BIGBANG are back on a world tour in 2026.
But for anyone who remembers the group from “Fantastic Baby,” “Haru Haru” or “Bang Bang Bang,” the first look at the current lineup may raise an obvious question:
Why are there only three members of BIGBANG now?
The group currently performing on the 2026 world tour consists of:
G-DRAGON, TAEYANG and DAESUNG.
BIGBANG originally debuted as a five-member group in 2006.
So what happened to the other two members?
BIGBANG Originally Had Five Members
The original BIGBANG lineup was:
G-DRAGON
TAEYANG
T.O.P
DAESUNG
SEUNGRI
Together, they became one of the most influential groups of K-pop’s second generation.
But BIGBANG’s lineup changed dramatically during the long period between their peak touring years and their current 20th-anniversary era.
The first major change involved Seungri.
Why Isn’t Seungri in BIGBANG?
Seungri retired from the entertainment industry in 2019 amid the Burning Sun scandal and related criminal investigations.
He was later convicted of multiple offenses, including arranging prostitution for investors, embezzlement and illegal gambling.
He is no longer a member of BIGBANG.
That leaves four members from the group’s classic lineup.
But there is another name longtime fans will immediately notice is missing from the 2026 tour.
T.O.P.
What Happened to T.O.P?
T.O.P participated in BIGBANG’s 2022 single “Still Life,” which marked the group’s first new song in four years.
But his relationship with BIGBANG changed afterward.
He left YG Entertainment in 2022 and later publicly indicated that he had left BIGBANG as well.
T.O.P subsequently focused on his own projects, including acting and other creative work.
That means the BIGBANG performing today is not the same five-member lineup that dominated K-pop during the 2000s and 2010s.
It is a three-member group:
G-DRAGON, TAEYANG and DAESUNG.
So Is BIGBANG Officially a Three-Member Group?
For practical purposes in the current era, those are the three members performing together as BIGBANG.
That became especially visible during their reunion performances and has continued into the 2026 world tour.
The official tour is built around G-DRAGON, TAEYANG and DAESUNG.
And this is not a small reunion performance.
BIGBANG’s 2026 tour includes 31 stadium shows across 18 cities in Asia, North America, Europe and Australia.
That makes the current lineup particularly significant.
Rather than attempting to recreate BIGBANG exactly as the group existed 10 or 15 years ago, the three members are taking the BIGBANG name into a new era.
Can Three Members Still Perform BIGBANG’s Old Songs?
This is where the reunion becomes especially interesting for longtime fans.
BIGBANG’s catalog was originally created around several very distinctive voices.
G-DRAGON’s rap and unusual vocal color, TAEYANG’s R&B-influenced singing, DAESUNG’s powerful vocals and the parts originally performed by T.O.P and Seungri all contributed to the group’s sound.
Performing those songs with three members therefore requires changes.
Lines have to be redistributed.
Arrangements can change.
And familiar songs can sound different from the versions fans have known for years.
For some VIPs, that inevitably brings back memories of the original lineup.
For others, seeing G-DRAGON, TAEYANG and DAESUNG together again is more important than trying to reproduce the past exactly.
London Shows How Much Has Changed
That contrast is particularly striking at BIGBANG’s September 26 London concert.
When BIGBANG last performed in the UK nearly 14 years ago, they were still known globally as a five-member group.
Now they are returning to London as three.
The venue is bigger.
K-pop is bigger.
The members are older.
And BIGBANG itself has changed.
Yet songs created during a completely different chapter of the group’s history are still bringing fans into a stadium in 2026.
Perhaps that is the most interesting part of BIGBANG’s comeback.
This is not five members trying to recreate 2012.
It is three members asking whether BIGBANG can have another chapter.
And judging by the scale of their 20th-anniversary world tour, they clearly intend to find out.