Taeyang Celebrates 20 Years with ‘Quintessence’: Essential Guide to His Latest Album Release

Translation result. ▲ Taeyang ⓒ Gwak Hyemi

[SPOTV News — Reporter Jeong Hye-won] Marking his 20th anniversary, BigBang’s Taeyang returns with an album that traces his search for artistic essence.

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.

Quintessence spans 10 tracks across diverse genres, and Taeyang was involved in every song, shaping the album’s narrative arc. “Quintessence means essence—the purest form. When I began this album a year ago, the words that stayed with me were ‘essence’ and ‘quintessence.’ I made that word the album title and drew a lot of inspiration from it. I wanted to document the process of seeking essence—what true essence is and how to express it through my music,” he explained.

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.

“For my last album I worked with producers I’ve collaborated with for years, but this time I teamed up with a wider range of producers,” Taeyang said. “Tablo even contributed lyrics to three songs. Many people helped bring this album to life.”

He added, “This year is a milestone—20 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.”

▲ Taeyang ⓒ Gwak Hyemi

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).

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. “I’m 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,” he said.

The listening session coincided with Taeyang’s birthday—the first time in 20 years he’s released something on that date. “We 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,” he explained.

He noted that albums traditionally release on Mondays, and his birthday happened to fall on one. “My company suggested releasing the album on my birthday, so we went with that,” he said.

▲ Taeyang ⓒ Gwak Hyemi

The new record features 10 tracks: the title song “Live Fast Die Slow,” followed by “Bad,” “Would You,” “Movie,” “Open Up,” “Love Like This,” “Yes,” “Now,” “Goat,” and “For You.”

About the title track, Taeyang said it expresses his resolve to live on his own terms. “We 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’ve ever released,” he said.

He described the difficulty of selecting a single lead single: “On 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.”

The track “Would You” features All Day Project members Tarzan and Woochan. Taeyang said watching them debut and promote reminded him of BigBang’s early days. “I 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,” he said.

▲ Taeyang ⓒ Gwak Hyemi

Reflecting on the creative process, Taeyang said making the album led him to examine himself deeply. “Over 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’ve poured into it,” he said.

Taeyang headlined the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the United States on April 12 and 19 (local time) alongside his BigBang bandmates.

He said he wants his activities this year to leave no regrets. “This year we’ll 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,” he said.

Taeyang’s fourth full-length album, Quintessence, is scheduled to be released at 6 p.m. today.