YG Entertainment (“YG”) and group BIGBANG are leaving an “exceptional precedent” in Korea’s music scene.
On November 2 in the morning, YG officially announced that BIGBANG renewed their contract with YG. The announcement cleared many different “speculations and perspectives” about BIGBANG’s position. BIGBANG’s decision to stay with YG bears special meaning in diverse senses.
◈ Loyalty and partnership above it
Since their debut with single album “Bigbang” released in 2006, BIGBANG renewed their contract with YG in 2011 and has maintained their partnership with YG for nine years. Now that they renewed the contract once again, already-strong bond between YG and BIGBANG has been consolidated once again.
In Korea’s music scene, such a case of all the members of an idol group working with one label for such a long period of time is quite rare. That shows the fact that there is an obvious synergy effect between the two, which goes beyond favorable feelings toward each other, including loyalty and friendship.
YG’s head YANG HYUN SUK has always said, “BIGBANG has built YG. I don’t’ think YG has built BIGBANG. Such remark of YANG shows how much YG recognizes the “present value” of BIGBANG, a K-pop singer who has enormous influence in the world’s music scene. There actually have been a lot of cases where a producer and musician created by him decided to go separate ways eventually, because the producer was not quick to catch up with the new style and mindset of the young artist who grows and changes fast.
BIGBANG themselves are also well aware of the fact that YG is the best foundation on which they can exert their full potential. A music industry insider complimented YG’s efforts not to forcing the company’s style to each artist’s own unique color, by saying, “Among all the major music labels in Korea, YG has the most systematic structure to give support optimized for each artist.” YANG also once mentioned the strength of YG, “YG’s biggest strength is that we support singers who write their own songs very well”.
◈ BIGBANG & YG, ceaseless change
The biggest force that has driven BIGBANG to the very top of Korea’s music scene was not just “maintenance” of status quo, but the team’s ceaseless change and evolution. The very basis and driver of such change was YG.
When BIGBANG and YG renewed the contract in 2011, there was a mutual agreement between the two that “BIGBANG make a new start as an artist”. At that time, YANG said, “For the next five year of BIGBANG, a new musical style will be created. I made promise to BIGBANG members that I’ll do my best to make them recognized as an artist, rather than just an idol singer”.
Even though BIGBANG was an idol singer at the beginning of their career, BIGBANG now has become a brand, which goes beyond the boundary of an idol group. The strategy for BIGBANG for the five years since 2011 was to “re-launch” BIGBANG as an artist with new style of music, who goes beyond the identity as an idol group. Ultimately, such strategy has been successfully realized.
BIGBANG’s albums released this year proved how big influence BIGBANG has in terms of music, popularity, and culture. As BIGBANG has now successfully evolved into an artists based on YG’s long-term strategy for the team, music fans have high expectations for how BIGBANG will further evolve for the next five years. It is worthwhile paying attention to what YG’s new strategy for BIGBANG will be. As T.O.P once said in a TV show, BIGBANG members are resolved to grow as an artist, to the extent that they are “willing to put an end to BIGBANG if they cannot grow any longer”.
◈ 9 years+, a long-term plan to maintain and further grow the brand
Many people see that the biggest challenge for BIGBANG members as of now is the fact that they have to complete their mandatory military service. However, YG has a wider plan for a longer term.
YANG said, “There was a slogan I declared when I first created BIGBANG. You know, Korean idol groups last only four to five years. However, I wanted to create an artist who can perform for a long period of time as in foreign countries.”
YANG also stated that he was planning for long-term career of BIGBANG, saying, “Even though BIGBANG marks the ninth anniversary of their debut this year, they are still growing. Honestly, I want to work with them for the next 20 years, too. I don’t mind their military service. Because each one of BIGBANG is good as a solo artist, too, BIGBANG can still perform even though one or two members are serving in the military.”
Since each one of BIGBANG members has their own competitiveness as a solo artist, there exists a variety of chances and less restrictions for the future career of BIGBANG. Considering BIGBANG’s past achievements gained with YG, fans can look forward to a bigger success that might go beyond their imagination. Plus, now that YG has further strengthened its foundation and root, young YG artists will be able to enjoy bigger benefits.
Source: YG Entertainment(OSEN)
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