Taeyang responds to praise from music experts

When I entered Mnet's Standby Room (on the afternoon of September 2), I saw BIGBANG's Taeyang, who just woke up from his nap. Taeyang, who has just finished the recording for Cable Chanel Mnet's "M! Count Down" is waiting for the live show to start. After releasing his first solo mini album in 2008, Taeyang revealed his first album 'SOLAR'.

Taeyang said, "This period is the busiest since BIGBANG's debut (in 2006)". Additional tracks such as 'I'll Be There' are included in his 'SOLAR International Release Album' and it was released on Apple iTunes where it is climbing the R&B charts - number 1 in Canada, number 4 and 5 in Japan and America respectively. On the 25th and 26th, Taeyang is holding his solo concert at the Hall Of Peace, Kyung Hee University, located in Seoul.

From the survey, the 21 music experts from DongA Journal agreed that Taeyang is the number 1 idol from an idol group who will have a succesful solo career. He is also the best dancer as well as vocal singer.

When asked what he thinks about this, Taeyang revealed his trademark eye smile, "I'm a bit embarrassed, but of course I am thankful too. This makes me think that the effort I put into the album, as well as the stage performances, did not go to waste."

'I'll Be There', which is released internationally, comes in both English and Korean versions. On Youtube there are videos of foreign fans covering Taeyang's 'Wedding Dress' and 'Where U At', therefore it is safe to say that Taeyang may be aiming for an American debut. "Rather than suddenly announcing an American debut, maybe by slowly expanding the area of activities like what I am doing now, I will have better opportunities."

Taeyang chose R&B, a genre that solo artists rarely choose. "When I was young, I shared a room with my brother who is five years older than me. My brother always listened to Black/African-American music, so at that time, it was as if I lived with Stevie Wonder, Boyz II Men, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Brian McKnight and Jay-Z."

Because of his introvert nature, whenever his parents asked him what he wanted to be when he grow up, he always said 'pianist' instead of 'singer'. "If I said I want to be a singer, I was scared my parents will let me sing and I was shy." Taeyang entered YG Entertainment when he was 12 years old and went through six years of training before debuting as one of the five members of BIGBANG.

Taeyang did opening acts for various famous American singers including Alicia Keys and Brian McKnight when they held their concerts in Korea. "To stand on the same stage with the idols I admire since I was young makes me nervous. But as a singer representing Korea, I want to do my best."

For a period of time, Taeyang was said to imitate American singer Usher, "If I am simply imitating Usher's trademark performances, that will be humiliating because to stand tall, you have to fully understand Black/African-American music. But it's the same with what Usher said, 'to be the best you have to act like the best'."

To carry off sweet R&B songs like "I Need A Girl", Taeyang always make effort to be heart-touching. "This is very important to singers. In fact, after a long period of not having these heart-touching moments, I think I'm better at singing sad songs and I usually face a lot of difficulty when it comes to sweet love songs."

When the interview was about to end, Taeyang told the reporter there was something he must say. "I grow up knowing sadness from songs and films, but nowadays it is increasingly difficult to feel this (emotion). Competition is getting intense. The quality of music and films are fizzling away like bubbles...with teenage crimes and society problems. It is because they lack the experience of having a sad/real feeling. To produce music that can colour their lives is my goal."

Source: bigbangupdates via DongA Journal
Chinese Translation: losssanctuary @ BBChina
English Translation: J-Lene @ www.bigbangupdates.com