How BIGBANG’s “Haru Haru” Changed K-Pop Into What We Know Today

No song has had quite the same impact as BIGBANG‘s “Haru Haru”. In fact, the song influenced the K-Pop music scene so much that it’s hard to imagine what the music world would look like today without it.

When the song was released 10 years ago, it helped to strengthen BIGBANG’s role as leaders in the music industry and really kick-started them on their path to superstardom. Not only that, but it helped shape K-Pop as we know it today.

Although “Haru Haru” isn’t always the first song people think of when they think about BIGBANG, nor was it the group’s first major success, but “Haru Haru” was one of the first songs that showed the world that K-Pop wasn’t just one sound.

Compared to other groups that year, the emotionally charged and addictive track was a very unconventional style. It was made even more so when compared to BIGBANG’s previous songs. But “Haru Haru” proved that groups could diversify their sound while still capturing the attention of their listeners.

The legendary and nostalgic song hooked listeners and became the group’s biggest song of 2008. It sold over 5 million digital downloads that year and ultimately became one of the most popular Korean songs of the past decade.

On top of that, it topped several charts and stayed there for seven consecutive weeks. It also made it onto the World Digital Song Sales chart in 2013, proving that the song is truly timeless.

But it wasn’t just the song that hooked fans, the group’s music video also became a big pull to those in South Korea and all around the world. The MV was so popular that Infinite Challenge even made a parody of it!