"Still Life" () is a song by South Korean boy band

Big Bang The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...

. It was released via

YG Entertainment YG Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production compa ...

on April 5, 2022, serving as the group's first release in four years since "

Flower Road "Flower Road" ( ko, 꽃길, Kkotgil) is a song by South Korean boy band Big Bang. It was released digitally on March 13, 2018, by YG Entertainment, as a gift and a final farewell from the group to its fans ahead of a lengthy hiatus, as the band me ...

" in 2018, as well as their first release as a quartet. "Still Life" experienced commercial success, topping the charts in several territories upon its release including in South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. It debuted within the top ten on the ''Billboard'' Global 200 at number nine, making BigBang only the third K-pop group to do so since the chart's inception in 2020.

Background and release

T.O.P Choi Seung-hyun (; born November 4, 1987), better known by his stage name T.O.P, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He performed as an underground rapper before joining the record label YG Entertainment and ...

was the first BigBang member to enlist for his two-year service per South Korea's mandatory military service requirement in February 2017. The remaining four members continued group promotions without him, holding several concerts in various countries until December. In 2018, members

G-Dragon Kwon Ji-yong (; born August 18, 1988), also known by his stage name G-Dragon (지드래곤), is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion designer, known as the " King of K-pop". G-Dragon is the recipi ...

Taeyang Dong Young-bae (; born May 18, 1988), better known by his stage names Taeyang (meaning "sun" in Korean) and SOL (when performing in Japan), is a South Korean singer, songwriter and dancer. After appearing in Jinusean's music video "A-yo", Taey ...

and

Daesung Kang Dae-sung (Hangul: 강대성; born April 26, 1989), better known mononymously as Daesung and his Japanese stage name D-Lite, is a South Korean singer, actor and television personality who made his musical debut in 2006 as a member of the Sou ...

similarly began their military enlistment, thus putting group activities on a hiatus. The digital single "

" was released in March 2018 as a gift and a farewell from the group to its fans ahead of a lengthy hiatus, as the band members complete their mandatory military service. The group's fifth member,

Seungri Lee Seung-hyun (; born December 12, 1990), better known by his stage names Seungri (Hangul: ) and V.I (when performing in Japan), is a former South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, businessman and sex offender convicted of facilitating prosti ...

, was initially set to enlist on March 25, 2019. On March 11, however, Seungri announced his departure from the group as well as his retirement from the entertainment industry due to the controversy of his involvement in the

Burning Sun scandal The Burning Sun scandal, also known as Burning Sun gate, was a 2019 entertainment and sex scandal in Seoul, South Korea, which involved several celebrities, including Korean idols of popular K-pop groups, and police officials. It was the largest ...

. The rest of the band members were discharged from the military during the remainder of the year. In March 2020, despite reports suggesting otherwise, all four members renewed their contracts with

and were preparing for a comeback, which was eventually delayed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. On March 21, 2022 local time, YG confirmed that the group would make their comeback with a new single on April 5, 2022; the title of the track "Still Life" was unveiled three days later.

Critical reception

"Still Life" received positive reviews from critics. Angela Patricia Suacillo from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' gave the song 5 stars out of 5, saying that the track "honors the distance between where the group were four years ago and where they are now", adding that the song "reminiscent of soft rock from the ’70s and ’ 80s, ’Still Life’ excels at bringing out the unique vocal tones of each member". Suacillo felt that the song "close a chapter of their lives that's been left hanging for the past four years – whether or not this signifies a final bow from the group is something we'll have to wait and see". ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

''s Kristine Kwak felt the song shows BigBang's "vulnerability and growth", and how the members have become "more introspective and seem to be content with where they are at".

Commercial performance

Upon its release, "Still Life" topped all South Korean's domestic music charts and also topped realtime charts on major music streaming sites in China and Japan. The song debuted at number one on South Korea's

Gaon Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...

in the chart issue dated April 3–9, 2022; on its component charts, the song also debuted at number one on the Gaon Download Chart, Gaon Streaming Chart, and Gaon BGM Chart. "Still Life" remained atop the Digital Chart for three non-consecutive weeks. In addition, it also remained at number one on the Streaming Chart for five consecutive weeks. On the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

K-pop Hot 100 The K-pop Hot 100 is a music singles chart in South Korea, launched by ''Billboard'' in conjunction with ''Billboard'' Korea () on August 25, 2011. It is the second Asian ''Billboard'' chart after the Japan Hot 100. The chart used the same multime ...

, the song debuted at number two in the chart issue dated April 16, 2022, ascending to number one in the following week. In Hong Kong, "Still Life" debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hong Kong Songs in the chart issue dated April 16, 2022. In Indonesia, the song debuted at number eight on the ''Billboard'' Indonesia Songs in the chart issue dated April 16, 2022. "Still Life" debuted atop the charts in other Asian territories such on the ''Billboard'' Malaysia Songs for two consecutive weeks, in Singapore on the RIAS Top Streaming Chart in the chart issue dated April 1–7, 2022 and ''Billboard''

Vietnam Hot 100 The ''Billboard Vietnam'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Vietnam for songs, compiled by '' Billboard Việt Nam'' since January 2022. The chart is updated every Thursday ( ICT) on both the ''Billboard Việt Nam'' and '' Billboard'' websites. The ...

, which in the latter remained at number one for three consecutive weeks. In Taiwan, "Still Life" debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' Taiwan Songs in the chart issue dated April 16, 2022. In Japan, the song debuted at number seven on the ''Billboard'' Japan Hot 100 in the chart issue dated April 13, 2022; on its component charts, it debuted at number two on the Download Songs, number seventeen on the Streaming Songs, and number nine on the Top User Generated Songs. On the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

Combined Singles, "Still Life" debuted at number eleven in the chart issue dated April 18, 2022. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number eight on the

RMNZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

Hot Singles in the chart issue dated April 11, 2022, In Australia, "Still Life" debuted at number three on the

ARIA In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

Top 20 Hitseekers Singles Chart in the chart issue dated April 11, 2022. In United States, "Still Life" debuted at number one on the ''Billboard''

World Digital Song Sales The World Digital Song Sales chart (formerly World Digital Songs) is a weekly record chart compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Established in 2010—with the issue dated January 23—as one of 21 genre-specific s ...

making it BigBang's fifth single to do so. In addition, it peaked at number 24 on the ''Billboard'' Digital Song Sales in the chart issue dated April 16, 2022. In Canada, the song debuted at number 87 on the ''Billboard''

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

in the chart issue dated April 16, 2022. Globally, the song topped iTunes Top Songs charts in 33 regions and debuted at number nine on the ''Billboard''

Global 200 The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature ( WWF), the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or w ...

, with 34 million streams and 29,700 sold worldwide, making BigBang the third Korean group to enter the top 10 on the chart, and debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' Global Excl. U.S. in the chart issue dated April 16, 2022.

Accolades

Credits and personnel

– lead vocals **

– lyrics, composition **

. – lyrics, composition * Kush – lyrics, composition, arrangement, piano * VVN – composition * Vince – composition * Seo Won-jin – arrangement, guitar * 24 – arrangement, keyboard

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

Notes

References

{{Big Bang singles 2022 singles 2022 songs BigBang (South Korean band) songs Billboard Korea K-Pop number-one singles Gaon Digital Chart number-one singles Korean-language songs Songs written by G-Dragon Songs written by T.O.P YG Entertainment singles Number-one singles in Malaysia Number-one singles in Singapore