Biography

The name BigBang/BIGBANG refers to two different artists:

1. Bigbang have been dubbed Norway’s Greatest Live Band, and have been a major force in the Norwegian music scene for over a decade. During the past two years, the band has spent time focusing on the American market. Based in California, they have toured the country, playing intimate gigs and promoting their American debut From Acid to Zen, a compilation of songs from previously released albums. The album was very well received and resulted in great reviews among others from Rolling Stone Magazine’s Editor David Fricke: It’s a shotgun buffet, like those early U.S. LPs by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones that combined album tracks and singles from unrelated sessions, and it succeeds the same way: like an instant greatest-hits record. Singer-guitarist-songwriter Øystein Greni has the right history in his genes — his dad sang in a Norwegian band that opened for Led Zeppelin in 1968 — and he grounds songs like “Early December,” “Hurricane Boy” and the brilliantly titled “From Acid to Zen” in the eternal power-chord charge and fish-hook riffs of the Stones and the Who. But Greni also has a knack for wringing fresh excitement from the familiar: the country-angel harmonies and ice-Byrds guitar in the new version of “Wild Bird,” the improbable dream of Badfinger and Hüsker Dü in “The One.” – David Fricke, Rolling Stone Magazine Edendale was recorded in the legendary Sound City Studios, with an impressive list of collaborators: Producers: Øystein Greni and Greg Richling (Wallflowers) Technician/mixer: Bryan Cook (Damian Rice, Jackson Browne, Stevie Nicks, Elton John etc) Mastered by: Gavin Lurssen (Robert Plant/Alison Krauss, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello) Guest guitarists: David Rawlings (Ryan Adams, Gillian Welch), Jared Nelson Smith (Hello Stranger) Release date in Norway: 9th of March Other territories: summer/autumn 2009

members as of April 2009:
Øystein Greni (Guitar, vocals)
Olaf Olsen (Drums, percussion and backing vocals)
Nikolai Eilertsen (Bass, backing vocals)

2. BIGBANG is a Korean pop group comprised of five members. The group was created by YG Entertainment through a long audition process that was aired as a 10 episode documentary. One member was dropped, and the official group debuted at the YG Family 10th Anniversary Concert on August 19th, 2006.

The five members of the group are G-Dragon/G-드래곤 (Kwon Ji Yong 권지용; leader, rapper, vocal), T.O.P/Tempo (Choi Seung Hyun 최승현; rapper, vocal), Tae Yang (태양)/YB Taekwon (Dong Young Bae 동영배; vocal, rapper), Dae Sung/대성 (Kang Dae Sung 강대성; vocal), & Seung Ri/승리 (Lee Seung Hyun 이승현; vocal).

In spite of the members’ young ages, they are a multi-talented group, trained in all aspects of music (i.e. singing, rapping, dancing, composing, and writing lyrics). Big Bang’s leader, G-Dragon, has trained with YG for six years; fellow trainee Tae Yang also trained for six years. Group member T.O.P was known in the underground hip-hop world for his beat-boxing and rapping skills, and is the oldest of the group. Dae Sung is the ever-smiling vocalist of the group, who still attends school regularly. Dae Sung is often praised by other YG artists for his singing. Seung Ri, the youngest member and the last member to be added to the group, is known for his dancing skills.