Were they conscious of the criticism and public opinion? BIGBANG is back without any smile
BIGBANG (G-Dragon, Taeyang, T.O.P, Daesung) has finally made a comeback.
After a series of controversies surrounding the members and their long hiatus due to military enlistment, BIGBANG released their new song “Still Life” at midnight on April 5th and resumed their activities.
It is the first time in about four years that BIGBANG release a new song since “Flower Road” in March 2018. Considering that “Flower Road” was a song marking the start of their “military hiatus,” the team has disappeared from the market for well over five years.
In the meantime, BIGBANG went downhill due to a series of controversies among its members. T.O.P was handed over to court trial while serving as a conscripted policeman and was sentenced to probation for inhaling cannabis before joining the military in 2017. Daesung was rumored to own a building that housed illegal entertainment establishments in 2019. In the same year, Seungri left the team after announcing his retirement from the entertainment industry after causing a social stir with the Gangnam club Burning Sun scandal.
“Still Life” was the first new song released by BIGBANG with 4 members after a series of controversies, drawing keen attention. Some expressed their discomfort, saying, “Shouldn’t they apologize for causing a social stir at a team level before making a comeback as the controversy caused by the members was big?”
In the meantime, “Still Life” is a song with band sound as its base that sings about the flow and change of the season, and the cycle of the blooming and falling world. Members G-Dragon and T.O.P worked on the song together with YG Entertainment producer Kush.
It is a calm song with a different texture from BIGBANG‘s representative songs which are usually filled with intensity and splendor. Considering that it is their first comeback since the team’s image was damaged due to numerous controversies, they seem to be taming down the image of rebellion and emphasizing how serious they are. YG Entertainment, their agency, said, “BIGBANG have focused solely on the essence of music. We will try to interact deeply with you guys through a song full of sincerity.”
The music video showed the members focusing on showing their straight faces without laughter as much as possible instead of performing. The lyrics included content that seemed to reflect on their past, such as “I want to change more / better people than before.”
In line with the emotional atmosphere of the song, the release time of the song was set at midnight. BIGBANG drew attention by releasing their new song at midnight, not at noon or 6 p.m., which most singers in Korea choose.
This strategy seems to have been successful. ‘Still Life’ was ranked No. 1 on Melon’s Top 100 chart, the largest music site in Korea with a user rating of 4.9 out of 5. In the comment box, there are criticism comments listing the controversies that BIGBANG members have caused in the past, but there are more comments that expressed netizens’ delight, saying, “I have been waiting for their new song.”
BIGBANG is a group that has the ability to reach a wide range of music audiences, which is unusual for a boy band. Since their debut in 2006, they have held the position of ‘King of K-pop’ for a long time thanks to the release of several hit songs such as ‘Lies’, ‘Last Farewell’, ‘Fantastic Baby’ and ‘Bang Bang Bang’. It is noteworthy whether BIGBANG, who carefully initially returned to the music industry with ‘Still Life’, will gradually expand their scope of activities and regain their reputation.
