Taeyang performs at the Borneo Sonic Music Festival 2023. — Picture by Roystein Emmor (New users only) It's tax relief season! Get up to RM300 when you save with Versa! Plus, enjoy an additional FREE RM10 when you sign up using code VERSAMM10 with a min. cash-in of RM100 today. T&Cs apply. By Malay Mail Monday, 25 May 2026 4:34 PM MYT SEOUL, May 25 — Celebrating 20 years as a member of K-pop royalty BigBang, superstar Taeyang is marking the milestone with his most personal project yet: Quintessence, his first solo studio album in nearly a decade.Released on his 38th birthday, May 18, the album follows BigBang’s triumphant return at Coachella in April and represents a year-long journey of artistic self-discovery for the veteran idol, The Korea Herald reported.“Since this year marks BigBang’s 20th anniversary, the most important thing for me was figuring out what felt the most like myself while also being something new,” Taeyang explained at a listening party in Seoul.“I kept asking myself what kind of new challenge I could take on at this point.”The answer lay in the album’s title. He revealed that the words “essence” and “quintessence” guided the project, leading him to explore the process of searching for one’s true core identity after two decades in the spotlight.The 10-track album is a canvas of experimentation, seeing Taeyang collaborate with a wider range of producers beyond his usual in-house team at The Black Label. The opening track, “Bad,” created with American producers The Stereotypes, is a dark, performance-driven song reminiscent of his earlier work.The album’s main track, “Live Fast Die Slow,” is the fastest-tempo song of his career, reflecting his determination to move at his own pace in a rapidly changing world.He also brought in fresh talent, featuring Tarzzan and Woochan from the rookie group AllDay Project on the track “Would You.”“Watching them debut reminded me a lot of BigBang’s own debut days,” Taeyang said. “I felt their rap verses could bring the youthful texture and freshness that BigBang once had.”Former labelmate Tablo of Epik High also contributed lyrics to three songs, including “Movie,” which Taeyang admitted was the only track he didn’t co-write.“Tablo’s lyrics were already perfect,” he said. “I recorded it almost immediately.”By the end of the creative process, Taeyang said he arrived at a profound realisation: that one’s essence cannot be easily defined.“I realised what matters is the attitude with which I pursue those values,” he said. “Even if I feel like I have found the answer, it is not something I can simply define.”