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\u25b2 Taeyang \u24d2 Gwak Hyemi<\/p>\nTranslation result. \u25b2 Taeyang \u24d2 Gwak Hyemi<\/p>\n
[SPOTV News \u2014 Reporter Jeong Hye-won] Marking his 20th anniversary, BigBang\u2019s Taeyang returns with an album that traces his search for artistic essence.<\/p>\n
On the afternoon of the 18th at the Cube Convention Center in Sangam-dong, Seoul, Taeyang held a listening session for his fourth full-length album, Quintessence, saying the record chronicles his journey to find his core.<\/p>\n
Quintessence spans 10 tracks across diverse genres, and Taeyang was involved in every song, shaping the album\u2019s narrative arc. \u201cQuintessence means essence\u2014the purest form. When I began this album a year ago, the words that stayed with me were \u2018essence\u2019 and \u2018quintessence.\u2019 I made that word the album title and drew a lot of inspiration from it. I wanted to document the process of seeking essence\u2014what true essence is and how to express it through my music,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Quintessence, a word that denotes the essence or purest form, encapsulates concerns Taeyang has long carried. With this release, he aims to both cement his distinct musical identity and expand into a deeper, broader artistic territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor my last album I worked with producers I\u2019ve collaborated with for years, but this time I teamed up with a wider range of producers,\u201d Taeyang said. \u201cTablo even contributed lyrics to three songs. Many people helped bring this album to life.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cThis year is a milestone\u201420 years. When I began making this album, I focused on what feels most like me while still offering something new. After two decades, pushing into new territory is challenging, but I kept asking myself what new things I could try now. The questions and experiments are reflected in this album.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u25b2 Taeyang \u24d2 Gwak Hyemi<\/p>\n
Quintessence is his first new release in about three years since the EP Down to Earth (April 2023) and his first full-length album in roughly nine years since White Night (August 2017).<\/p>\n
On the lead-up to the release, Taeyang said he experiences a familiar mix of emotions before an album drops, but this time he felt especially joyful. \u201cI\u2019m happy to give fans a meaningful gift on my birthday. After a year of work, the album is finally out, and I feel relieved and full of mixed emotions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The listening session coincided with Taeyang\u2019s birthday\u2014the first time in 20 years he\u2019s released something on that date. \u201cWe initially planned an earlier release, but a Coachella invitation arrived late last year, which complicated the timing. Preparing for Coachella meant releasing the album beforehand would have left me too busy to focus, so we postponed it until after the festival,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
He noted that albums traditionally release on Mondays, and his birthday happened to fall on one. \u201cMy company suggested releasing the album on my birthday, so we went with that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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\u25b2 Taeyang \u24d2 Gwak Hyemi<\/p>\n
The new record features 10 tracks: the title song \u201cLive Fast Die Slow,\u201d followed by \u201cBad,\u201d \u201cWould You,\u201d \u201cMovie,\u201d \u201cOpen Up,\u201d \u201cLove Like This,\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d \u201cNow,\u201d \u201cGoat,\u201d and \u201cFor You.\u201d<\/p>\n
About the title track, Taeyang said it expresses his resolve to live on his own terms. \u201cWe live in a fast-changing era, but I arrived here by following my own direction and pace. This song captures my determination to keep burning each day at my speed and in my direction. It may be the fastest song I\u2019ve ever released,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He described the difficulty of selecting a single lead single: \u201cOn previous albums I often had many songs and then created a title track to fit one of them. For this album, I treated every song like a title track, which made choosing one especially hard. I wrestled with the decision until the end, but while writing the lyrics for this song I felt it described the current me best. Considering all the factors, I chose it as the lead.\u201d<\/p>\n
The track \u201cWould You\u201d features All Day Project members Tarzan and Woochan. Taeyang said watching them debut and promote reminded him of BigBang\u2019s early days. \u201cI wanted to collaborate with them. Their rapping brings back the freshness and texture we had at debut. They worked hard on the track, and I was impressed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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\u25b2 Taeyang \u24d2 Gwak Hyemi<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the creative process, Taeyang said making the album led him to examine himself deeply. \u201cOver the past year I spent a lot of time searching and asking questions. Now the music leaves my hands and goes into the hands of listeners and fans. I hope they enjoy it, and, if possible, share in the feelings and thoughts I\u2019ve poured into it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Taeyang headlined the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the United States on April 12 and 19 (local time) alongside his BigBang bandmates.<\/p>\n
He said he wants his activities this year to leave no regrets. \u201cThis year we\u2019ll show many different sides. To mark our 20th anniversary, I wanted to start a major project with my solo album, then return with BigBang in various forms. Please look forward to it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Taeyang\u2019s fourth full-length album, Quintessence, is scheduled to be released at 6 p.m. today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Big Bang’s Taeyang returns with the 20th anniversary album ‘Quintessence’, featuring 10 tracks exploring new musical colors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/cdn-union.tenbizt.com\/contents\/crawler-dev\/thumbnail\/2026\/05\/CP-2022-0020\/thumb-737bbe89-8d53-4e0d-a37b-a339a72885bc.jpg","footnotes":""},"categories":[278101],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-260812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"yoast_head":"\n