Big Bang (South Korean Band) Life Story

Artistry

While K-pop is notorious for producing highly manufactured bubblegum groups, Big Bang have been praised for their individuality and ability to fuse a pop sound with rap, R&B and dance elements. The quintet is known for experimentalism and for a "dominating style of music that surpasses genre boundaries." During the early days of their career, Big Bang's music was predominantly and , although they incorporated R&B songs into their albums as well. A writer for Yahoo! Japan once compared their early materials to that of hip-hop artists such as , stating that their songs included "catchy vocals, [...] rap and characters." The song "Ma Girl," Taeyang's first solo from the group's first album, was described as "[s]mooth, sexy and bass-heavy," in reminiscent of . Similarly, Seungri's first solo from the same album, "Next Day" (Korean: 다음날, Revised Romanization: Daeum Nal), was stated to have an "intense '90s vibes."

Their first EP (2007), was noted for its musical departure from their previous efforts, with the group experimenting with electronic dance music and setting it as the new music trend in Korea. From their EP (2007), the "-influenced" "Fool" (Korean: 바보; Revised Romanization: Babo) contained a "heavy dance beat paired with a smooth disco coating." "" from (2008)was admired for "weaving in and out of tempos seamlessly and forcing a sense of anxiety on the listener through the beating undercurrent" and hailed as an "experiential masterpiece." They also collaborated with the Korean rock-band for the song "Oh My Friend." (2012) was noted for showcasing the group's voice instead of their usual autotune, being described as having "a mature kind of intensity," with "" being distinguished for including "more interesting electronic samples and production techniques" and "" described as having a "nostalgic" sentiment, being called a "perfect pop song," that "transcends language." Their song "" was praised for its use of the piano and orchestra sound and the composition for "Bingle Bingle" (Korean: 빙글빙글; Revised Romanization: Binggeul Binggeul) was noted for being electronic and retro, similar to the work of and .

The group mixed a variety of electronic music with for their third album (2016).which was described as "career-exemplifying." "" was cited for "introduc[ing] a more mature style" to the group "without losing the images they had enforced through previous releases," while "" was noted for its modern -inspired sound and "" for its "boundary-pushing elements". In "," Big Bang was complimented for being at "their most tender," with the song being described as having a "lush production that evokes a range of emotions." "" was a "mellow hip-hop throwback to the group's early days."

MENU0:00One of their earliest singles released, "La La La" is primarily a hip-hop song.MENU0:00Although their roots are tied with hip-hop music, Big Bang recorded the song "Oh My Friend" with the rock group .Problems playing these files? See .

Members of the band have experimented with other genres for solo projects, thus the group has been described as "rich in variety" for their fans. Taeyang's EP was mainly a collection of R&B songs, with the singer stating that this genre was his "main focus." Daesung's first digital single, "Look at Me, GwiSoon" (Korean: 날 봐, 귀순, Revised Romanization: Nal Bwa Gwisoon), was a song, which drew criticism due to Big Bang's image as "hip-hop artists." For his debut album, , G-Dragon incorporated a mix of , hip-hop, and R&B songs.Justin McCurry from The Guardian said that "[e]ach of the five members has his own individual look, and their musical range is equally eclectic, covering R&B, hip-hop, house, electro and pop." Additionally, they have been described as "artistic superheroes" for showing "versatility and success in whatever they do" by rivaling companies. Their continued experimentation with a diverse range of musical styles and their distinct personalities have been highlighted as some of the main reasons for their popularity and longevity. explained their "strong lead among idol groups" as a result of the quality of their music, noting that "whenever Big Bang promotes new songs, they want to introduce something new and tell us new stories." Internationally, Big Bang is often referred to as a "K-pop" group, a label which they do not appreciate, with G-Dragon commenting that, "We are Korean, so obviously they call our music K-pop. But we never thought of our music as K-pop. Our music is just our music." In addition, T.O.P noted that "[y]ou don't divide pop music by who's doing it. We don't say, for instance, 'white pop' when white people make music."