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.
Where U At
태양 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I'ma get you somehow
Just gotta let me know where you at
'Cause your man's comin', yup
첫눈에 마치 나를 아는 듯한
너의 낯익은 미소에 마주쳤을 때
내 발걸음도 멈췄어 baby
순식간에 지나간 시간이지만
그 순간 느낌을 기억해
왠지 불안해 다신 볼 수 없을까봐 yeah
널 다시 보려 나 뒤돌아 봐도
점점 멀어져 가는 너
Day and night, high and low
오늘도 난 너를 찾아 이 자리에 있어
I just wanna know if you feel the same
Where you at, where you at
지금 내게 말해줘
나의 사랑이 시작할 수 있게
Where you at, girl
I just wanna know if you feel the same
Where you at, where you at
언젠가 날 부를 때 이미 네 앞에 난 서 있을게
나의 외로움을 다 아는 듯한
그 표정이 널 못잊게 해 넌 날 이해해
Oh, then I wake up and I'm out my zone
Blink twice and then you're gone
혹시 너도 나처럼 힘이 들까
만약 이 차가운 세상에 부딪혀 지칠 때
날 만날 때까지만 제발 참아줘
널 찾아보려 아무리 달려도
점점 멀어져 가는 너
Day and night, high and low
오늘도 난 하늘 넘어 널 향해 소리쳐
I just wanna know if you feel the same
Where you at, where you at
지금 내게 말해줘
나의 사랑이 시작할 수 있게
Where you at, girl
I just wanna know if you feel the same
Where you at, where you at
언젠가 날 부를 때 이미 네 앞에 난 서 있을게
Now let's go
Let me break this down 지금 어디에선가
이 노랠 듣고 있을 너에게
지금 약속할게
You were meant for me
So I'll be there for you
I just wanna know if you feel the same
Where you at, where you at
지금 내게 말해줘
나의 사랑이 시작할 수 있게
I just wanna know if you feel the same
Where you at, where you at
언젠가 날 부를 때 이미 네 앞에 난 서 있을게 (난 서 있을게)
The lyrics of 태양's song Where U At describe the singer's desire to find and connect with a girl he has only briefly encountered. The vocalist is immediately struck by the familiarity of the girl's smile when they first met, and despite not even knowing her name, he feels a strong desire to find her. The singer becomes anxious at the thought of never seeing her again and spends day and night searching for her. He admits to feeling lonely and suggests that the girl may understand this feeling, as her expression has left a lasting impression on him.
The singer implores the girl to let him know where she is so that he can find her before it's too late. He wants to know if she feels the same way he does and if she does, he promises to be there for her. The lyrics are a romantic portrayal of the intense desire to find and connect with someone, even when they are still being completely unfamiliar with each other.
Overall, the lyrics of Where U At are emotive and describe the depth of emotions that can be felt in such situations. It also showcases the singer's vulnerability and willingness to be open with his feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't even know your name, girl
I haven't met you yet, so I don't know your name
But I'ma get you somehow
I'm determined to find a way to meet you
Just gotta let me know where you at
If you tell me where you are, I can come find you
'Cause your man's comin', yup
I need to act fast because I know you have a significant other
At the moment I saw your familiar smile
When I first saw you and your smile, it felt like I knew you already
My steps also stopped, baby
I couldn't move because I was so captivated by you
It was a moment that passed by in an instant
Even though it was a brief moment, I remember how it felt
Somehow it makes me anxious, I'm afraid I'll never see you again
For some reason, I feel uneasy and worry I won't have another chance to see you
Even when I turn around to see you again
Even when I try to look for you again
You get further and further away
You seem to be getting further and further out of reach
Day and night, high and low
Regardless of the time or place, I'm searching for you
Today, I'm here looking for you
Today, I'm still trying to find you from where I am
I just wanna know if you feel the same
I want to know if you feel the same way about me
Where you at, where you at
Where are you right now, I need to find you
Tell me now, so my love can begin
Let me know where you are, so I can finally start pursuing you
When you call out to me one day, I'll already be in front of you
The next time you call out for me, I'll already be there in front of you
You understand me because of that expression that makes it seem like you know all about my loneliness
Your expression makes it feel like you understand all about my loneliness
Oh, then I wake up and I'm out my zone
But then I wake up from my daydream and I'm back to reality
Blink twice and then you're gone
You disappear as soon as I realize you were never really there
If you're feeling tired and worn-out from colliding with this cold world, please hold on until you meet me
If you're feeling exhausted from the hardships of life, just hold on until we finally meet
Even if I run to find you, you seem to get further away
Even if I try my best to search for you, you still seem to be getting farther away
Day and night, high and low
Regardless of the time or place, I'm still trying to find you
Today, I shout out towards you crossing over the sky
Today, I'm sending out my voice across the sky towards you
Let me break this down, somewhere out there
Let me explain this clearly, you're out there somewhere
Listening to this song
I hope you're listening to this song
I'll make a promise right now
I promise you right now
You were meant for me
We're meant to be together
So I'll be there for you
I'll always be there for you
Tell me now, so my love can begin
Let me know where you are, so I can finally start pursuing you
When you call out to me one day, I'll already be in front of you
The next time you call out for me, I'll already be there in front of you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Young Bae Dong, Hong Jun Park
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@VerdeletG
no one in KPOP has a better hiphop feel than taeyang. whenever he dances he looks so natural
@JINGUE09
So True!!!!!
@EXOglobe
That's because your looking at KPOP not solo artists.
@VerdeletG
and that's exactly what I mean. Name one dancer in KPOP (that's not ONLY a solo artist like Jay Park) who has such feel for hip hop. In terms of solo artists, he comes in a close tie with Jay Park, for sure, but again in the whole genre of KPOP I do not know any dancer aside from Jay Park who dances so naturally and has such a feel for hip hop... in other genres i can name countless, but not in KPOP
@EXOglobe
VerdeletG Dance +sing: BTS, D-Unit, Old songs from B2ST
Sing+rap:Untouchable, Epic High, Dynamic Duo
These are just some I can name on top of my head their not 100% like Jay Park[can't wait for his album tomorrow] but their great.
@VerdeletG
BTS is my favorite, and DD is my top rap artist alongside Zico from block b, but in terms of hip hop dancing alone Taeyang has the most natural flow...
@user-cq4cl5pf1y
15년 가까이 된 노래인데 하나도 안 촌스럽네. 한국에서 가장 크리스 브라운 느낌 잘 살린듯...
@user-ir8lg6mo7c
크리스브라운은 크리스브라운이고 태양은 태양이다
태양은 태양 느낌인거지 비교하지 마라
@imsori8900
그냥 인트로부터 소름이다,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,레전드
@pinkypumpkins
To this day, this is still one of the best dances performed in Kpop history