BigBang’s big comeback: everything we know about the 2022 reunion, from G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung’s new music to T.O.P’s contract ending, plus their 4 most iconic K-pop moments

Feb 9 , 2022

Back with a bang! K-pop legends BigBang are set to release new music after four years. Photo: YG Entertainment

The boy band is ready to shoot a new music video – the first since its ‘Flower Road’ album came out in 2018 ahead of its 10th anniversary and goodbye concert

The K-pop pioneers reached global superstardom in 2011 when they won MTV EMA’s best worldwide act award and delighted fans with a Wonder Girls collaboration

If there was one piece of news that could brighten the mood of K-pop fans, it would be the long-awaited return of chart-topping boy band BigBang – and we’re in luck!

After the group’s four-year hiatus – caused by South Korea’s mandatory military service and then the coronavirus pandemic – BigBang will finally be releasing new music this spring, according to the group’s agency YG Entertainment. They will be filming a music video to go with a new song, too – their first release since their last album “Flower Road” four years ago.

This will come to the delight of many fans after years of speculation and rumours that they might even reunite for this year’s Coachella, two years after they had signed on to perform at the festival.

The current four-member line-up of BigBang. Photo: Handout

But with the good news comes some bad news, as it was also announced that rapper T.O.P will be leaving YG Entertainment after his contract expired. He will continue to pursue other personal activities.

“T.O.P’s exclusive contract with YG has ended, and he will be taking on a wide variety of new challenges as both an artist and an entrepreneur,” YG Entertainment said in a statement.

This may come as a surprise, but the Korean rapper hinted at this in 2020, when he held an Instagram Live broadcast and revealed to his millions of followers that he didn’t actually want to make a comeback.

“If I do, more articles will be made, but they won’t let me say anything,” he added. He also said that he’s been making his own music. A day after YG Entertainment made the announcement, he simply posted the word “happy” on his Instagram Story.

It is not all bad news though – T.O.P has promised to join in with BigBang whenever he can. “As long as the conditions are right, [T.O.P] will always participate in BigBang’s activities whenever he is able,” the company confirmed.

As we await the return of one of the OG best K-pop boy bands, we take a look back at four of its best moments.

1. The 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards

It was the year when Lady Gaga, Coldplay, and Katy Perry were mainstays in the pop music scene and our boy band made history by being the first Korean group to take home the worldwide act award, putting K-pop on a global stage when it was nowhere near as mainstream as today.