Big Bang (South Korean Band) Life Story

2007-2008: Breakthrough success and Japanese debut

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. They also began the in support of Since 2007, visiting five cities: , , , and .Their first extended play, (2007), marked several changes for the group. Though members had previously involved themselves with writing and composing, the group took more creative control over their music, moving away from their hip-hop roots. G-Dragon composed and wrote most of the tracks, including the lead single "." The EP also saw the introduction of for Big Bang. Receptions were fairly positive, most notably in regards to "Lies," which critics described as "through the roof."Released as the lead single, it became their first number one hit and the album sold over 120,000 copies.Topping music charts for six weeks, "Lies" went to become the first song to win the Song of the Month award from the for two consecutive months, as well as gathering the highest monthly sales in Cyworld's history, with over 200,000 copies sold in September.

Their second EP, , released in November of the same year, contained six tracks all written by G-Dragon, who was also the album's producer.Hot Issue followed its predecessor's success: the lead-single, "," topped various charts, including the chart for eight consecutive weeks, becoming the longest-running number one hit by a boy group. It also garnered the Song of the Month (Digital Music) Award from Cyworld. "Fool" and "But I Love U", other tracks from the EP, also ranked within the top 10. The digital success lead Hot Issue's sales to be moved over 120,000 copies total in South Korea. They also staged their Big Bang is Great concert, with tickets selling out in 10 minutes.

MENU0:00Big Bang took a new direction with the release of their song "Lies" by incorporating into their style. The song eventually became their break-out hit.MENU0:00"Day by Day," which continued the group's experimentation with electronic genre, went on to become one of their strongest singles, topping the charts for seven consecutive weeks.Problems playing these files? See .

Due to over-performing and exhaustion, several members were hospitalized, halting promotional activities. Despite this, their 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 EPs, the group collected numerous awards, including Best Male Group and Song of The Year for "Lies" in the . They later received the Artist of the Year and Digital Record of Year awards from the 17th . The group earned a total of 12 billion (11.5 million) by year's end.

As 2007 came to a close, Big Bang ventured overseas to . Their first Japanese EP, (2008),charted at number 10 on the chart with minimal promotion. The group also held a concert at the in . Big Bang returned to South Korea after their promotions in Japan ended. Although group activities were delayed due to solo projects, their third Korean EP, , was released. Featuring artists such as and the Korean rock-band , Stand Up exceeded the 200,000 mark in sales. "," the lead single, topped several online charts and held the number one position for seven consecutive weeks. It also became one of the most successful singles of all-time in , selling over five million digital downloads in South Korea alone. The EP also included the top-five song "Heaven," (Korean: 천국; Revised Romanization: Cheonguk) the top-ten "Oh My Friend," and the top-twenty "A Good Man" (Korean: 착한 사람; Revised Romanization: Chaghan Salam) and "Lady."

During the release of their Korean materials, Big Bang released the Japanese song, "Number 1," from their , performing the song on Japanese radio programs and TV shows; the album peaked at number three on the Japan's Oricon daily album chart. Their second Korean studio album, (2008), yielded the number one single, "", a remake of the song of the same name by , released in 1988. "Strong Baby," performed solely by Seungri, was released as the second single. The album went on to sell over 200,000 copies. Big Bang received their second Artist of the Year Award from the 2008 Mnet Asian Music Awards. At the end of 2008, it was reported that Big Bang earned a total of 36 billion (34.5 million).