Bang Si-hyuk

In this Korean name, the family name is Bang.

Bang Si-hyuk (Korean: 방시혁; born August 9, 1972) is a South Korean music executive, record producer and songwriter who is a co-founder and the chairperson of Hybe Corporation. He founded the record label Big Hit Music (formerly Big Hit Entertainment) and entertainment company Hybe Corporation both in 2005.

Bang Si-hyuk
Bang in June 2022
Born	(1972-08-09) August 9, 1972 (age 52) Seoul, South Korea
Other names	"Hitman" Bang
Education	Seoul National University (BA)
Occupations	Music executive record producer songwriter
Years active	1994–present
Title	Founder and chairperson of Hybe Corporation Founder of Big Hit Music
Father	Bang Geuk-yoon [ko]
Korean name
Hangul	방시혁
Hanja	房時爀
Revised Romanization	Bang Sihyeok
McCune–Reischauer	Pang Sihyŏk
Website	hybecorp.com

One of the 50 wealthiest people in South Korea according to Forbes Asia, Bang is the only billionaire in the South Korean entertainment industry. By July 2021, his reported net worth was an estimated $3.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Early life and education

Bang Si-hyuk was born to Bang Geuk-yoon [ko], former president of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Corporation at the Korea Social Insurance Research Institute,^[1] and his wife, Choi Myung-ja.^[2] Bang has a younger sister.^[3]

Bang developed a passion for music from an early age, having grown up in a musical home, but was discouraged from pursuing a career in the industry by his parents.^[4][5] Bang formed a band with his friends while in middle school and wrote and performed songs he composed.^[2][6] He attended Kyunggi High School before graduating from Seoul National University with a degree in aesthetics.^[7]

His distant relative, Bang Jun-hyuk, is the founder of Netmarble, South Korea's largest mobile-gaming company,^[8] while his maternal uncle, politician and former journalist Choi Kyu-sik, was appointed as the South Korean ambassador to Hungary in 2018.^[2][9]

Career

Bang debuted as a composer while in college.^[7] In 1994, he won the Yoo Jae-ha Music Contest and began his career in earnest writing and producing songs.^[10] He met Park Jin-young in 1997, and the pair often partnered together as a songwriting duo. When Park founded his company JYP Entertainment, Bang joined him as a composer, arranger and producer.^[5][11][12] One of their early successes was the first-generation group g.o.d.^[11] Some of g.o.d's most famous songs arranged by Bang include "One Candle" and "Road". Bang's stage name "Hitman" originated from this period, when g.o.d enjoyed success as one of the country's best-selling and most popular boy bands of the early 2000s, earning himself and Park a reputation as "hit makers".^[11][13] Besides g.o.d, Bang has produced or composed for many other artists, including veterans Im Chang-jung and Park Ji-yoon, singer-actor Rain, groups Wonder Girls, 2AM, and Teen Top, and R&B singer Baek Ji-young.^[11][13][14]

In 2005, Bang left JYP and founded his own company, Big Hit Entertainment, where he continued to write, compose and produce for its artists.^[13][15] Under the Big Hit label, he signed up RM, at age 15, who would go on to lead the boy band BTS.^[16] He co-wrote six songs for BTS in their 2016 album Wings. Its success garnered Bang the Best Producer Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards and the Songwriter Award at the Melon Music Awards that year. In June 2018, he was named one of Variety's International Music Leaders due to BTS' achievements.^[17]

In April 2019, Bloomberg estimated Bang's worth to be about $770 million.^[18] The BigHit initial public offering (IPO) filed in October 2020 was the largest seen in South Korea in three years and skyrocketed Bang's net worth to $2.8 billion,^[19][20] making him the only billionaire in South Korea's entertainment industry and the sixth-richest person in the country.^[21][22][23] The success of the IPO, together with the commercial success of BTS that year, Bang's steps into diversification with apps like Weverse, and acquisitions of companies like Source Music and Pledis Entertainment among others, landed him on the 2020 edition of Variety's Variety500, an annual index of the 500 most influential business leaders in the global media industry.^[24][25]

In June 2021, Forbes Asia published its annual list of Korea's 50 Richest People. One of only two newcomers to the ranking, Bang was listed as the 16th richest person in South Korea.^[26][27] On July 1, following an organizational restructuring, Hybe Corporation announced Bang's resignation as CEO of the company to return his focus to music production. He was replaced by Park Ji-won, but retained his position as Chairman of the Board of Directors.^[28][29] According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Bang is worth an estimated $3.2 billion as of July 2021.^[30]

Bang was featured on the cover of the April 2022 issue of Time magazine, together with BTS, following the release of the outlet's annual list of the 100 Most Influential Companies in March.^[31][32] Later that month, he received an honorary doctorate in Business from Seoul National University—he is the first figure in the entertainment industry to be awarded such—in recognition of his "contribution to the development and innovation of the nation's cultural and entertainment industry" and for his "role in turning K-pop into a global pop music culture".^[33]

Other activities

Philanthropy

In October 2022, Bang donated 5 billion won (approximately $3.5 million) to the Community Chest of Korea.^[34]

On February 17, 2023, Bang donated 200 million won to help 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, by donating money through Save the Children.^[35]

Production discography

Year	Artist	Album	Notes
2007	Wonder Girls	The Wonder Years
2009	Taegoon	1st Mini Album
	T-ara	Absolute First Album	Production and writing credits on "Like the First Time"
2010	2AM	Saint o'Clock
2011	Lee Hyun	You Are the Best of My Life
	Homme	Homme by Hitman Bang
	Lee Seung-gi	Tonight
	Teen Top	Roman	With composer Park Chang-hyeon
2012	Lee Hyun	The Healing Echo
2013	BTS	2 Cool 4 Skool	Co-produced with Pdogg
		O!RUL8,2?	Co-produced with Pdogg
2014		Skool Luv Affair
		Skool Luv Affair Special Addition
		1st Japan Single Album: No More Dream
		2nd Japan Single Album: Boy In Luv
		Dark & Wild
		3rd Japan Single Album: Danger
		Wake Up
2015		The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 1
		4th Japan Single Album: For You
		The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 2
		5th Japan Single Album: I Need U
		6th Japan Single Album: Run
2016		The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever
		Youth
		Wings
2017		You Never Walk Alone
		Love Yourself 承 Her
2018		Love Yourself 轉 Tear
		Love Yourself 結 Answer
	IZ	Angel	"Angel" with Supreme Boi, co-composed "Granulate" with Kim Do-hoon
2019	TXT	The Dream Chapter: Star
	BTS	Map of the Soul: Persona
		BTS World: Original Soundtrack
	TXT	The Dream Chapter: Magic
2020	GFriend	回:Labyrinth
	BTS	Map of the Soul: 7
	TXT	The Dream Chapter: Eternity
	GFriend	回:Song of the Sirens
	BTS	Map of the Soul: 7 ~The Journey~
	TXT	Minisode1: Blue Hour
	GFriend	回:Walpurgis Night	Co-wrote "Mago", production and writing credits in "Apple" and "Labyrinth"
	Enhypen	Border: Day One
2021		Border: Carnival
	TXT	The Chaos Chapter: Freeze
	Seventeen	Your Choice
	TXT	The Chaos Chapter: Fight or Escape
	Enhypen	Dimension: Dilemma
2022		Dimension: Answer
	Le Sserafim	Fearless	Executive Producer
	TXT	minisode 2: Thursday's Child
	Enhypen	Manifesto: Day 1
	Le Sserafim	Antifragile	Executive producer
2023	TXT	The Name Chapter: Temptation
	Le Sserafim	Unforgiven	Executive producer
	&Team	First Howling : WE	Production and writing credits in "Firework"
2024	Illit	Super Real Me	Production credits on "Magnetic"
	TXT	Minisode 3: Tomorrow	Production credits on "- --- -- --- .-. .-. --- .--", "Deja Vu" and "Miracle"
	Le Sserafim	Crazy	Production credits on "Crazy" and "Pierrot"
	Illit	I'll Like You	Production credits on "Tick Tack"
	TXT	The Star Chapter: Sanctuary	Production credits on "Over the Moon" and "Resist (Not Gonna Run Away)"

Lyrics and composition

Main article: List of songs written by Bang Si-hyuk

Recognition

Awards

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee(s) of the award, and the result of the nomination

Award ceremony	Year	Category	Work(s)	Result	Ref.
Melon Music Awards	2009	Songwriter Award	—	Won	[36]
Mnet 20's Choice Awards	2010	20's Most Influential Star Award		Won	[37]
Korea Music Copyright Awards	2011	Best Lyricist (Ballad)		Won	[7]
		Best Songwriter (Ballad)		Won
		Masterpiece Award		Won	[38]
Asia Artist Awards	2016	Best Producer Award		Won	[39]
Melon Music Awards		Songwriter Award		Won	[40]
Mnet Asian Music Awards		Special Awards – Best Executive Producer		Won	[41]
Golden Disc Awards	2017	Best Producer		Won	[42]
Gaon Chart Music Awards		Producer of the Year		Won	[43]
Korea Content Awards		Presidential Commendation		Won	[44]
Seoul Music Awards	2018	Producer Award		Won	[45]
Genie Music Awards		Producer Award		Won	[46]
Mnet Asian Music Awards		Producer of the Year		Won	[47]
Edaily Culture Awards		Frontier Award		Won	[48]
Pony Chung Innovation Awards	2020	Innovation Award		Won	[49]
Mnet Asian Music Awards		Best Executive Producer of the Year		Won	[50]

Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement

Publisher	Year	Listicle	Placement	Ref.
Billboard	2018	International Power Players – Recording	Placed	[51]
	2019	New Power Generation: 25 Top Innovators	Placed	[52]
		International Power Players – Recording	Placed	[53]

References

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