5-member group, Big Bang, is the hottest icon in Korean pop culture. Their book, ‘Shout to the world’, which deals with their views prior to their debut to when they succeeded, has become the bestseller at a blink of an eye. Their passion, and stories has given hope to many that all of us can overcome difficulties and succeed ourselves.
5 members of Big Bang has shown ‘nothing can be achieved without efforts’ themselves. They knocked the doors of YG Entertainment, and survived the blood-splattering competition to become a part of Big Bang.
There are a few prejudices against celebrities by the public. They may be a little stupid, but because they have ‘pretty’ face, they could become celebrities, become starts for having strong entertainment companies as backgrounds, their high recognition earns them money, and social honor follows rather sequentially. These prejudices strengthen if the celebrities are idol groups.
Big Bang is also an idol group, and their economical impact is in the scale of atomic bomb. According to recent news, there were over 40 million dollars achieved through music/concerts/etc. This amount is higher than many small companies. When you think about it, many youths around Big Bang’s age may feel sense of underachievement, while Big Bang members earn huge sum of money while singing and dancing.
However, when you look at Big Bang, they are rather ‘friends’ who you want to applaud, rather than the celebrities you may be jealous of. Even from their appearances, they are different. Although they look attractive now, when they first debuted in 2006, they were shy and were rather below the usual appearances of typical idol groups. Usually, idol group members are tall, and have appearances of anime characters, but Big Bang members look rather ‘everyday’, ‘normal’ in our eyes. Their height, excluding TOP, are just around 170cm. They broke the typical formula of an idol group, but they are the most successful idol group, with 40 million dollars in sales.
One of the success factor, is being ‘familiar’ to the public eyes. They are idols of all generations. Yang Hyunsuk of YG entertainment stated that he wanted to make a group people of all generation can relate back in 2006.
The five members of Big Bang showed tremendous efforts to be where they are today. There are nobody who were just picked up off the street, but they all tried hard to be picked up by the company or knocked the company doors themselves. They had dreams and goals from the early age, and they all possessed infinite passion for music. They were not afraid of challenges and competitions, and they were never lazy in practicing. They had to be in school and be a trainee. They made the songs themselves, and were creative in dances and rap. Big Bang turned the typical view of an idol group upside down.
G-Dragon, TaeYang
- were trainees for 6 years, and overcame with passion and by being tenacious
G-Dragon and TaeYang became trainees for 6 years since their times in elementary school. Many trainees give up during the long, lonely times, but they never gave up and overcame the difficulties. G-Dragon debuted as ‘Little Rula’ when he was young, but he did not disappoint in his identity as a trainee. He had fears of ‘nob being the one he wanted to be’, but overcame the six years with fiery passion. After being a Big Bang member, he made songs and is one of the leaders making fashion trend.
TaeYang had clear goal and challenging nature since young. He was casted for JinuSean’s music video through an audition, and he prepared the audition as if he was preparing for his solo performance. After a few commends, he asked Yang Hyunsuk to take him as a trainee, and Yang Hyunsuk said ‘I will call you back soon’. After a month, he went to the company himself, and asked why Yang Hyunsuk did not call back. He finally became a trainee, and later added that ‘I learned that if you have the passion, there is nothing you cannot overcome’.
G-Dragon and TaeYang set their life goals at early age, and bet everything they had. When their friends were memorizing English words at school, they learned how to rap and how to dance. When their friends were exercising in the school grounds, they learned how to dance in the basement practice room with suffocating heat. When their friends were happy with exams being over, they had to go back to the practice room with more tests to be done, and when their friends were sleeping in on breaks, because they were on breaks, they had to come out earlier and practice more. When their friends were tired of their mothers nagging them to eat, they had to smile in front of their mothers (they only got to see them only a few times a month), and swallowed their tears when their mothers turned back.
“Because our ways were different from people, and we did not have anywhere to go back - so we fought with our very selves so fiercely’. G-Dragon and TaeYang overcame their trainee times, and with their passion and thoughts of ‘being able to do it’, have become the members of Big Bang.
Seungri
- learned the bitterness of life since 15 years old through his failures
Seungri’s story is the most dramatic. He was the worst in dancing, but he was confident that he could do it and trying out isn’t a problem. He was given the opportunity to perform solo after TaeYang.
Although he is just over 18 years old, he performed in a dance group in his young age, and he had many failures and opportunities being taken away from his very hands - but he never gave up.
Seungri was fascinated by dance when he first saw a team perform in grade 7. Although he could not dance to save his life, he got into the team and danced. Just before a competition, the team disbanded, and everyone went into their own ways. He persuaded the other members that they could do it, and that he would come up with a new choreography (although he could not dance!). They won the competition. He later auditioned to Mnet’s Battle Shinhwa in 2005, but he was cut before the final selection. Seungri went to SM entertainment, Dream Factory and more, but he failed every time.
However, he never gave up. He wasn’t cut from YG entertainment. However, the failed again at the final selection.
“I was not up to par with other members. I had too little time to practice and being a trainee to learn. Dance, singing abilities… it was hard”. He asked Yang Hyunsuk for a second chance. Although Yang Hyunsuk said the chance he would be in Big Bang will be minuscule, he did not give up, and reminded himself that he could do it. He got into Big Bang, and later performed ‘Strong Baby’ which competed with SNSD’s Gee on many music charts.
DaeSung
- an opportunity earned by being positive
Smile Angel, Dae Sung has become big through the positive attitude. He collided with his father’s opposition, and left home to be a trainee at YG, but he positively accepts that ‘without my father’s opposition, I would not be here today’.
“If my father supported me from the beginning, I might have lost interest in music and be lukewarm. Because he was cold and sharp, i never lost my passion towards music”.
DaeSung grew his dream of being a singer in grade 8, when his teacher said ‘you could be a singer’ to him. His voice was not trained yet when he first auditioned, but his smile has captivated Yang Hyunsuk. DaeSung controlled his mind as being positive, and he still believes that when believing ‘i can do it’, he can actually do it.
“If i did not have the habit of being positive, I might have just kept my dream of being a singer, just as a dream. The only thing I can do is, to pedal the pedal of positiveness when in the midst of failure and setbacks. I smile today too. When you give up on hope, you are only left with longings, but once you embrace hope, there are miracles bound to happen. Our lives always knock ourselves with hope”.
TOP, setbacks have brought him glory
TOP has been fascinated by rap in his grade 5 times. When he attended junior high, he was one of the troublesome students. He was seen by many upper years (for being tall and wearing hip hop style clothing) and were close with them. In his grade 9, he lost two of his friends in motorcycle accident, and got back to ‘normal’ student life.
He wanted to be a rapper, so he started performing on underground stages in his high school time, and was given a chance to audition in YG entertainment. However, he was set back when he found out that dance was a part of the audition requirement. He wanted to give up (he hated dancing), but he thought it would be funny losing this chance because of it.
“If i gave up on the audition, I could not have dreamt of the life i am living now. It is idiotic and dangerous to put the shutter down in other genres of music other than hip hop, just because you like hip hop. I think that if you are a real rapper, you have to be able to rap in any genres like ballade, bossanova, and dance”. TOP is firm in his belief that setbacks are necessary in the roads toward success. He thinks a lot, and at the end of this thoughts, he is ready to give it his all. When his friends were studying for university, he gave up his academics for music, and when his friends were enjoying their university life, he was practicing endlessly in the practice rooms. The world he dreamt was his all, and he did not have time to realize that he is living a different life from others.
“The opportunities become failures if you lose them, but once you grasp them, they become luck to you”.
We’re still trainees with lots to learn.
We don’t know what life has in store for us. Setbacks have become opportunities for Big Bang members, and the hurts and pain allowed them to learn patience and made them to mature. Seungri added that ‘when I feel the pain and experience pressure, people can see a great performance’. ”I know they like the fruits of my efforts, I will keep on trying and continue to push for better”.
Seungri said he read many books; because he was performing solo, he had to do interviews and be on radio programs alone - he had a huge shoe to fill. He also needs to prepare for the university entry exam this year.
G-Dragon added that ‘If you are not trying because you are afraid of failures, you are not being respectful towards your youth and time of your life. Now, we ride the van, and managers help us because we need them. Our base of being humble and trying our hardest will never change. The title of being #1 or record-breaking sales are just bonuses of our efforts. We will forever be trainees at heart”.
- By: bigbangkorean.wordpress.com
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