[Article] BIGBANG returned after 4 years, what was different?

This is a story about BIGBANG’s first digital single ‘Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (Still Life)’ the first release in 4 years. As of the 15th, this song has been occupying the top of major music charts such as Melon Top 100 24hits, Genie, Bugs, Vibe, and Flo for the 11th day. On the 15th week of the Gaon Chart (April 3rd – April 9th) run by the Korea Music Contents Association, it won 6 gold medals. 1 in digital, download, streaming, BGM, ringtone, and Bell categories. It’s overwhelming. On Melon, which boasts the largest share of the domestic music market, ‘Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter (Still Life)’ was counted as being listened to by 908,000 people in the first 24 hours of its release. This is the highest since 2020 based on boy group music and a record in the top 10 since Melon started its music service. Although BIGBANG’s songs from No. 1 to No. 8 are already being monopolized, ‘Stil Life’ is the only new song that has been newly named within the past three years.

If you look at the distribution of users for ‘Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter (Still Life)’ within Melon, you can guess the driving force behind it. Idol group music tends to focus on a specific group, but ‘Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter (Still Life)’ showed an even distribution. Women and men accounted for 56% and men 44%, respectively, and by age group, those in their 20s accounted for 45%, those in their 30s 20%, and those in their teens and 40s each accounted for 13%. This is a possible result because of the musical trust of BIGBANG, which has captured both popularity and artistry.

The way the public listens to BIGBANG’s music is also more active. As a result of analysis of music video streaming on YouTube, direct search for BIGBANG’s ‘Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter (Still Life)’ listeners accounted for the largest portion with about 39% of the listeners being searched directly rather than through algorithm recommendations. Compared to BIGBANG’s previous works, YG explained that the topic and favorability have increased.

In terms of music alone, BIGBANG is a group that has taken K-pop’s status one step further on the world stage. Debuting in 2006, he released numerous mega-hit songs and maintained his position at the top for a long time. While emphasizing bold and unconventional individuality, BIGBANG, with its lyrical ambivalence, has demonstrated its presence across various genres such as hip-hop-based electronica, rock, and R&B. The views on them are different, but that is why the BIGBANG is still the BIGBANG. /This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

[Photo] Courtesy of YG Entertainment