[The Center of Middle Eastern Hallyu Saudi Arabia③] Idol B.I.G More Famous in Saudi than in Korea

Male Group with Significant Recognition in the Middle East... "Most Audience Members Sing Along and Cheer"
Famous as K-pop Singers Performing Arabic Songs... Achievements Made Through Exceptional Effort

[Asia Economy Reporter Jonggil Lee] The ‘KCON 2022 Saudi Arabia with Coca’ held on the 30th of last month at Boulevard Riyadh City in Saudi Arabia was filled with excitement even before it began. This was because B.I.G took the stage beforehand and energized the atmosphere.

B.I.G is a male group that debuted in 2014 with the single album ‘Annyeonghaseyo’. Although they did not receive much attention domestically, they have considerable recognition in the Middle East. Han Eungsu, head of corporate PR at CJ ENM, said, "Most of the audience sang along and cheered," adding, "They enjoyed popularity comparable to top domestic singers."

This achievement was made through extraordinary effort. The starting point was their appearance on KBS World Radio’s Arabic broadcast in 2019. Considering the nature of the broadcaster, B.I.G practiced and performed ‘La Bezzaf’ by the Lebanese male group The Five. The response exceeded expectations.

B.I.G participating in 'KCON 2022 SAUDIARABIA WITH KOCCA'
[Photo by CJ ENM]

They gained great interest as K-pop singers performing Arabic songs. Kim Younghoon, executive director of GH Entertainment, to which B.I.G belongs, said, "We thought it was a waste for it to be a one-time performance, so we made it into YouTube content, which has been viewed over 6.5 million times."

Kim explained, "Building momentum, we also presented Abu’s ‘3 Daqat’ and Saad Lamjarred’s ‘LM3ALLEM’ in a similar format." The two contents have 15.05 million and 10.72 million views respectively.

Member Gunmin said, "It’s still a number I can’t believe," adding, "I study Arabic hard to meet the interest and support. From the time we prepared cover songs, I learned basic grammar and vocabulary. I thought fully understanding the meaning of the lyrics would help convey the feeling of the song well.

I also wanted to have light communication with Middle Eastern fans. I was happy to use it at ‘KCON 2022 Saudi Arabia’. Every time I spoke Arabic, the cheers grew louder, which was thrilling. When the audience sang along to the choruses of ‘Flashback’ and ‘Illusion’, I was overwhelmed with emotion."

'KCON 2022 SAUDIARABIA WITH KOCCA' [Photo by CJ ENM]

It was something they hadn’t imagined until arriving in Saudi Arabia. Although they gained recognition in the Middle East, they were unable to perform locally for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were limits to feeling their popularity through online concerts and other non-face-to-face stages.

Gunmin confessed, "Since I couldn’t meet Middle Eastern fans continuously, my motivation disappeared and I paid less attention." He added, "I shifted focus back to Korea and Japan and produced YouTube content, but I saw many comments written in Arabic. There are many K-pop singers better than us, but it felt like they kept watching us, which made me grateful and sorry. I am studying Arabic hard again."

Gunmin will enlist in the military within the year. He feels regretful about the gap that will arise again. He said, "I hope the remaining members maintain their popularity in the Middle East well and return on a bigger stage."

"In 2019, we were invited to the Blue House and performed in front of former President Moon Jae-in and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Who could have imagined such a thing would happen? No one knows what will happen next. Please continue to watch B.I.G’s activities."