Is BIGBANG’s 2015 comeback officially confirmed? It apparently seems so from the looks of it.
YG Entertainment just recently released their first “Who’s Next?” poster since Masta Wu‘s comeback with hip-hop single “Come Here” in December 2014, sparking high interest in YG fans.
Although their infamous teaser offers no clue to which artist will be making a release, it seems almost certain that the next YG Entertainment artists to come back are none other than BIGBANG. Koreaboo has compiled a timeline of news that have pointed toward BIGBANG’s highly anticipated comeback.
VIPs have spent the past three years patiently waiting for BIGBANG to make a comeback since the release of their mini-album Alive in January 2012 — followed by their repackaged album Still Alive in June 2012 — and after many months of solo activities, tours, and concerts, fans finally heard a whisper of a new release from the band in August 2014.
August/November 2014
The first announcement of a comeback came from G-Dragon himself during the power tour last August in Bangkok, Thailand. However, fans were only met with a collaboration between G-Dragon x Taeyang last November with their hit track “Good Boy.” The hard-working leader later revealed that “Good Boy” was originally intended to be released with the new album, however, YG suggested that the two collaborate in a unit group to promote the single
January 2015
The next time fans heard of plans for a comeback was during Taeyang’s interview after “Eyes Nose Lips” won digital single of the year at the Golden Disk Awards.
He announced that “We are also preparing for BIGBANG’s album. We will be making a comeback at a very surprising time when everyone will least expect it,” which excited fans as the group neared their third year since their last album release.
On January 18th, both G-Dragon and Taeyang posted reunion photos of the five members captioned, “They call us BIGBANG.” Many fans interpreted the photo as a sign that the members had finally completed solo activities and were ready to come back as a group soon.
The next day, promises of a new comeback continued as G-Dragon made a promise to fans from the Osaka Dome as the group wrapped up their latest Japanese dome tour in January.
“Last time we were a bit ashamed for not having shown much of a new stage performance, but this year we promise to come back soon to you all with a new album. To make the waited time not go to waste, we will come back as an amazing five member BIGBANG so please support us with unchanging love!”
Fans quickly grew anxious as the promise of a comeback did not come into fruition after G-Dragon’s initial announcement in August. However, YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun Suk reassured fans in late January that although there were talks of a comeback from longtime duo Jinusean, the agency’s first priority was BIGBANG’s comeback.
“Once we have BIGBANG’s comeback and iKON‘s debut, we will also release a very hopeful Jinusean comeback.”
February 2015
Fortunately, VIPs heard good news as YG Entertainment revealed BIGBANG’s new album was almost completed and that they were expected to release their newest project in the summer of 2015.
“The BIGBANG members have already held onto the strings and strands of the new album and as of the beginning of February, every single member has been coming out to the studios almost every day to work on the production of the songs.”
“Even at YG Entertainment, we are currently taking BIGBANG’s comeback as the number one priority. We think this way because we know how long their fans have been waiting for them to come out.”
To ensure that fans knew that YG Entertainment’s focus was first and foremost on BIGBANG’s anticipated comeback, CEO Yang stated, “Following BIGBANG’s comeback are their juniors waiting in line. All three teams will be coming out in one month intervals. I guess you can think of it as the older brothers kicking off first before their younger brothers.” This was the second time that YG has confirmed that BIGBANG was their highest priority.
While BIGBANG’s comeback was previously revealed to be set for the summer of 2015, in February it was revealed that their comeback had been pushed forward and was tentatively set for April 2015. In addition, CEO Yang once again reiterated how important it is for BIGBANG to pave the way for their junior artists to follow this year.
“This year is going to be the most important one for YG. Maybe it would be more important that the year of 2006, when BIGBANG first debuted. WINNER’s 2nd album and iKON’s very first album are also on standby. If BIGBANG starts this year well, the younger artists will be able to follow up. BIGBANG is in charge of this crucial role for YG.”
The agency confirmed that BIGBANG worked through the Lunar New Year holidays “because there is so much planned for the first half of the year, we are running out of time. They all decided to cancel their plans and focus on working on their albums.”
During this time period through an Instagram update from Masta Wu, members T.O.P, Taeyang, and G-Dragon were spotted working in the recording studio with YG Entertainment producer Kush.
A photo posted by Deuteronomy 10:20 (@mastawu02) on
March 2015
As spring approached, rumors of an upcoming worldwide tour began to surface as fans became restless, however, YG Entertainment quickly dispelled rumors to prevent any misinformation to VIPs.
“It is true that BIGBANG is in the midst of comeback preparations and entirely focused working on music. The comeback timing has yet to be confirmed, I do not know why there is news regarding music programs and concerts. They are unfounded.”
Soon after, it was revealed that a venue had been booked for a possible BIGBANG concert at the end of April and word of a comeback date spread like wildfire. YG Entertainment confirmed that the company “scheduled BIGBANG’s concerts from April 24th to 26th in advance. Since making their debut, they have been holding concerts with their album release, so we reserved the venues in advance.”
However, YG Entertainment also revealed that the album release would be delayed and that there was still no confirmed date for the comeback. Fortunately, YG Entertainment stated on March 19th that the final decision for BIGBANG’s concert dates would be confirmed sometime this week, coinciding with the release of this teaser photo.
Although YG Entertainment has brought many powerful releases with their cryptic “Who’s Next?” posters, the new ticking bomb seems to be an indication that their new comeback will be one of their most explosive releases to date.
