Ready or not, want it or not; BIGBANG‘s T.O.P is leaving to serve his mandatory military service in February of 2017.

The star spoke about the impending military enlistment in an interview on December 13 and revealed his sincere thoughts. T.O.P said, “I have about 2 months before I enlist but this feels unreal to me. Currently, I’m not putting any special meaning into military enlistment. The only thought I have is that military is somewhere I must go.  As a member of BIGBANG, I’m continuing to work hard on music and focusing on BIGBANG.”

Lastly, T.O.P said, “I’m spending every day to give joy to the public and repay the love to my fans.”

Source: AllKPop

No matter how successful he may be, it is the inevitable destiny of every Korean male K-pop star to halt his career and join the mandatory military service.

Megastar group BIGBANG is no exception. The group has reaped worldwide success since its debut 10 years ago. Reported to have raked in $44 million this year, the five-member band ranked No. 54 on Forbes’ list of celebrity earnings, becoming the first Korean act to make the list.

“It still doesn’t feel real,” said BIGBANG’s rapper T.O.P. on his upcoming military service next February, at an interview at the Seoul headquarters of YG Entertainment, the group’s label, on Tuesday.

“It’s something that I have to do,” he said. “I’m just trying to make the most of every day before I go, and reach out to fans.”

Promotional image for BIGBANG’s LP “Made The Full Album,” released Tuesday (YG Entertainment)

BIGBANG returned with a third LP, “Made The Full Album” on Tuesday, though the group has been active through various units — such as the rapper duo GD & T.O.P — and singles throughout the years.

The new album contains three new tracks — “Fxxx It,” “Last Dance” and “Girlfriend” — and eight tracks that were released as singles last year, including “Bae Bae” and “Bang Bang Bang.”

The group will continue with on-air and on-stage promotional activities for the album until T.O.P’s February departure. After that, the remaining group members, who have all yet to complete their military services, will enlist “one after the other,” said G-Dragon. “It’s only a matter of when.”

“It’s the duty of every Korean man,” said Seungri. “And that includes BIGBANG. We all agree on that.”

The members spend a lot of time discussing the group’s future these days, often wondering if they’ll be able to regroup years later. “We tell each other, let’s walk away from this anytime we lose confidence (in our art,)” said T.O.P. “But I think we’re able to say that because we have that much trust in each other.”

Since its 2006 debut with “This Love,” the group has infused mainstream K-pop with an eclectic, hip-hop-based sound. It has also set itself apart from other K-pop groups with its self-production skills — G-Dragon composes a large portion of the group’s songs. The 28-year-old rapper, recently invited by French luxury brand Chanel to its show at The Ritz Paris as a brand ambassador, is also hailed as a fashion icon by global designers.

“This is very likely the last album that all five of us will make together for a long time,” said G-Dragon. “We tried to have fun with it,” he said. The music video for “Fxxx It,” for example, features the members stripped of their usual pop star glam, loitering in alleyways in retro outfits.

“We see Harlem streets in American music videos and we think it’s really cool,” he said. “So although these settings might feel commonplace to Korean viewers, it might feel fresh and new to foreign viewers.”

The music videos for “Fxxx It” and “Last Dance” were also launched Tuesday, reaching some 4 million and 2 million views, respectively, in just 10 hours on YouTube.

YG Entertainment’s in-house producer Teddy, BIGBANG’s G-Dragon, and R.Tee co-composed the title track “Fxxx It.” Its lyrics, more playful than the group‘s other songs, are co-written by Teddy, G-Dragon, and T.O.P.

The group will be holding a farewell concert titled “Bigbang 10 The Concert: 0 To 10 Final in Seoul” on Jan. 7-8 at the Gocheok Skydome.

By Rumy Doo (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Source: Herald Corp

By Chung Joo-won

SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Yonhap) — South Korean boy band BIGBANG named “fabulousness” as what has kept the 10-year veterans on a roll, saying the band may call it off as soon as the public begins to m lose the glitter.

“We hate to be embarrassed,” BIGBANG’s G-Dragon, 28, said in the band’s group media interview, including Yonhap News Agency, held in western Seoul on Tuesday.

The five-member darling of YG Entertainment has arguably reaped the most growth since its debut in 2006, and songs from its third and latest album “MADE The Full Album” topped major music charts here. And yet the members, now 26 to 29 years old, show anxiety about losing the public spotlight as they mature.

“If people start to think ‘they’ve gone bad,’ we will be the first to feel that. That’ll be the moment we stop, perhaps,” the singer-songwriter added, alleging “A BIGBANG that isn’t fabulous just isn’t BIGBANG.”

From L: Daesung, Seungri, Taeyang, T.O.P and G-Dragon of South Korean boy band BIGBANG appear in a file photo provided by YG Entertainment on Dec. 13, 2016. (Yonhap)

G-Dragon’s confession shows the heavy pressure that the K-pop band has lived with, particularly with its new LP in eight years fresh out of the oven on midnight Monday.

His remark was seconded by Taeyang, also 28, who said, “If you want to work, you’d better keep up your fabulousness. I hope I can spot (the moment that we lose ours) so that we can quit as quick as possible (without the public seeing it).”

Other members Seungri, Daesung and T.O.P agreed that the group has been loved so much since its debut that the affection may be not be fleeting. The title “BIGBANG” has already grown so large in their lives.

Members of South Korean boy band BIGBANG appear on the still photo of “FXXk It,” one of the two lead singles of its third and latest album “MADE The Full Album.” The image was provided by YG Entertainment on Dec. 13, 2016. (Yonhap)

These sentiments abound in their 11-song LP, with three new songs “Last Dance,” “FXXk It” and “Girlfriend.”

When asked to pick his favorite of the three new songs from the LP, Taeyang picked “Last Dance.”

He said, “I think ‘Last Dance’ is the most candid portrayal of our feelings.”

Co-composed by G-Dragon and two YG songwriters and lyricized by G-Dragon, T.O.P and Taeyang, the R&B pop song is about the fear of being abandoned by one’s lover, friends and the public.

The song is a double lead single of the LP, along with “FXXk It.” As the title shows, the song is groovy soft mid-tempo hip-hop. It was co-composed by G-Dragon, YG’s leading songwriter Teddy and R.TEE.

“Girlfriend” also stood high in major charts as soon as the LP was released on online music stores.

The LP’s other eight songs are hits from last year, as T.O.P has to suspend his BIGBANG career in February at the earliest due to his mandatory military service. The eight older hits include “Loser,” “Bae Bae,” “Bang Bang Bang” and “If You.” The 29-year-old is the first to serve the two-year duty, with other members to follow suit in the coming years.

T.O.P of South Korean boy band BIGBANG appears in this file photo provided by YG Entertainment on Dec. 13, 2016. (Yonhap)

Looking back at their decade-long history as BIGBANG, the five members reminisced about their early career packed with hectic schedules, both musical and non-musical.

G-Dragon recalled, “Our days started by taking lessons from 10 a.m., cleaning up the exercise room and passing out at night. As soon as we had our debut, we performed in televised shows and all sorts of entertainment shows and events that we attended. After that, we returned to the company and worked on our dance moves and kept checking for modifications. We wrote our songs, recorded them, and then we had our own concerts to perfect. No kidding.”

In its fledgling days, there was a time when the camera director in charge of the band’s music videos had openly expressed his sympathy for the young members, according to him. As a rookie that had only begun to collect its own fandom, the band literally rolled singles every month. The members jovially agreed that, thanks to the group’s success, their lives have gotten better off since their triumphant extension of a contract with the agency in 2015.

G-Dragon of South Korean boy band BIGBANG appears in this file photo provided by YG Entertainment on Dec. 13, 2016. (Yonhap)

The members were frequently asked about the “climax of their career” in media interviews, but their answer remains the same. Every new album is a fresh challenge, but the task has become increasingly daunting, according to G-Dragon.

He said, “Preparing for the next album every year has been difficult. Frankly speaking, striking a jackpot with one album is not exactly the happiest thing, because it raises the bar for the next work. Today is the highlight and climax of our career, and so will tomorrow be, too.”

BIGBANG is slated to hit the K-pop stage of SBS’ music show “Inkigayo” on Friday to kick off their activities with the new LP.

Members of South Korean boy band BIGBANG appear on the cover of its third and latest album “MADE The Full Album” provided by YG Entertainment on Dec. 13, 2016. (Yonhap)

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Source: Yonhap