Taeyang of BIGBANG, celebrating his 20th debut anniversary, is back with an album that captures his journey of finding his true essence.
During a listening session for his 4th full album ‘QUINTESSENCE’ held on the 18th at the Cube Convention Center in Sangam-dong, Seoul, Taeyang shared, “This album contains the process of searching for my essence.”
‘QUINTESSENCE’ features 10 tracks across various genres, with Taeyang participating in every single one to create a complete narrative. He explained, “‘QUINTESSENCE’ means essence or the purest form. When I started working on this album a year ago, the word that resonated with me most was ‘essence.’ I used that as the title, and it provided a lot of inspiration. I researched how to capture the process of finding my true essence and the purest form of myself through my music.”
Reflecting Taeyang’s long period of contemplation, ‘QUINTESSENCE’ allows him to solidify his unique musical color while expanding into a deeper and broader world.
Taeyang mentioned, “For previous albums, I always worked with producers I’d known for a long time, but this time I collaborated with a variety of producers. Tablo hyung also participated in writing lyrics for three songs. Many people helped me with this album in various ways.”
He added, “Since this year marks the important milestone of 20 years, I focused on what would be the most ‘me’ while still being new. After 20 years of activity, challenging oneself to be ‘new’ can be difficult. Even so, I pondered what new things I could do at this stage of my career. I believe those thoughts and attempts are captured in this album.”
‘QUINTESSENCE’ is his first new release in about three years since the second EP ‘Down to Earth’ in April 2023, and his first full-length album in about nine years since ‘White Night’ in August 2017.
Regarding the release, Taeyang said, “Actually, it’s always similar before an album drops. Many emotions and thoughts swirl around, but I’m happier than ever. I’m glad I can give a great gift to my fans on my birthday. Now that the album I’ve prepared for a year is coming out, I feel relieved and a mix of emotions.”
Today is actually Taeyang’s birthday. He revealed, “This is the first time in 20 years that I’ve released something on my birthday. It was originally scheduled for early this year, but the timing became tricky after I received an offer for Coachella late last year. I had to prepare for Coachella, and if I released the album before that, I thought I’d be too busy and unable to focus, so I pushed it back until after Coachella.”
He continued, “Albums are usually released on Mondays, and it just so happened that my birthday fell on a Monday. The company suggested releasing it on my birthday, so that’s how it happened.”
The new album includes a total of 10 tracks: the title song ‘Live Fast Die Slow,’ along with ‘Bad,’ ‘Would You,’ ‘Movie,’ ‘Open Up,’ ‘Love Like This,’ ‘Yes,’ ‘Now,’ ‘Goat,’ and ‘For You.’
About the title track, Taeyang said, “We live in a fast-changing era, but I’ve reached this position at my own direction and pace. The song contains my will to continue living and burning through each day according to my own speed and direction. I think it’s the fastest song I’ve released so far.”
Explaining why he chose the title track, he said, “In my previous album, I made many B-side tracks first and then created a title track that fit them. But for this album, I made every song feel like a title track. That’s why choosing the title was difficult, and I agonized over it until the end. In the end, I felt the lyrics of this song best describe the current Taeyang. Considering various factors, I thought this song was the most suitable as the title.”
The track ‘Would You’ features Tarzan and Woochan from Allday Project. Taeyang explained the collaboration, “Watching the Allday Project members debut and promote reminded me of how we felt when we debuted. I wanted to do something with them, and I thought their rapping would add that freshness and texture we had during our debut. Fans will be surprised by how well they completed the song.”
Taeyang shared, “While making this album, I spent a year reflecting on myself, searching for who I am, and asking myself questions. This music now leaves my hands and goes to the public and my fans, and I hope you enjoy it. If possible, I hope fans can share the various emotions and thoughts I have.”
On April 12 and 19 (local time), Taeyang performed as a headliner at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the US alongside other BIGBANG members.
He stated, “My mindset while preparing this album was that I didn’t want my promotions to be lacking. I want to show various sides of myself this year. Since it’s a big year marking our 20th anniversary, I’m starting this grand 20th-anniversary project with my solo album, and I’ll return with the BIGBANG members in various ways afterward. Please look forward to it.”
Taeyang’s 4th full album ‘QUINTESSENCE’ will be released today at 6 PM.
