Big Bang x Uniqlo shirts sell out within 15 minutes... not! [NEWS]

Big Bang x Uniqlo shirts sell out within 15 minutes... not! [NEWS]

Just a quick info since it has been reported on Nate (translated below) that BIGBANG x UNIQLO shirts were sold out in 15 minutes. One of our teammates, Noriko, went to the Harajuku outlet (where they specially designed the store with BB stuff) and she actually stayed there for about an hour going through the shirts and buying. They were able to sell a lot and some shelves got emptied but not that fast. Items which sold out really fast were the shirts and hoodies that were only available in the Harajuku store. Tisya also went to another outlet and was still able to purchase some shirts. I think the "15 minutes" bit is just really for PR, which is also, of course, good for the boys. Just want to share the info ;)

Article:

Big Bang set an amazing record by selling out all their UNIQLO T-shirts within 15 minutes after they went on sale.

On February 5th, 825 UNIQLO stores across Japan began retailing special Big Bang T-shirts in celebration of the group’s upcoming tour. The brand boasted 10 different designs for the collaboration, and according to the company, every single Big Bang item was sold out within 15 minutes of the stores’ opening.

As of the 6th, fans who were unable to purchase the shirts have been expressing their disappointment by uploading pictures of empty shelves.

The Japanese media were amazed by the hundreds of fan-consumers who lined up outside of the stores before they even opened. For example, the line-up for the Harajuku location stretched all the way to Shibuya, freezing traffic in the area.

Source: via allkpop

Taeyang's HOT, among the 100 best albums of the decade [NEWS]

Taeyang's HOT, among the 100 best albums of the decade [NEWS]

The list has been posted here before but I think the translation of the review/critique wasn't posted yet. Here it is:



100 Best Albums of the 2000’s
Korean: 79th. Taeyang [HOT] (2008)

It was somewhat unexpected that the first solo entrant of Big Bang is Taeyang. Compared with G-dragon or T.O.P, who openly show their individual impressions and dynamic energy, Taeyang has had a relatively docile image. But the moment [HOT] was released, we could recognize his long patience and step by step preparations. He looked like he had been preparing everything to be an entertainer – not only the album, but also embracing songs that are not easy, perfecting his performance, and developing a muscular visual.


Thanks to that, at the time this album was released, Taeyang came into the spotlight [in a manner] that is close to a syndrome. His star quality has been proven as not Big Bang’s Taeyang but Taeyang himself. For example, Taeyang was practically perfect in the music video of ‘Look Only At Me’, but apart from the visual, the perfection of the album itself was worth it on its own merits. Except for the intro, the five songs were flawless enough for each to be released as a single. It is a 2-year old album, but still sounds polished even now, and it has every element that an Urban R&B record should possess.

Taeyang’s [HOT] is a vivid example that shows the result when a singer’s clear vision and approach to reach his goals merge with his personal talent and appropriate training. Such cases are usually discovered among foreign idol stars. Justin Timberlake was so, and Usher was so too. They have showed great results from not only for their star quality but also on [the quality] of their albums themselves. On the other hand, Korean idols have not been like that. A bunch of them were of half buried [unknown] members and half good-looking poster children, and after the groups have broken up, they would often disappear without ever having done activities. This is because they themselves haven’t been prepared. They might have done hard work in their own ways, but not all hard-workers mean they’re doing well. They can’t reach good results without goals and direction. [HOT] is an album that clearly proves what Taeyang was going for and what preparations he has had to achieve that. In that way, for listeners as well as Taeyang, [HOT] is an album that has showed, that well-prepared idols who have existed just in foreign countries, are possible in Korea, too.

Source: 100Beat
Translation by Myokoon @ alwaystaeyang
(Please credit when posting elsewhere)

GD&TOP, the knocked out meeting of the two boys who can play [NEWS]

GD&TOP, the knocked out meeting of the two boys who can play [NEWS]

In a noisy club, two handsome boys perform a leisurely dance. They don’t care about the surrounding attention and enjoy with the rhythm and mood. The presence of the two people themselves spurts the atmosphere of the club.

The name of the two charming, lively, and free boys are G-Dragon and T.O.P. A great style that’s so unique that it’s provoking is swirling around the two. The mutual understanding of them that never seemed to match is more gorgeous and spirited.

The picture that made female fans happy just by thinking of it was unfolded in the music video of one of their title songs . This music video was filmed in one of Seoul Itaewon’s clubs. The artists from YG such as Big Bang’s Taeyang and composer Teddy had a surprise appearance and got attention, swaying with the rhythm.

The he album that was released on December 24th in Korea had a rabbit that is the symbol for ‘Playboy’. If seen from far away, it looks like two fingers making a ‘V’. The partnership of the two boys that shows more confidence than boasting was full of surprises and shock.

The two people were competing in rapping and they started losing strength competing in their solo songs. T.O.P also sang in . The improvisations of genres were also eye catching. Triple title songs such as picked out the electronic style improvisation that was shown in Big Bang. But in the solo songs they created a unique atmosphere by improvising electronic and other genres. and created a rock atmosphere and had the old-school feel to it. featured 2NE1’s Park Bom.

The reason the two rappers’ activity news was so popular starts off with the point that Big Bang didn’t have any albums for 2 years. The point that the past 5 Big Bang years never had these two together, both of them composed and wrote the songs in the whole album as singer-songwriters are the reasons they’re so popular. The group Big Bang that has these two boys in it are planning to produce a new album at the end of this month in Korea, after 2 years and 3 months. Below is the question and answer session of the two people.

▲The point that Big Bang’s two rappers produced an official album is unusual. Who came up with the idea first and is there a reason?
 G-Dragon: I was preparing for the Big Bang album after my solo activity. TOP was also finished with the promotion of the movie and started working together with me and it turned out that we did a lot together. Even Mr. Yang listened to the songs and told the two of us to produce the album before the Big Bang album so we started working together.

▲Because of the successful launching of the union, the fans will probably expect the other members’ partnerships. Is there a member within your group you want to collaborate with if you had a chance?
T.O.P: Before producing our album Jiyong and I thought about lots of unions but since every single Big Bang member’s individuality is great, I want to collaborate with all of them.

▲I want to know the responses of the other Big Bang members when the production of the album was announced. Who was the person who had the most unique response? I also want to know the response of Mr. Yang.  G-Dragon: The other members gave us a lot of burden. They said we have to do well in order for the Big Bang album to go well and we also thought since Big Bang was returning after a long time, we had to polish the group.

T.O.P: Mr. Yang and the other members had good responses to our music. That’s also why the album could be produced.

 ▲It looks as if you have experimented with other genres other than electronic. The hip hop feel is also deeper and the rock and old-school atmosphere is produced. If you look at it another way, it also looks like confidence. Please explain about the whole album structure.
 G-Dragon: Firstly we wanted to include me and TOP’s different styles of music. As you said if in the songs like or include electronic and hip-hop sounds, in songs like or show some unique disco or a sexy feel that wasn’t common in the Korean pop music albums.

▲Songs like that showed the triple-title songs are also popular. All the 5 songs were later on included and promoted as title songs. Which song did each of you choose as the title of title? The reason?  GD&T.O.P: . After getting the song from a guy called DJ DIPLO we thought about how we should write the rapping. The beat itself was really monotonous and difficult to rap to. But we think the song was as successful as our efforts and DIPLO also said he liked the completed song we sent to him. This is why we felt more proud and good for the song.

▲You each put a solo song in the album. You also showed your roles as producers without regret. I want to know which points you considered and worked on.
 T.O.P: Since we each have strong personalities, when we acted as a group we all had to adjust to each other so some of us had to give up on our individuality. This is why we worked on how both of us can show our personalities when making our solo songs.

▲The form of how you two seem to be playing around instead of following a certain move looks new and fun. Whose idea was it to create a chicken fight or an arm wrestle in the middle of the stage? I want to know what you wanted to show us using the stage.
 G-Dragon: When us two and the choreography team were discussing, we talked about what we wanted to do this time and we came up with the ideas. Since the group Big Bang is a really free and fun group, we also wanted to show the audience a stage where we play freely on stage. If we play happily, the audience will enjoy the performance too.

▲A question for TOP. I heard that was based on a real life story. I want to know the specifics.
 T.O.P: It’s a song I wrote after reading a fan’s letter. I can’t tell you in detail but the contents of the letter were very sad and it broke my heart. I couldn’t go and help him/her personally… so I made a song just for that person. I wish that person would listen to this song.

▲The recent activity seems to be the introduction song to Big Bang’s activity. After Taeyang’s solo, GD&TOP activity, Seungri’s solo etc, Big Bang seems to be exploding after it. The expectations for this activity after 2 years are very high. I want to know how you feel about the coming Big Bang activity.
 G-Dragon: When the Big Bang members sit together and talk, we get to know that all our members want to see ourselves up on stage more than others. We’re pretty nervous to perform with the name of Big Bang and we’re curious about how well we’ll do.

▲Big Bang’s solo concert also gets a lot of attention from fans. What kind of stage will it be?
T.O.P: I think it would be a fresh performance since it would have our new songs in it. We’re planning to show all our new songs that have been recently included in the GD&TOP and Seungri albums so please be looking forward to it.

Source: Hankooki
Translator: Sophia (limesoda101)
Credit: limesoda101@ bigbangvip.net