Made (stylized in all caps) is the third Korean-language studio album by South Korean boy bandBig Bang. Made was preceded by four single albums containing two singles each, which were released in increments from May to August 2015. After over a year of delays, the full studio album was released on December 13, 2016.[2] It marks the group's comeback after a three-year hiatus and their first full length Korean album since Remember (2008). The production of Made was primarily handled by G-Dragon along with long-time group collaborator Teddy Park. Musically, the album employs hip hop, EDM, pop rock, R&B styles with its lyrics examining expressions of doubt, worry, sexuality, and societal issues.
Made was received well by music critics, with Billboard naming it one of the 30 best boy band albums since 1990.[3] Commercially, the album was a success in South Korea and other parts of Asia, selling over 250,000 copies in the group's native country and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for over 100,000 units in physical sales. The album charted at number one on the South Korean, and Japanese national albums charts.
Ten of the eleven tracks on Made were all promoted as singles. Each single experienced commercial success in South Korea, charting within the top three positions on the Gaon Digital Chart and selling over 1,000,000 digital downloads. Each release was accompanied by their own music videos, which were directed by Seo Hyun-seung and Han Sa-min. The album's singles won various accolades in both South Korea and abroad, with "Bang Bang Bang" and "Loser" winning Song of the Year at the MAMA Awards, Melon Music Awards and Golden Disc Awards in 2015.
Background
BigBang released their second Korean language studio album, Remember, in November 2008. Two Korean extended plays were then released in 2011 and 2012 respectively. The members of the band focused on their solo careers, with each (except T.O.P.) releasing one solo project. The album was first announced in January 2014 by G-Dragon, but was postponed.[4] On April 20, 2015, YG Entertainment announced BigBang's comeback after a hiatus of nearly three years following Still Alive (2012).[5] Later, the trailer for BigBang's Made World Tour was unveiled.[6] Before the official album release, the Made project was divided into four parts, each of which included two singles that were released under each letter of the word Made, as M, A, D, and E. The first four parts were released on the first day of every month from May to August 2015, apart from the final part named E, which was released on August 5, 2015.[7] The single releases were met with success; the four releases topped the monthly Gaon Digital Chart, making BigBang the first act to have four consecutive monthly number-ones.[8] Additionally, three of the songs were among the five best-performing singles of 2015.[9] The last project was to release the full album in September. However, due to BigBang's world tour and busy schedules, the full album was delayed.[10]
On October 18, 2016, the members started filming music videos for the final release of the album in Cheongju. The second music video was filmed on October 15 in Seoul.[11] On November 22, YG announced that the release of the full album would take place on December 12, 2016.[12] On December 6, the lead single was revealed as "Fxxk It(에라모르겠다)".[13] The following two days, the second single was announced to be a slow R&B song named "Last Dance",[14] and the track list of the album was released, confirming three new songs along with the eight singles that were released in 2015.[15]
Composition
Music and lyrics
Made comprises an eclectic mix of songs,[16] with Billboard stating that the album is "testament to the versatility K-pop acts can show in the music and just how truly hard it is to call K-pop a 'genre.'"[17]AllMusic wrote that, in this album, BigBang's "trademark mix of dance-pop and R&B was blended with contemporary tropical and trap influences."[1] During the album's recording BigBang aimed to create an album that would allowed them "to do and show unexpected things."[18] Commenting about the variety of music genres, G-Dragon explained that "there are performance songs, and then there are songs of various colors. There will always be an unexpected twist." And added "because the album styles were different, it was a bit of a free-for-all."[19]
The record's lyrical content "introduced a more mature style" to the group, but "without losing the images they had enforced through previous releases."[20] In an interview, Taeyang said that the group "focused mostly on the issues that our society is facing and how we look at society." He concluded that they "wanted to have an exchange and sympathize" about their struggles with the public.[19] In "Loser", they describe the feelings of "doubt and unhappiness that accompany the everyday life of a self-proclaimed loser."[21] "Zutter", performed solely by the rappers of the group, G-Dragon and T.O.P, was noted for instead of the duo being "in reverence of themselves", they "are aware they are participating in a time-worn hip-hop tradition of unreasoning self-assertion and the debauchery that follows success."[22]
"Bae Bae" and "Fxxk It" were noted for their sexual "charms" and vulgarity, showcasing the group's ability to mix "heartfelt with tongue-in-cheek lyrics".[23][24] In contrast, "Let's Not Fall in Love" presents "the pressures and worries of starting a new relationship and committing to a person, and the potential pain that accompanies the risk of opening up to someone",[25] while "Last Dance" is a message to their fans and a reflection of the group's decade together.[26]
Songs
Made opens with "Fxxk It", a mid-tempo electronic hip-hop track with tropical elements.[26] "Last Dance" is a pop-rock ballad[26] while "Girlfriend" is a "hip hop throwback to the group's earlier efforts."[27] "Let's Not Fall in Love" is a pop-rock tune with a classic dance sound, including acoustic melodies and hazy synths.[21][28] "Loser" is a R&B track with the group's "brand of emotional hip-hop"[29] while the following "Bae Bae" was observed for "taking the popular trap genre and turning it K-pop with flecks of electronica and bizarre samples."[29]
"Bang Bang Bang" presents an "explosive modern EDM buzz" with a trap breakdown in the chorus, being called a "party anthem".[20][30] "Sober" showcased a "more rock-driven sound", a genre rarely heard from the group. The track includes "lush guitars mixed with a pounding percussion" with a "spunky delivery and [a] high-energy rock sound."[31] The following "If You" is a ballad centered "around sparse guitar strums, impassioned belts and haunting croons throughout the chorus."[31] "Zutter" is hip-hop song with a trap-driven beat.[22] The album ends with "We Like 2 Party", a "midtempo number with production that hits the midpoint between Steve Miller Band, One Direction, and Biz Markie", with a "breezy" and relaxing melody.[30][16]
Made was well received by music critics. Writing for Fuse, Jeff Benjamin described the album as "career-exemplifying," noting how it solidifies the group's artistry and personality.[24]Billboard chose Made as the sixth best K-pop album of 2016—praising the diversity of genres within the album and said "its value as a standalone piece of work is undeniable" and hailing BigBang as "one of the most universally loved acts on the scene."[17] Gwendolyn Ng from The Straits Times noted that the album "comprises an eclectic mix of songs", including the "breezy We Like 2 Party, perfect for a relaxing road trip with friends", the "emotional pop tune Loser", and the "pulsating anthem Bang Bang Bang".[16]
Likewise, Chester Chin from The Star called the album "cohesive and strong" and claimed that Made would "remind the K-pop audience on the fantastic musical geniuses who will elude them for the next few years."[27] The album was chosen as the best Korean album released in December by the music streaming service KKBOX, who called the record a "strong return" and highlighted how "Last Dance" makes the listeners fascinated.[35]
In 2019, Genius ranked it number 75 in their list of the 100 Best Albums of the 2010s, writing that the "signature mash-up sound" that was ushered through the record "has become a staple of the genre's artists of today." "Arriving after a two-year hiatus, Made didn't just show off the band's technical prowess and lyrical maturity–it also solidified Big Bang as international superstars."[36]Billboard named it the 17th Best Boy Band Album of the Past 30 years in 2020, referring to the record as the group's magnum opus as well as "one of the most impactful albums ever created by a boy band, South Korean or otherwise."[3]
Made was available for pre-order in December 8, in China on QQ Music, and in the first day the album reached 170,000 pre-ordered copies. Made surpassed 900,000 digital sales in less than a day after its official release in the site, and with QQ Music, Kugou, and Kuwo, which are considered as China's three major music platforms the album sold total 1,113,494 digital copies in the first day.[43] In less than two days the album surpassed 1,000,000 in QQ Music.[44] As of March 2017, the album has sold over 2.8 million copies in China's three major music platforms, making it one of the best-selling digital albums in Chinese history.[45]
In the United States, the album debuted at No. 172 on the Billboard 200 with 6,000 equivalent album units, 4,000 of which were in traditional album sales, earning the band their second entry on the chart. They also debuted at number one on the World Albums and the Heatseekers Albums charts.[46] In South Korea, the limited edition of the album was released on December 23, 2016,[47] and debuted at number two in the Gaon Album Chart,[48] with 100,000 copies sold.[49] On January 5, 2017, the regular edition was released, topping the Gaon weekly album chart,[50] and the Gaon monthly album chart, with additional 142,652 copies sold in January.[51]Made was the sixth best-selling album for the first half of 2017 in South Korea.[52]
In Japan, the Korean edition charted at number 23 on the Oricon Albums Chart, selling 2,538 copies.[53] On February 15, the album was released officially in Japan, topping the Oricon daily album chart.[54] According to Soundscan Japan the album sold 76,668 in the first day.[55]Made sold 101,364 copies in its first week, earning the group their fourth number one album in the Oricon Albums Chart.[56][57] Additionally, it was the best-selling album by a Korean artist in the first half of 2017 in Japan.[58]
Streaming
All eight singles released in 2015 were selected as the biggest K-Pop songs of the Summer of that year by Billboard, with "Bang Bang Bang", "If You", and "Sober" took the first three places consecutively. Additionally, the most viewed K-Pop music videos of that season were "Bang Bang Bang", while "Sober", "We Like 2 Party", "Let's Not Fall in Love" and "Zutter" took the sixth, seventh, eighth and tenth spots consecutively.[59]
In the Taiwanese music streaming service KKBox, all of the eight singles ranked in the top 20 of the best performing Korean singles of 2015,[60] while Made ranked eighth on Top 10 Korean Albums of 2016 list with only three weeks worth of streams.[61] As of June 25, 2020, the nine Made music videos have accumulated over 1.528 billion views on YouTube, and as of July 2, 2017, over 210 million views and over a billion audio streams in the Chinese video sharing websites such as Youku and QQ Music. On Spotify the album has surpassed 200 million streams.[62][63][64]
In April 2015, BigBang commenced their second worldwide concert tour in Seoul, titled the Made World Tour, which ran until March 2016. The tour saw shows in 15 different countries across Asia, North America, and Australia, and attracted 1.5 million attendees. On December 12, 2016, the group hosted a live-broadcasting on Naver V-App one hour before the release of Made, to celebrate the release of the first full-album in eight years with fans,[65] which garnered more than 1.5 million viewers.[66] The members also appeared on two episodes of the talk show Radio Star, on Infinite Challenge and, lastly, on Weekly Idol to promote the album.[67] They performed on SBS's end-of-year TV festival 2016 SBS Gayo Daejeon.[68]
^Kim, Jin-woo (September 10, 2015). "8월 리뷰, 상위 10개 제작사 매출비중 73%". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korean Music Industry Association. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
^Kim, Jin-woo (January 21, 2016). "2015년 음악시장 결산". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korean Music Industry Association. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
^ abcdNg, Gwendolyn (December 28, 2016). "Review: MADE – Big Bang". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on October 25, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
^"第32回日本ゴールドディスク大賞" [32nd Japan Gold Disc Award]. Japan Gold Disc Awards (in Japanese). p. 2. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
^Hwang, Hye-jin (December 2, 2017). [멜론뮤직어워드]아이유, 올해의 앨범상 수상 '상 욕심 없는데 타고싶었다' [[Melon Music Awards] IU wins Album of the Year Award]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved November 28, 2021.
