Made (BigBang album)

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.[5] On April 20, 2015, YG Entertainment announced BigBang's comeback after a hiatus of nearly three years following Still Alive (2012).[6] Later, the trailer for BigBang's Made World Tour was unveiled.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] Additionally, three of the songs were among the five best-performing singles of 2015.[10] 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.[11]

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.[12] On November 22, YG announced that the release of the full album would take place on December 12, 2016.[13] On December 6, the lead single was revealed as "Fxxk It(에라모르겠다)".[14] The following two days, the second single was announced to be a slow R&B song named "Last Dance",[15] and the track list of the album was released, confirming three new songs along with the eight singles that were released in 2015.[16]

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,[33] which garnered more than 1.5 million viewers.[34] 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.[35] They performed on SBS's end-of-year TV festival 2016 SBS Gayo Daejeon.[36]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
GIGsoup	84%[37]
Idology	(positive)[38]
IZM	[39]
The Star	8/10[28]
The Straits Times	[17]

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.[25] 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."[18] 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".[17]

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."[28] 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.[40]

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."[41] 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.[44] In less than two days the album surpassed 1,000,000 in QQ Music.[45] 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.[46]

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.[47] In South Korea, the limited edition of the album was released on December 23, 2016,[48] and debuted at number two in the Gaon Album Chart,[49] with 100,000 copies sold.[50] On January 5, 2017, the regular edition was released, topping the Gaon weekly album chart,[51] and the Gaon monthly album chart, with additional 142,652 copies sold in January.[52] Made was the sixth best-selling album for the first half of 2017 in South Korea.[53]

In Japan, the Korean edition charted at number 23 on the Oricon Albums Chart, selling 2,538 copies.[54] On February 15, the album was released officially in Japan, topping the Oricon daily album chart.[55] According to Soundscan Japan the album sold 76,668 in the first day.[56] Made sold 101,364 copies in its first week, earning the group their fourth number one album in the Oricon Albums Chart.[57][58] Additionally, it was the best-selling album by a Korean artist in the first half of 2017 in Japan.[59]

• BIGBANG – Loser M/V on YouTube
• BIGBANG – Bae Bae M/V on YouTube
• BIGBANG – Bang Bang Bang M/V on YouTube
• BIGBANG – We Like 2 Party M/V on YouTube
• BIGBANG – 맨정신 (Sober) M/V on YouTube
• BIGBANG – 우리 사랑하지 말아요 (Let's Not Fall in Love) M/V on YouTube
• BIGBANG(GD&T.O.P) – 쩔어 (Zutter) M/V on YouTube
• BIGBANG – 에라 모르겠다(Fxxk It) M/V on YouTube
• BIGBANG – ‘Last Dance’ M/V on YouTube