Big Bang (South Korean Band) Life Story

2009-2011: Solo endeavors, Japanese activities, and commercial success

While the group was on a break in early 2009, members pursued solo activities. They reunited to collaborate with , their label's new girl group who had been dubbed as "The Female Big Bang" at the time, for "," a song used to promote a cell phone by . A music video was also filmed for promotion. Big Bang also released their third endorsement digital single "So Fresh, So Cool" to promote the beer brand "Hite," although Seungri was not in the commercial due to the fact he was not of drinking age. Their second was released under in August 2009 and was promoted with two singles: "" and " (ガラガラ GO!!)." "My Heaven," a Japanese re-recording of their Korean single "Heaven" from ,debuted at number three on the Music Chart. "Gara Gara Go!" charted at the fifth spot and the album itself peaked at number three.

Kicking off the new year with the at Olympics Gymnastics Arena, Big Bang flew to Japan to embark on their . Their third Japanese studio album, (2011) was preceded with three singles: '"" (声をきかせて lit. Let Me Hear Your Voice), "," and "." "Koe wo Kikasete" was used in the Japanese drama Ohitorisama (おひとりさま One Person), and peaked at number four on the Oricon Chart. "Tell Me Goodbye" was included in the Japanese re-release of Korean Iris. The song proved to be popular and gained favorable reviews, winning Song of the Year at the 52nd .Two promotional singles were also released in their homecountry: the number one song "Lollipop Part 2" to once again promote 's Lollipop phone, and "Shout of the Reds" featuring the Korean Transfixion and in support of the . For most of the year, members individually promoted their own work, including the introduction of the sub-unit with their . Big Bang also won several notable awards, including the Best 5 New Artists award from the 24th as well as the Best New Artist award. Near the end of May, the group received the awards for Best Pop Video and Best New Artist from the .

After nearly two-year hiatus as a full group, Big Bang returned to South Korea with their , showcasing songs from the upcoming EP . The album had a pre-sale order of 10,000 copies in Cyworld, beating the record set by 's 6,500 copies back in 2008, and moved 100,000 units in a week. Reception for the album was positive, with Choi Jun of Asiae complimenting the group's new direction in their music, acknowledging that during the two years hiatus, the group's "style and musical sensibility [had] deepened." Seven days after the album's release, it was reported that Big Bang had already earned 7 billion (6.6 million). Its became a chart-topper on the , while four other album tracks peaked within the top 10, including the number-two "Café" and the number four "What is Right?". After promotions for Tonight was finished, Big Bang released a special edition album with two new tracks: the chart-topper "" and the top 3 "Stupid Liar". Their third Japanese tour, , kicked off in May in support of the album. All performances were sold out, and a total of 100,000 fans attended the tour.

At the , Big Bang won the award as representatives of the Asia-Pacific region with over 58 million votes. "Love Song" also won Best Music Video at the 2011 . At the end of the year, Big Bang participated in the .This was followed by a release of their third Greatest Hits album (2011) on December 14, which contained a Japanese version of "Day by Day". The album topped the Oricon Daily chart on its first day of release and went on to sell over 14,000 copies in the first week. It was reported that Big Bang earned ₩78 billion (USD$69.4 million) in 2011 even though they had just promoted for half a year. The earnings included Big Bang's revenue concert for 's Big Bang Show, their 2011 Big Show Concert and their Love and Hope Tour in Japan.