K-pop sensations Big Bang have taken the boy band in new directions – but for how much longer?
Military service is looming for the five young men who make up one of South Korea’s most successful acts, and who have spent a decade redefining what K-pop can be
They’re one of the biggest boy bands in the world. Their concerts make One Direction’s look poorly attended. Their fans make Beliebers seem half-hearted.
They’re Big Bang, and for a decade, these five stylish, edgy guys have defined and redefined South Korean pop music. They’ve defied the idea that so-called K-pop is inevitably sugar-coated and factory-made, and that boy bands are all about pretty faces and lip-synching.
But now, as Big Bang celebrate their 10th anniversary, fans are beginning to deal with the unthinkable: that Big Bang as they know it may not exist for much longer.
Thanks to the threat of North Korea, South Korea still has compulsory military service, requiring all men to complete at least 20 months’ duty before they turn 32.
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That means the clock is ticking for Big Bang – lead singer G-Dragon, who takes his stage name from his Korean given name, Ji-yong (”yong” means “dragon”) and four others who go by the names T.O.P., Taeyang, Daesung and Seungri.
Speculation is rife that T.O.P, who’s 28, could enlist this year, while G-Dragon and Taeyang, both 27, are tipped to enter the military in 2017.