TAEYANG’s 2nd full album “RISE” is a tad late. Last year, BIGBANG’s SEUNGRI and G-DRAGON released their solo albums in order and T.O.P released a solo song as well. TAEYANG’s solo album was actually the first one on the list, but it came out last. It’s been 7 months since “RINGA LINGA” and 4 years since his 1st full album “SOLAR.”
Perhaps his patience was running out, too. On his Twitter TAEYANG wrote on June 1, “It’s tomorrow, finally. My 2nd album that I prepared for 4 years. It has been a long journey to get to the 9 songs. As I wanted to make the album worth the wait, I did my best. I believe my fans have been waiting more eagerly than I, and I wanted to come out into the world for so long—so I hope my music is loved by many. I humbly and truly thank everyone who waited for me. I hope my music can be of small condolences to you all. LOVE.”
The long preparation period only heightens the expectations for his new album. Considering his capability shown through his first album and concerts, the newest one would be worth looking forward to. In BIGBANG, TAEYANG is another member apart from G-DRAGON who takes up the biggest portion of the musical aspect. If GD is the producer of the group, TAEYANG is in charge of top performance. Saying TAEYANG is simply a member of BIGBANG would not be enough to describe him. There is one that always stands out in the group and that is TAEYANG. TAEYANG is an artist who demonstrates the “evolution” of an idol singer in the best way, differently from how GD does it.
TAEYANG’s evolution: From “HOT” to “SOLAR”
Through his first solo album “HOT” in 2008, TAEYANG revealed a side that separates him from BIGBANG, positioning himself solidly as a solo artist. While being the lead vocalist, he showed a full potential as a solo artist with his powerful performance and singing skills. It was safe to say that his performance skills were enough to follow the footsteps of Yoo Seung Joon and Rain. Through “HOT,” he made it clear that he is better than any existing artists in absorbing the trend of R&B.
TAEYANG won two awards “Best R&B” and “Best Soul” at Korean Music Awards (KMA) with “HOT.” The KMA is known for evaluating music solely on the musical values rather than commercial ones. The awards were a symbol of an idol group member being acknowledged for his musical talents. What was so special about it? Existing idol music focused on molding R&B into the Korean sentiment, but songs like “DON’T CHEAT ON ME” in the album “HOT” adhered to the original sentiments. This would not have been an easy decision for his agency, YG Entertainment. But going a step closer to the original pop was a successful way of breathing life into TAEYANG’s originality.
Such attitude was shown more vividly in his 1st full album “SOLAR.” TAEYANG would have been a perfect singer to fuse with American trendy R&B at YG Entertainment, which pursued African-American music. “Super Star,” “I Need A Girl,” “Just A Feeling” and “Take It Slow” are good examples that show groovy and seductive ambience of African-American music. As a result, the album “SOLAR” topped Canadian iTunes while becoming the runner-up in the U.S. He used to sing “Even if I cheat, don’t ever cheat on me” with naivety but now there is nothing awkward about him saying “we can fall asleep exhausted when morning comes.” That’s another change.
TAEYANG’s real charms come out at live performances. It does not matter whether it is at his own or at BIGBANG’s. With his toned figure, he performs most freely among the five members. He knows how to “play” on stage, and to excite the audience. Towards the end he even hums one of the fathers of funk, James Brown’s “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine.” African-American music indeed has a special place in his heart.
Does he evolve further in “RISE”?
“RINGA LINGA” released last year topped charts and all, but the song seemed more suitable for GD than TAEYANG. So some fans couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. So what is “RISE” like? In an interview after releasing “RINGA LINGA,” TAEYANG hinted, “Before I had African-American R&B as my basis, but now my interest widened and I learned to have a variety of style. Apart from R&B, there are ballad and rock-hinted music in the new album.” So in the latest album, you can expect to see a more diversified world of TAEYANG’s music.
“RINGA LINGA” released last year topped charts and all, but the song seemed more suitable for GD than TAEYANG. So some fans couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. So what is “RISE” like? In an interview after releasing “RINGA LINGA,” TAEYANG hinted, “Before I had African-American R&B as my basis, but now my interest widened and I learned to have a variety of style. Apart from R&B, there are ballad and rock-hinted music in the new album.” So in the latest album, you can expect to see a more diversified world of TAEYANG’s music.
According to YANG HYUN SUK, the executive producer, TAEYANG’s new title track “EYES, NOSE, LIPS” is a slow R&B song that maximizes his sentimental voice. This is unexpected, considering the fact that TAEYANG’s music used to revolve around dance performances. Perhaps it’s another sexy song like “Take It Slow.” It is also an album that will show TAEYANG as a songwriter, as he was involved in co-writing and composing of 5 songs including the intro “RISE,” “EYES, NOSE, LIPS,” “Body,” “Let Go” and “Love You To Death.” 4 years older than the pervious album, TAEYANG will be unleashing his masculine charm in the upcoming album.
TAEYANG’s album means something significant at this point—because the outcome of this album will have a butterfly effect on BIGBANG’s future performance.
source: YG life via PlanetYB
No comments:
Post a Comment