[Article]The Big Bang Theory, by Onsiri Pravattiyagul

The Bigbang theory
Korea's newest export gets ready to entertain the Kingdom
STORY BY ONSIRI PRAVATTIYAGUL

Welcome to the world of K-pop madness. When it first hit Thailand at least five years ago, people said it would evaporate in no time. Instead, the Korean wave still holds on to dear life in the land of pla ra and egg-throwing, rich juveniles.

Through its many facets of pop culture (music, drama series, movies and fashion), Korea has been successful in exporting its cultural products and traditions from pop stars, food to tourism. In the world of music, Korean boy bands and girl groups have been treating Bangkok as another Korean province for their promotional tours and concerts. For those who are not familiar with the mightiness of K-pop stars, let us break it down for you:

1) Starry-eyed fans, armed with greeting signs, presents and patience, stand out in the sun for hours for a 10 to 15 minute glimpse of Korean pop stars. More well-heeled fans rent vans to follow the heartthrobs around town, and some even shell out for hotel stays to be close to their favourite stars.

2) Reporters and photographers scramble to get short, precisely timed interview slots, which they don't come by easily, and even when they do, they are conducted through a translator, and only if you're lucky, you get a good one. Questions are screened beforehand. As senselessly short as these face-to-face interviews might be, it doesn't stop journalists from hassling hapless PR officers.

3) The visiting artists play their parts very well, making the fans fall head over heels every second, while the unsmiling management teams are strict and mean serious business, keeping a very close look on their charges. The artists will also be requested to learn a few sentences in Thai. Like we've said before: Welcome to the world of K-pop madness.

Near royal treatment was also arranged for Bigbang, one of the newest, best-selling and busiest Korean sensations of the moment, who flew to Bangkok to promote their upcoming concert on June 7 at Indoor Stadium, Hua Mark.

One of its five members, Sueng Ri, couldn't make it due to prior obligations with a musical play, and another, Dae Sung, was surprised with a gigantic birthday cake and a loud "Happy birthday!" in Korean (it's saeng il chuk ha ham ni da, in case you're wondering), learned by screeching, enamoured fans. Also, Bigbang's management team was more relaxed and less intimidating while the chosen translator was highly effective.

"I didn't know anything about it before. I am so impressed and so surprised. I was shaking. It was such a high to have a lot of people wishing me happy birthday. I don't think I thanked everyone properly before. Can you please let them know how much I appreciated the gesture?" said Dae Sung during the press conference.

G-Dragon, Tae Yang, T.O.P, Dae Sung and missing in action Seung Ri, somehow, come off a tad different than the other normally manufactured K-pop stars that have been frequenting our shores in the past few years. The music, co-written by them, is not the
typical catchy pop tune or a capella-inclined numbers often related to boy bands. They don't dress the same while the dance moves look to be more updated than the normal one-two-three-four swirls.

"Each one of us are highly individualistic and we're quite different from one another. Even when we come together as Bigbang, we're still able to let our individuality shine. I think that also sets us apart from other bands," said Tae Yang.

The group's boyish charm and youthful enthusiasm appear natural, though it helps that they are just 17 to 20 years old. The oldest at 20, T.O.P., seems to be the only group member who manages to sit still for the longest time, but amicably entertains himself by putting a piece of orange behind his ear while waiting for the translator to finish. Bigbang seems undaunted by tight schedules, hovering staff, intense fans and pestering journalists as they answer question after question with consideration.

This visit wasn't the first time for Bigbang in Thailand. "We were shocked to see a lot of people last year when we came in December. But I think this time even more people know us. I am quite choked up about that. It's great," said T.O.P.

"The Thai fans also leave lasting impressions when it comes to dedications. First of all, fans in both countries [Korea and Thailand] are amazing and have given us so much love. But in Korea, the fans don't hire vans to follow us around like here because they see us quite a lot. But for Thai fans, they have to wait for a long, long time for us to come over. We really appreciate how they try so hard just to see us. We're impressed!" Tae Yang.

In the same vein of other long-standing Korean stars, Bigbang was not picked solely because of their looks and each member is well-trained in singing, dancing and acting.

G-Dragon and Tae Yang have been with their label YG Entertainment since they were 12. T.O.P established himself as an underground rapper while Seung Ri has dabbled in talent contests.

In 2006, M-net, a Korean TV station, also released an 11-episode documentary trailing the boys' journey in becoming a group, increasing their popularity even before they debuted. They officially debuted in August 2006 at the YG Family concert with other artists on the roster.

The first single, launched at the end of August 2006, was a cover version of Maroon 5's This Love, where hip hop flavour was thrown into the mix. From that point on, Bigbang began to build momentum and from May to July 2007, the five embarked on a well-received nationwide tour.

A massive single, Lies, written by G-Dragon, soon followed in August 2007, pushing Bigbang to superstardom status. Last Farewell taken from The Hot Issue mini album echoed the success of Lies, sealing the deal for Bigbang as one of the most sought after acts.

Not only were fans and fame won, but Bigbang collected numerous awards, including Best Male Group and Song of the Year at the 2007 M.NET/KM Music Festival. This year, Bigbang won three awards at the prestigious 17th Seoul Music Awards.

"Since we debuted, we haven't stopped, so the fans practically have seen us grow in front of their eyes. They see us developing. I think that's what makes us a little different, too," said T.O.P.

"In the beginning, it was very tiring, but now that we're used to it, it's a bit different. It turns out that if we get a couple of days off, we feel a little strange that we're not working constantly!" he added.

A hectic schedule isn't the only thing that is unique to Bigbang. The mixture of hip hop, pop, R&B, electronica and a bit of rock leads them far away from other boy groups who specialise in saccharine sweetness or simple, mid tempo dance beats.

"Bigbang's style uses hip hop as a base, and then throws in other genres to the mix so that there is more variety to our music. We don't label our music as pure hip hop or pure pop since we don't go to extremes. We like to mix things up.
With an eclectic mix of a lot of things, Bigbang's [unique] style can arrive," said Tae Yang.

But the boys are hard pressed when repeatedly asked to reveal their influences.

"I don't think we can name all our idols. But we take in all influences.We try to study international and Korean artists who are famous. Then
we take apart the bad points, applying the good ones that would be good for Bigbang," said G-Dragon.

Bigbang's sense of fashion is often talked about and praised. By appropriating new school hip hop streetware and nu rave club kid fashion through cutting edge brands such as Comme des Garcon, Vivienne Westwood and Bape, Bigbang has established themselves as style crusaders, setting trends for the youth to follow.

"It's an honour to be recognised for our fashion sense, too. We're not heavily influenced by anyone in particular. But all of us are really interested in fashion. So we bring our personal tastes to the table when discussing with stylists. We try to adapt what we like as much as we can," said G-Dragon.

Being watched at every step can't be easy for the young ones. Not only are they known collectively, some members have branched out to other side projects too. T.O.P has starred in the hit K-drama, I Am Sam, and is getting ready to feature in another, while Seung Ri is involved in musical productions.

"Tae Yang will be the first to release a solo effort, and Dae Sung will release a luk thung album," said G-Dragon, laughing.

"No! But I might try to do something like a surprise activity in Thailand," said Dae Sung.

But, how do the boys handle surmounting fame? "We don't have any specific methods to handle fame, per se. We like the way things are now. We receive warm welcomes wherever we go, whether in Korea, Japan or Thailand. During our last visit to Thailand, we went shopping, but there were so many fans following us. We are really happy when we see things like that happen," said G-Dragon. "Why would we be uncomfortable to have people like us? It's not easy to have loving fans like this. I think when people like us, it's natural for them to follow us or display their love. I think it's something great rather than the other way around," said Tae Yang.

Bigbang also acknowledges that part of their success in Thailand is due to the forever-surging Korean wave in the Kingdom.

"Speaking as an artist, I think, the Korean wave has helped in pushing our work outside Korea to many countries. Another good point is that we can engage in cultural exchanges, which I find very interesting," said G-Dragon.

"I think it's great that many Korean artists are coming over here. We don't see that as competition. We're not worried about comparisons. We're not trying to beat everyone else. We just want to come over, and show Thailand what we're made of," Dae Sung added.