Why is BigBang not confined to an idol image?

With their cb, I've seen some chatter about how they've weathered their scandals in comparison to other kpop groups. It got me thinking about how BB aren't typical in the idol industry. They will have women in their videos while some groups avoid that to avoid fan backlash. They've had known relationships. Taeyang is married! We've seen them smoking and drinking in public while other idols get a lot of pressure to hide that if they do to the point that fans will bury those stories. Even something as little as having stubble will be hidden by some idols, while GD will take selfies like that. And ofc, yes, they've had their scandals.

So, what makes them different? Is the industry underestimating fans when they make their idols conform to certain images? Or is BB an anomaly somehow and they get away with things that would wreck another group's career?

Quote from penguinsgg

they were built closer to gen1 groups/american RnB groups when they first started, if you watch there early early stuff it might aswell have been a typical early 2k/90s boyband video, then along with them just keep that imagine/getting seen partying/ things likes suengri banging a japanese fan, kept them "non idol" like,

at the same time though you could argue them being like this is the reason they were never big physical sellers either,

e/ you could almost consider it not "selling out for maximum profits" i guess, at the same time they had full control of there career,

Oh that's a good point. They don't get as much hardcore fandom support due to not necessarily appealing to the same kind of emotional connections. Think they would be bigger if they did? Or would they lose other fans that don't like the idol label?

Quote from leqant

From what I've heard, Big Bang are seen more as 'legitimate artists' instead of 'idols' in Korea. This likely lets them get away with more scandals than the average idol would

Would it be possible to have both? Have the idol image while being seen as legitimate artists by the general public?

Quote from QueenMaknae27

BigBang isn't your typical idols

I think of them more as an artists than idols

What makes them different for you?

Quote from bbgc

Some reasons could be,

Self producing acts have a greater degree of "esteem" compared to the just performing idols.

Older acts have a greater degree of freedom than the younger.

2nd gen is not as scrutinized as the 3rd gen and later, you can see males and females interaction far more freely in the older videos and not subject to the "moral demands" of their fandoms.

IU is another such case.

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The generations thing is a good point. It seems like groups are more constrained these days, even with concepts. Like, you don't see the kind of sexy concepts groups used to do much anymore.

I wish bgs and ggs could interact like before. It's weird to see old interviews of GD talking about liking Dara. Imagine that happening now with like BTS and BP...

Quote from CherrySoda

They never had one. They had female love interests in their mv's from very early on, female dancers, talked about sex and ex's, didn't hide that they smoked.

So they never had an "I only want to date my fans... someday, I hope... so please don't cheat on me" stan-fishing idol image.

Should other idols be more free like that? It would pbly decrease the amount of delulus at least.

Quote from superyeah

I think the way they debuted had a lot to do with it. They were much more of a hip-hop group in the beginning. You could have considered them as K-hip-hop group instead of a K-pop group. They weren't really considered K-pop until their breakout song "Lies."

I find this to be an understated point.

By the way, I find it cool their hip-hop sound never left. They always included it in their music. As someone who struggled to like 2nd-gen K-pop back in the day, it was their focus on hip hop that served as the gateway towards K-pop for me.

This isn't exclusive to just BIGBANG in more recent times, though, by the way. Other groups these days are great bringing in fans who otherwise wouldn't have considered giving K-pop a chance. BTS, Stray Kids, and BLACKPINK have been excellent at this, too.

Just watch these videos and you'll know what I mean.

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Omg, baby bigbang.... DANCING! lololol

I can see how they weren't in the kpop mild from the very start.

BigBang was my gateway into kpop too and a lot of it was because they didn't have what I associated with the typical kpop sound. I still don't like most 2nd gen and am happy that there are so many more styles and genres represented now in kpop.

Quote from monalisalove

They debuted in a gen more freely where even dating shows we had and idols were there making couples so they took this opportunity to just be themselves. GD literally talked about his relationships in national tv and nobody cared as BB never sold an idol image. Since the beginning they introduced themselves as artists and as i said, their release strategies is amazing. They took everything in consideration during their hiatus (some with scandals) and what did they do? They released an "answer song" for the GP and for their fans. They always answered to the scandals trough their music, they always expressed themselves through the music so people started to believe in their songs and now we have a group still topping the charts, breaking records and being the talk of the town.

The fact that they were gone so long, had scandals, and then released with no promotion and are still doing this well is a testament to them, especially considering vips aren't exactly known for moving like a fandom lol.

Quote from nahri

I think it’s because think they were never marketed with the “boyfriend fantasy” right off the gate. They don’t seem to focus too much on fan service either nor pander to fans’ likes/dislikes. As for their music, it’s well known that BB has always produced their own music; one only has to look at their songs’ credits. That control over their music is one of the things that sets them apart and not merely seen as manufactured products churned out by their company.

They are artists first, always have been and continue to be to this day.