Entertainment announced it is in talks to screen the movie in 10 more countries including Hong Kong, Singapore and the United States.

The second event “BigBang10 the Exhibition: A to Z” opened at S-Factory in Seongsu, eastern Seoul, Friday. The exhibit aims to overview the band’s career and displays their costumes worn at various concerts along with performance photos.

The highlight of the exhibit stands very early in the show ― the wall of Dukyang Building, which used to be YG Entertainment headquarters when BigBang debuted a decade ago. Their earliest fans left messages on the wall and Taeyang strongly persuaded the planning team to bring the wall for this memorable exhibition.

“Ji-yong (G-Dragon) and I use to hang out at the parking lot wall of Dukyang Building and fans wrote messages to us there. When I heard we were going to have an exhibition, it was the first thing that popped in my mind and I strongly urged them to bring the wall,” said Taeyang.

The exhibit is on view until the end of September.

BigBang’s upcoming Aug. 20 concert at World Cup Stadium in Sangam, western Seoul, is the third project, inviting a total of 64,677 spectators ― the maximum number that the sports venue can hold.

“It is our 10th anniversary concert and it is the first time that we are performing at the World Cup Stadium,” Taeyang explained. “We will perform more lively and festive songs compared to previous concerts and our setlist will include the songs loved by our Korean fans.”

The last two projects have not been revealed, but G-Dragon hinted that the fourth was inspired by Seungri’s idea and it is going to be one of the biggest events together with fans.

The leader also apologized for the delayed release of their latest album “M.A.D.E,” which was scheduled to be released last September, but the highly anticipated project was postponed indefinitely. BigBang introduced the “M.A.D.E Series” project last year after a three-year hiatus, by releasing new songs on the first day of every month from May to August, including “Loser,” “Bae Bae” and “If You.”

“One of the reasons why the album’s release is being delayed is because our four EPs released ahead of the full studio album received so much love that we could not finish it roughly due to our tight schedule between World Tour Concerts abroad,” said G-Dragon. “We don’t know when it will be done yet but we hope to present it as soon as possible.”