Breakthrough

On February 8, 2007, Big Bang released their live concert album, The First / Real Live
Concert, which sold 30,000 copies by the end of the year.
They also inititated their Want You Tour in support of Since 2007, visiting five
cities: Incheon, Daegu, Changwon, Jeonju and Busan.

1) Their first extended play, Always (2007), marked several changes for the group.
+ Though members had previously involved themselves with writing and
composing, the group took more creative control over their music, moving away from
their hip-hop roots. G-Dragon composed and wrote most of the tracks, including the
lead single "Lies".
+ The EP also saw the introduction of electronic music for Big Bang.
Receptions were fairly positive, most notably in regards to "Lies," which critics
described as "through the roof." Released as the lead single, it became their first
number one hit and the album sold over 120,000 copies.[39]

2) Their second EP, Hot Issue, released that same year

+ The lead-single, "Last Farewell," also topped various charts, including the
Juke-On's chart for eight consecutive weeks. It also garnered the Song of the Month
(Digital Music) Award from Cyworld, leading Hot Issue's sales to moved over 120,000
copies total in South Korea.
+ They also staged their Big Bang is Great concert, with tickets selling out in 10
minutes
+ Due to over-performing and exhaustion, several members were hospitalized,
halting promotional activities. Despite this, their albums and singles were in high
demand, causing the record company to reprint and repackage them for re-release.

3) Riding on the success of their EPs, the group collected numerous awards, including
Best Male Group and Song of The Year from the 2007 Mnet Asian Music Awards.
They later received the Artist of the Year Award from the 17th Seoul Music Awards.

The group earned a total of ₩12 billion ($11.5 million) by

year's end.

4) As 2007 came to a close, Big Bang ventured overseas to Japan.

- Their first Japanese EP, For the World (2008), charted at number 10 on the
Oricon chart with minimal promotion.
- The group also held a concert at the JCB Hall in Tokyo Dome City.
Big Bang returned to South Korea after their promotions in Japan ended.
5) Although group activities were delayed due to solo projects, their third Korean
EP, Stand Up, was released.
+ Featuring artists such as Daishi Dance and the Korean rock-band No
Brain, Stand Up exceeded the 200,000 mark in sales.
+ "Day by Day," the lead single, topped several online charts and held the
number one position for six consecutive weeks.
+
It also became one of the most successful singles of all-time in South Korea,
selling over five million digital downloads in South Korea alone.
+ The EP also included: the top-five song "Heaven," the top-ten "Oh My
Friend", the top-twenty "A Good Man" and "Lady."

6) During the release of their Korean materials, Big Bang released the Japanese
song, "Number 1"
+ It was released from their first Japanese studio album of the same name,
performing the song on Japanese radio programs and TV shows
+ The album peaked at number three on the Japan's Oricon daily album chart.

7) Their second Korean studio album, Remember (2008), yielded the number one
single, "Sunset Glow".
+ "Strong Baby," performed solely by Seungri, was released as the second
single. The album went on to sell over 200,000 copies.
+ Big Bang received their second Artist of the Year Award from the 2008 Mnet
Asian Music Awards.

At the end of 2008, it was reported that Big Bang earned

a total of ₩36 billion ($34.5 million).
Solo activities
After Big Bang finished their world tour, the members shifted their focus to
promoting solo activities.

T.O.P
In 2007
- He was featured with fellow Big Bang members Taeyang and G-Dragon on
singer Lexy's single "Super Fly" for her album Rush.
- Later that summer, he appeared as an actor in Red Roc's "Hello" music
video.
- He became the first member of Big Bang to venture into acting, starring in
the KBS2 drama I Am Sam
- He also became a host of MBC's music program Music Core.
In 2008
He collaborated with label-mate Gummy on the song "I'm Sorry" for her
album Comfort, veteran singer Uhm Jung-hwa for her single "D.I.S.C.O." and
ZiA for her single "I Only See You".
In 2009
- He portrayed the assassin Vick in the critically acclaimed Korean television
drama Iris.
- He also recorded the song "Hallelujah" for the drama's soundtrack with
Taeyang and G-Dragon.
- Following Iris, T.O.P. starred in the suspense film 19-Nineteen along with
fellow member Seungri. The duo released the single "Because" for the movie's
soundtrack.
In 2010
- T.O.P's performance in the 2010 war drama film 71: Into the Fire earned
him several Best New Actor awards at local award.
- Simultaneously, T.O.P began to prepare for his solo musical debut. During
Big Bang's Big Show Concert in January 2010, T.O.P. performed his new single
"Turn It Up". He became the first Korean artist to have his song released
worldwide on iTunes.
- Later that year, T.O.P and bandmate G-Dragon formed a subunit to release
the album GD & TOP (2010). Three singles were released in support of the
album: "High High", "Oh Yeah", and "Knock Out". All three singles preceded the
release of the album and attained commercial successes: "Knock Out" was a
chart topper while "Oh Yeah" and "High High" both peaked at number two and
number three respectively.
.
Taeyang
In 2007
He was featured with fellow Big Bang members T.O.P and G-Dragon on
singer Lexy's single "Super Fly" for her album Rush.
In 2008
- Taeyang released the EP Hot, backed by a production team including his
fellow member G-Dragon. Moving beyond the hip-hop genre of Big Bang,
Taeyang incorporated mainly R&B songs into his album, stating that it was his
"main focus".
-
The EP produced two singles: "Only Look at Me", an R&B song written by
Teddy and Kush, and "Prayer, which featured Teddy. Promotional videos were
shot for both.
- He also staged his first solo concert, the Hot Concert Series. He later
received two awards from the 7th Korean Music Awards: Best R&B/Soul Song
for "Only Look At Me" and Best R&B/Soul Album for Hot.
In 2009
He went back to the studio to record new solo materials. Two digital singles
were released: "Where U At" and "Wedding Dress" with promotional videos.
The latter single was voted number three on an online poll for a Dutch radio
station.
In 2010
Taeyang's first full-length album Solar was released in July 2010 in two
versions: a "Regular Edition" and a "Deluxe Edition". Two singles were released
for promotions: "I Need A Girl" and "I'll Be There". Taeyang won the "Best Male
Artist" award at the 2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

G-Dragon
In 2007
Along with Taeyang and T.O.P, G-Dragon was featured on singer Lexy's song
"Super Fly" for her album Rush.
In 2008
After helping produce Taeyang's debut album, he recorded his own version of
the album's lead single "Only Look at Me", titled as the "Only Look At Me Part
2" to the song.
In 2009
- He collaborated with the Japanese boy band W-inds. for their single, "Rain
Is Fallin'/Hybrid Dream".
 - G-Dragon released his debut solo album Heartbreaker, featuring
collaborations with several artists, including Taeyang, CL of 2NE1, and
Sandara Park of 2NE1.
- The album sold over 200,000 copies and went on to win Album of the Year
from the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards.
In 2010
- On March 6, 2010, YG Entertainment announced that they personally
contacted Flo Rida's representatives requesting that he feature in G-Dragon's
live album, Shine a Light, to which Flo Rida accepted.
- In support of his album, G-Dragon staged his first solo concert at
the Olympic Park in December 2009.
- In November 2010, YG Entertainment announced the collaboration
album from G-Dragon and bandmate T.O.P
In 2011
G-Dragon then formed a duo with Park Myung Soo and released their song
"Having an Affair featuring Park Bom from 2NE1 on June 2, 2011. The song
later went to become the second most downloaded song on Gaon Music
Chart for the year 2011.

Daesung
In 2008
- Daesung released his first trot single "Look at Me, Gwisoon"
- He joined SBS reality variety show Family Outing as a permanent cast
member.
- He also made his musical debut in Korean production of Cats, playing the
role of Rum Tum Tugger.
- Daesung then became a host forMBC's music program Show! Music Core,
alongside fellow member Seungri.
In 2009
- Daesung released his second trot single titled "Big Hit"
- He was also scheduled to join bandmate Seungri in the autobiographical
musical Shouting.
In 2010
- Daesung released a new single, "Cotton Candy" at the end of January
2010.
- Daesung began his shoot for MBC's pre-produced musical drama What's
Up. "Lunatic", a track sung by Daesung for the drama's OST, was also released
online on the same day.
 - Since November 2010, Daesung also became a host for the variety-talk
show Night After Night
- Daesung recorded a duet with Family Outing co-star Lee Hyori titled "How
Did We Get", featured on the latter's album.
In 2011
Daesung released a solo song, "Baby Don't Cry", which was included in Big
Bang's 4th mini album. The song was first performed in Big Show 2011 concert
in February.

Seungri
In 2008
- Seungri became the first member of Big Bang to act in a musical
with Sonagi in 2008.
- He also ventured into hosting, becoming a host for MBC's music program
Show! Music Core alongside Daesung.
- He released “Strong Baby” and won his first triple crown for "Strong Baby"
on SBS's live music show Inkigayo.
In 2009
- Seungri returned to acting and starred in his first film Why Did You Come to
My House?
- He then starred in his second musical Shouting, replacing bandmate
Daesung, who was unable to perform at the last minute due to a car accident.
- The same year, he also starred in the film 19-Nineteen alongside fellow
member T.O.P.
In 2011
- Seungri's first extended play, VVIP, was released on January 20, 2011 with
two singles: "VVIP" and "What Can I Do." Seungri involved himself in the
production of the album, composing and writing six out of the seven songs