BIGBANG Spent Two Years Preparing for Their 20th-Anniversary Comeback
During BIGBANG’s appearance on a talk show with Yoo Jae-suk and Haha, G-Dragon was asked about the process of preparing for the group’s 20th-anniversary comeback. He admitted that things were considerably different this time because all of the members were no longer under YG Entertainment. The group spent roughly two years putting their plans together. “In the past, we were all under the same company. Since this was our 20th anniversary, we had already started putting together a rough plan internally about one or two years ago,” G-Dragon explained.
Today, each BIGBANG member operates under a different management system, making even simple decisions more complicated. According to G-Dragon, even after the members agree in their group chat that “we should do it this way,” each person still has to take the proposal back to their respective agency. Feedback from the different sides then has to be collected before a final decision can be made. “Even if we settle on something in our group chat, everyone still has to discuss it with their own company. Gathering all the feedback means decisions take much longer than they used to,” the BIGBANG leader said.
Taeyang added that the group still has matters to discuss with YG Entertainment regarding certain group activities, creating even more steps in the process. “BIGBANG is still affiliated with YG, so we have to discuss things with them as well. There are a lot of stages that need approval. In a way, I think that means we actually have to communicate with each other even more,” Taeyang said.
G-Dragon also highlighted the change from five members to three, describing it as a musical challenge as well. The group had to figure out how to develop a new sound that suited its current lineup. “With the lineup changing from five members to three, we also had the challenge of creating a new sound. I don’t know how much I should reveal yet,” G-Dragon said cautiously.
Recently, BIGBANG opened a new chapter with a series of activities celebrating their 20th anniversary. On August 19, the exact anniversary of their debut, the group released the music video for “BiiiG,” which quickly climbed to No. 1 on several Korean digital music charts. They also kicked off the XX: COSMOS world tour with three shows in Goyang, South Korea, beginning August 21, featuring more than 30 songs spanning their career. In addition, BIGBANG released a special 20th-anniversary light stick, introduced new merchandise and launched a variety of fan activities across South Korea, from exhibitions to promotional campaigns for their latest release.
BIGBANG have also taken a direct role in shaping the XX: COSMOS tour. According to Korean media reports, all three members have participated in various aspects of the concert production, from developing concepts and creating the setlist to shaping the overall stage presentation. This has allowed the tour to reflect BIGBANG’s own artistic vision rather than simply being a production designed entirely by an outside team.
The scale of XX: COSMOS has also been supported by an international creative team. The live band, led by Wow Jones, who has previously worked with artists including Usher, Post Malone and Rihanna, will accompany the group throughout the concert. The project also brings together Mike Carson, director of the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, and Es Devlin, the acclaimed stage designer behind major productions including the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. The involvement of creatives associated with some of the world’s biggest stages reflects BIGBANG’s ambition for a tour marking two decades in the industry.
The stage system has been specially designed around the COSMOS concept. It features a mobile LED screen weighing as much as 23 tons, incorporating multi-motor torque synchronization technology to create movements and stage effects in line with the overall artistic concept. The system is designed to bring the expansive “COSMOS” world to life and give BIGBANG’s 20th-anniversary performances a stage of an appropriately massive scale.
“BiiiG” is not the end of the anniversary project, either. G-Dragon confirmed that it is only the beginning of a series of releases celebrating BIGBANG’s 20th year. When Yoo Jae-suk asked whether “BiiiG” was simply a pre-release track and whether more projects were coming, G-Dragon confirmed that additional music would follow. He also emphasized that the 20th anniversary belongs not only to the three current members but also to the generations of fans who have supported BIGBANG throughout the past two decades. For that reason, the group wants to continue its musical journey and repay the love it has received by delivering the best work possible. After years marked by major upheavals, controversies and the departures of two members, BIGBANG’s ability to return with new music and embark on a major world tour is being viewed by many as a remarkable achievement in K-pop.
BLACKPINK: A Completely Different Picture
Although BIGBANG and BLACKPINK both celebrate their debut anniversaries in August and have reached major milestones in their careers, the way the two groups have approached these occasions reveals a striking contrast. Neither group maintains an individual exclusive-contract structure with YG Entertainment anymore, while YG continues to oversee their group activities. As a result, coordinating the members has become significantly more complicated than when everyone operated under one centralized management system.
BLACKPINK entered their 10th anniversary with a brief reunion of all four members Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa on August 8. Instead of becoming an especially memorable celebration, however, the event was overshadowed by disappointment among the fandom. YG Entertainment announced the gathering on August 6, just two days before the group’s anniversary. The initial notice even left fans confused by stating that only “some members” might be able to attend depending on their schedules. YG later confirmed that Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa would all be present.
The biggest controversy centered on the scale and organization of the event. Held at the National Museum of Korea, the gathering was limited to just 40 fans and lasted around 30 minutes, while the livestream was also relatively brief. For a group celebrating its 10th debut anniversary, many BLINKs had expected a much larger and more elaborate celebration, particularly because opportunities for all four members to appear together in front of Korean fans have become increasingly rare.
After the event, all four BLACKPINK members eventually issued apologies in an effort to ease fans’ disappointment. Jisoo acknowledged that there had been “issues with communication.” Rosé said she also felt regret and sadness that fans had been left feeling alone. Lisa expressed disappointment that an occasion that should have been a time for everyone to celebrate together had unfolded differently, saying she would not make excuses. On August 17, Jennie also addressed the situation publicly.
The biggest issue following the 10th-anniversary controversy is not whether BLACKPINK will disband, but whether the group can maintain its sense of unity under its new operating structure. All four members remain committed to group activities with YG, but each has simultaneously built an increasingly powerful individual career. In that sense, the 10th-anniversary event exposed the challenge of coordinating BLACKPINK as a group alongside four individual “empires.” For the fandom, it became something of a trust crisis. Some longtime fans even said they were leaving the fandom after the event because they felt the anniversary had not received the attention it deserved.
BLACKPINK’s 10th anniversary certainly did not lack the presence of all four members. What it lacked, however, was the sense of a unified plan that matched the group’s enormous status. BIGBANG, by comparison, spent roughly one to two years preparing collectively for their 20th anniversary, while also developing a wide range of music, performances and fan-focused projects around the milestone.
The contrast highlights a challenge shared by many groups after moving away from a centralized management model. Once each member has an independent company and individual career priorities, maintaining group activities is no longer simply a matter for the artists or their agencies. It becomes a complicated exercise in coordination, prioritization and building a collective plan that can meet the expectations of a highly invested fandom.
Sources: K14