YG Entertainment debuts iKON (Photo : YG Entertainment)
There is no stopping the rising stardom of YG Entertainment's newest boy band iKON. The group is often referred to as the new Big Bang.
iKON gained so much attention since the group released their debut single "My Type" last month. The group also held its official debut concert on Oct. 3 in Seoul Olympic Park. Upon dropping their half album, iKON is fondly called as the new generation of Big Bang, which is the group's "sunbae" from the same company.
This is nothing new since YG CEO Yang Hyun Suk made references to some similarities of iKON members to Big Bang. In the survival program "WIN: Who Is Next," YG's top man said that B.I. has a lot of similarities with G-Dragon as both started careers as rappers at a young age and has high hopes for him. He added that Kim Jinhwan reminded him of Taeyang who has a deep understanding of music and both are the main vocals of their respective groups. In another episode of the reality show, Bobby compared his husky rapping ability to that T.O.P.
The comparison seemed spot on as Big Bang is set to celebrate its 10th anniversary next year and will mark the end of their 10-year contract with YG Entertainment.
However, Papa YG talked to South Korean publication Ilgan Sports saying that he is against on the comparisons made to his label's new male group. "They are both groups under YG Entertainment, and there are similarities, such as that they release self-composed music. So even though I'm thankful that iKON is receiving interest, it's an uncomfortable comparison from the view of producers, fans, and the members themselves. I think that this comparison, or competition, is unnecessary and not right," Yang said.
Meanwhile, three months after their debut in South Korea, iKON is already heading to hold their debut in Japan. YG Entertainment announced that the new boy group is set release their Japanese debut album in January 2016 and will embark on their "iKON JAPAN TOUR 2016" a month after, according to All Kpop.
