Taeyang's first appearance in the entertainment industry was in the hip-hop group Jinusean's music video "A-yo". the collaboration eventually lead him to successfully auditioning into the group's record label YG Entertainment, where he became one of the rappers alongside fellow trainee G-Dragon. The two were later coined as GDYB. In 2003, Dong provided the rap verse in singer Wheesung’s single "Player" on the latter's second album.
Although Taeyang was scheduled to debut alongside G-Dragon as the duo GDYB, the plan was scrapped by their record label. Instead, they were joined by four other trainees (T.O.P, Daesung, Seungri, and So-1) to form the group Big Bang. Before their official debut, however, Sol-1 was dropped and their final lineup consisted of five members. Choosing the stage-name Taeyang (Korean: 태양, meaning sun), Dong abandoned the idea of rapping to focus on singing. The group's formation was documented on television. Although their debut was fairly successful, the group reached mainstream success with the release of their mini-album Always, which yielded the number-one song "Lies" followed by "Last Farewell" from the mini-album Hot Issue and "Day by Day" from Stand Up, both chart-toppers.
After contributions to singer Lexy's album, Taeyang was scheduled to release a solo album. Initially scheduled for a September release, the project was pushed back due to conflicting schedules with his group. Taeyang released his debut mini-album Hot on May 22, 2008, backed by a production team that included Teddy, Yang Hyun Suk, Kush, and his fellow member G-Dragon. Moving beyond the hip-hop genre of Big Bang, Taeyang incorporated mainly R&B songs into his album, stating that it was his "main focus". He expressed disappointment with the album, however, admitting that he did not write any of the songs; he later stated that he would do so in the future to express his "thoughts and ideas."
Taeyang's first mini-album Hot was well received by fans and critics alike, winning two trophies from The 7th Korean Music Awards for the 2008 Best R&B/Soul Song (나만 바라봐, "Only Look At Me") and the 2008 Best R&B/Soul Album (Hot).(Korean) He is the first "Idol group" or boyband member to receive such awards. The first single released was "Only Look At Me" (Korean: 나만 바라봐), an R&B song written by Teddy and Kush. Taeyang stated that the lyrics come from the perspective of a man who is "selfish" for wanting his girlfriend to be with him only, regardless of how he treats her. G-Dragon later recorded a "Part Two" version to the song. The second single was "Prayer (Korean: 기도)" which featured Teddy of 1TYM. Promotional videos were shot for both. In support of his album, he also staged his first solo concert, Hot.
Throughout the majority of 2009, Taeyang contributed to his group's activities, recording the song "Lollipop" with his group and labelmate 2NE1. He later flew to Japan to promote the group's Japanese albums. After activities ended, he went back to the studio to record and release his first digital single "Where U At", followed by another digital single, "Wedding Dress". Taeyang took his first attempt at composing by co-writing both songs with Teddy. Promotional videos were filmed for both "Where U At" and "Wedding Dress." "Wedding Dress" was voted #3 on an online poll for a Dutch radio station.
Taeyang's first full-length album Solar was released on July 1, 2010. Two versions of this album - the “Regular Edition” and the “Deluxe Edition” - was released. The regular edition contained 11 songs, while the deluxe edition, limited to 30,000 copies worldwide, had 13 songs, including “Only Look At Me” and “Prayer" from the previous album Hot. On the first day of sales for the limited Deluxe Edition of Solar, the 30,000 copies released by YG entertainment were sold out in online and offline stores.
On July 7, 2010, Taeyang released his solo album Solar on the iTunes for the first time in his music career. On July 9, 2010, Solar hit second place on iTunes' Top R&B-Soul albums chart in the United States and first place in Canada, making him the first Asian musician in history to attain such an achievement. The lead-single was "I Need A Girl" featuring his bandmate G-Dragon. His labelmate Sandara Park of 2NE1 starred in the music video for "I Need A Girl." The second single, "I'll Be There" and its music video were premiered on August 19, 2010 through Taeyang's official Youtube channel.
Taeyang's first international album, Solar International, breaks new ground as it will be the first ever K-Pop music release to be sold worldwide on iTunes as both an audio and video album. The audio version (complete with a digital booklet) hit iTunes stores on August 25, 2010 while the video version (bundled with bonus, behind the scenes documentaries) will arrive by September 10, 2010. The audio album combines both English and Korean hits from his past and present albums including "I'll Be There", "Connection (feat. BIG TONE), "Wedding Dress" and "I Need A Girl (feat. G-Dragon)." On August 26, 2010, Solar's International album made it to fifth place on iTunes' Top R&B-Soul albums chart in the United States, China and Japan, and third place in Canada.
NAKED
태양 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
왜 너여야만 되는지도 몰라
아마 이건 실수일지도 몰라
But I can't get you off my mind
네 눈을 마주친 그 순간
본능적으로 알았어 난
이 밤의 끝을 놓치지 말고 내 곁에 계속 머물러줘
This ain't the love you want
But you gotta know, you gotta know
난 너만 준비됐다면
모든 걸 잊고 we can get down
I want you naked
I want you naked
I want you naked
Don't be shy 진짜 네 모습을 내게 보여줘
I want you naked
Through the night 오늘 밤은 망설일 필요 없어
I don't know why but 이 모든 게 익숙해
그 이유조차 난 모르지만 that's okay
날 향해 수줍게 웃는 미소 뒤에
숨기고 있는 게 뭔지 궁금해
다 내려놓고 다가와 내게
This ain't the love you want
But you gotta know, you gotta know
난 너만 준비됐다면
모든 걸 잊고 we can get down
I want you naked
I want you naked
I want you naked
Don't be shy 진짜 네 모습을 내게 보여줘
I want you naked
Through the night 오늘 밤은 망설일 필요 없어
I wanna know what's on your mind
전혀 부끄러워하지 않아도 돼
Don't be afraid, baby, be mine
이 밤이 다 가기 전에
I want you naked
I want you naked
I want you naked
Don't be shy 진짜 네 모습을 내게 보여줘
I want you naked
Through the night 오늘 밤은 망설일 필요 없어
These lyrics to "NAKED" by 태양 (Taeyang) express a strong desire for intimacy and vulnerability in a relationship. The singer is intoxicated by their feelings for someone and can't understand why this person is the only one they want. They acknowledge that this attraction might be a mistake, but they can't stop thinking about them.
The moment they locked eyes, the singer instinctively knew that they shouldn't let go of this person, urging them to stay by their side until the end of the night. The singer is aware that this isn't the kind of love the other person desires, but if they are ready for it, the singer is willing to forget everything and be with them.
The repeated line "I want you naked" represents a desire to see the real, vulnerable side of this person. The singer asks them not to be shy and to show their true self. They believe there is no need to hesitate or be afraid because they are willing to accept and embrace the person with all their flaws.
Line by Line Meaning
내가 너무 취한 건지도 몰라
I don't know if I'm too drunk
왜 너여야만 되는지도 몰라
I don't know why it has to be you
아마 이건 실수일지도 몰라
Maybe this could be a mistake
But I can't get you off my mind
But I can't stop thinking about you
네 눈을 마주친 그 순간
The moment I met your eyes
본능적으로 알았어 난
I instinctively knew
이 밤의 끝을 놓치지 말고 내 곁에 계속 머물러줘
Don't miss the end of this night and stay by my side
This ain't the love you want
This is not the love you desire
But you gotta know, you gotta know
But you have to understand, you have to know
난 너만 준비됐다면
If I'm the only one ready
모든 걸 잊고 we can get down
Forget about everything and we can get down
I want you naked
I want to see you as you really are
Don't be shy 진짜 네 모습을 내게 보여줘
Don't be shy, show me your true self
Through the night 오늘 밤은 망설일 필요 없어
Through the night, there's no need to hesitate
I don't know why but 이 모든 게 익숙해
I don't know why, but all of this feels familiar
그 이유조차 난 모르지만 that's okay
I don't even know the reason, but that's okay
날 향해 수줍게 웃는 미소 뒤에
Behind the shy smile directed at me
숨기고 있는 게 뭔지 궁금해
I'm curious about what you're hiding
다 내려놓고 다가와 내게
Let go of everything and come to me
I wanna know what's on your mind
I want to know what you're thinking
전혀 부끄러워하지 않아도 돼
You don't have to be ashamed at all
Don't be afraid, baby, be mine
Don't be afraid, baby, be mine
이 밤이 다 가기 전에
Before this night ends
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jeong Hun Seo, Jun Seok Lee, Young Bae Dong
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind