Taeyang returns with 1st studio album in 9 years, 'Quintessence'

BIGBANG's Taeyang poses during a listening showcase for his fourth solo studio album "Quintessence" at Cube Convention Center in Mapo District, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Taeyang, one of K-pop's most enduring vocal presences and lead singer of BIGBANG, returned Monday with "Quintessence," his fourth solo studio album and first full-length release since "White Night" in 2017. The record dropped on his birthday, a detail the artist called a meaningful gift to fans.

"I've been incredibly busy this year," Taeyang said at a press showcase held hours before the album's release at Cube Convention Center in Mapo District, Seoul.

"I was preparing for BIGBANG's Coachella appearance while finishing the album at the same time. I haven't had a single day off since the Coachella stage. But I'm more excited than anxious. I'm glad I can give fans something good on my birthday," he said.

As the title suggests, "Quintessence" is a record of self-distillation. Taeyang described it as an attempt to find what is most essentially himself after two decades in the spotlight.

"This year marks twenty years since my debut, which made it an especially important moment," he said. "While making this album I focused on what feels most like me while still being something new. The challenge is that, having already done so much, trying something truly new becomes very difficult. I asked myself what new things I could still do, and a lot of those attempts ended up in this record."

BIGBANG's Taeyang poses during a listening showcase for his fourth solo studio album "Quintessence" at Cube Convention Center in Mapo District, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

The album comprises of ten tracks. Its lead single, "Live Fast Die Slow," is, by Taeyang's own description, the fastest-tempo song he has ever released, and an expression of his determination to live on his own terms regardless of how quickly the world around him changes.

"Even as the era accelerates, I've always moved at my own direction and my own pace," he said. "This song carries the will and the attitude to keep burning just as hard, every single day."

The album also features a generation of younger artists alongside its veteran lead. ALLDAY PROJECT members Tarzzan and Woochan — labelmates at THE BLACK LABEL — contribute verses to "Would You," while Australian pop star The Kid LAROI appears on "Open Up."

Taeyang said watching ALLDAY PROJECT reminded him of what it felt like to debut.

"I thought that if they took a verse, the song would carry some of that fresh energy from BIGBANG's early days," he said. "They really raised the quality of the track."

BIGBANG's Taeyang speaks during a listening showcase for his fourth solo studio album "Quintessence" at Cube Convention Center in Mapo District, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

His connection with The Kid LAROI came through a more fortunate sequence of events.

"I'm not usually comfortable making requests that feel forced, but about a week later The Kid LAROI came to Seoul himself for a Spotify event," Taeyang recalled. "A mutual friend helped me arrange a dinner. After that he said he wanted to visit the studio, so I gave him a tour, played him 'Open Up,' and simply said, 'I hope you like it.' He said he loved it the moment he heard it."

Taeyang debuted as part of BIGBANG in 2006 and has since built one of the most consistent solo catalogues in K-pop. "Only Look at Me" (2008), "Eyes, Nose, Lips" (2014), "VIBE" featuring Jimin of BTS (2023) and "Shoong!" featuring Lisa of BLACKPINK (2023) form a body of work that has crossed borders and generations.

"Quintessence" will be accompanied by an exhibition running May 18-31, designed to expand the album's themes into a visual and spatial experience, offering listeners a different entry point into the world the record constructs.