[????=??? ??] BIGBANG “tornado” is stronger than expected this year.
BIGBANG is shaking the music world with every track they unveil in the music world. They go beyond sensation. They are a syndrome. “LOSER” released on May 1 overtook music charts for the full month of May, and the other track “BAE BAE” stood at #2. Personnel from Genie music site commented, “The last time the same artist taking the top two slots on the monthly music chart was MC Mong, with his “Miss Me or Diss Me” and “The Happiest Time of My Life” in November 2014. BIGBANG is the first in 6 months.” The overall viewers on YouTube of their music videos add to 50 million.
BIGBANG’s power is to be continued on June as well. “BANG BANG BANG” released on June 2 swept across music charts immediately after revelation, and the other track “WE LIKE 2 PARTY” stands at #2. “LOSER” and “BAE BAE” were ranked at #5 and #7 on South Korea’s largest music chart Melon, which means BIGBANG occupied a whopping four slots in the top 10. Certainly a proof of “BIGBANG power.”
With the music consumption period shortening nowadays, one artist taking over the chart for more than one month is unprecedented. For male idol groups whose target mainly consists of teenagers, it is even harder as music charts reflect the preference of the overall population. This fact adds even more value to BIGBANG.
Experts say that the main factor of BIGBANG’s success is their musical talent. Popular music critic Kang Tae Gyu comments, “For ‘BANG BANG BANG,’ BIGBANG’s liberal feel and the sentiment of their age group are well expressed.” He added, “Apart from the lyrics, sounds including the melody and the rearrangement reflects the trend well and they are very talented in doing so.”
Another critic Seong Si Gwon commented, “For an idol group, their music has such a solid foundation. Just look at ‘LIES.’ It does not lag behind those tracks that are in the top range of Billboard.”
BIGBANG’s solid fandom plays a significant role as well. About BIGBANG’s excellent performance every time they release an album, Kang explains, “This is the solid foundation of fandom they have.” The volume of BIGBANG’s music consumption is simply incomparable. That helps them stand at the top of charts for such an extended period of time. Seong added, “BIGBANG is very strategic in their marketing. They could have just unveiled all the 10 songs at once, but they do it one by one consecutively. This triggers the curiosity of the fans. It creates synergy. Fans would feel like they are given a birthday present every month.”
He continued, “BIGBANG’s friendly character also contributes to their success. Their music is approachable and also very addictive. This is the secret to their long run in the Korean pop music market.”
However, they expressed their concerns of BIGBANG dominating the idol market. Kang said, “Other music of the opposite spectrum is not co-existing in the music world, and that is something to think about. We do not have that balance where H.O.T and Sechs Kies were rivals in the old time. The music did not develop to the current time. However, this also shows that there are no other teams that can survive against BIGBANG.”
2015. 6. 2.
