After a long hiatus, BigBang has its fans jumping for joy after announcing its first comeback in four years. The iconic boy group dropped official teaser images and lyrics for its new album “Still Life”, making headlines and proving that even 16 years after its debut, the group still has quite the hold over the K-industry. Though some netizens have raised concerns over the comeback as the group has been embroiled in controversies, there is no doubt that the boy band has contributed a lot to K-pop and introduced some iconic trends that changed the industry as a whole. Here are five epic “firsts” that BigBang helped become a norm. 1. Fan lights Today, audiences regularly wave fan lights at K-pop concerts all over the world, creating a beautiful ocean of colour as they listen to their favourite artists perform. But the first ever official light stick was actually created by BigBang, according to AllKpop. G-Dragon reportedly designed the fan lights, called Bangbong, because he wanted his fans to stand out in the crowd like true VIPs. ✨ bigbang crown lightstick ✨ — 2021 photoshoot ver. pic.twitter.com/lNgQaahvAG — bigbank for bigbang (@auhcesined) July 20, 2021 According to Mashable, the light sticks also set BigBang fans apart through the shape of the design, not just the colour. 5 times Blackpink’s Lisa proved she’s Thailand’s unofficial princess The concept became a game changer for fandoms. Today, every K-pop group has its own light stick designed with its own logos and colours. Each fan light also has its own name, like Shabat for Shinee, Moo Bong for Mamamoo and Army Bombs for BTS. 2. Celebrating new albums with a pop of colour It’s become the norm for K-artists to be seen with different coloured hair every now and then, usually coinciding with the teaser for a new album release. While G-Dragon was seen with different hair colours after the group’s debut album, it wasn’t until Fantastic Baby (2012) that the group’s out-of-the-ordinary transformation made jaws drop across the world, according to Channel Korea. Gdragon's iconic red long hair in "Fantastic Baby" mv which will alwz make u speechless pic.twitter.com/41BTl97cfP — 빅뱅🌼BIGBANG comeback when? (@gdsetter) August 16, 2019 T. O. P rocked an aqua blue shade, Daesung coloured his hair blond and G-Dragon brought on the iconic two-tone, one-sided long hair – earning him the nickname of “the idol iguana” for changing his hair colour multiple times throughout the year, according to Koreaboo. 3. BigBang’s members successfully launched solo careers without disbanding It’s truly a triumph for fans when their favourite artists get the spotlight to themselves by starting solo careers, but not at the expense of disbanding . Though there are a handful of K-idols who have gone solo without leaving their groups, it wasn’t always the norm. BigBang changed this culture by having successful and groundbreaking solo careers while still remaining a functioning team, according to Allkpop. SBS reported that G-Dragon was the first to go solo in 2009, followed by T. O. P, Taeyang, Daesung and Seungri with their own individual music genres, styles and fan bases. Inside Crash Landing on You co-stars Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin’s wedding joy 4. The first-ever mini-album series Mini albums, or EPs (extended plays), are a staple product of the K-pop industry. EPs are used for debuts and comebacks, and sometimes groups even win awards for them. But before BigBang, the industry only had LPs (long plays) or full albums for music releases. BigBang was the first to introduce the concept of the mini album series by releasing its first EP titled “Always”. It went on to become a major hit with its title song Lies being labelled as the “Song of the Decade” according to Hello Kpop. Soompi also reported that the song was ranked as one of the best by a K-pop idol in the past 20 years. 5 things to know about Park Seo-joon, Marvel’s next Korean star 5. Making a statement with airport fashion G-Dragon has set a lot of trends and broken many barriers, from attending Paris Fashion Week to collaborating with international fashion brands, so it comes as no surprise that he was the first to introduce the so-called “ airport fashion ” to the industry, according to Koreaboo. The group has made headlines for its striking choices in clothes. 👑CITA Y ELIGE👑 Daesung airport fashion BIGBANG are kings #KCAFavGlobalMusicStar #BIGBANG pic.twitter.com/UT9pVAv89I — VIP until whenever👑 (@drawsnaix) February 27, 2017 Today, it’s a norm for stars to make discerning fashion choices while travelling, and photographers regularly line up to snap idols’ looks as they arrive at – or depart – the airport. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .