Taeyang facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Taeyang
Taeyang at the premiere of Big Bang Made on June 28, 2016
Born	Dong Young-bae (1988-05-18) May 18, 1988 (age 37) Uijeongbu, South Korea
Occupation	Singer songwriter dancer
Spouse(s)	Min Hyo-rin ​ (m. 2018)​
Children	1
Musical career
Also known as	SOL
Genres	K-pop hip hop R&B EDM
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2006–present
Labels	YG YGEX The Black Label Interscope
Korean name
Hangul	동영배
Hanja	董詠培
RR	Dong Yeongbae
MR	Tong Yŏngbae
Stage name
Hangul	태양
Hanja	太陽
RR	Taeyang
MR	T'aeyang
Signature

Dong Young-bae (Hangul: 동영배; born May 18, 1988), known by his stage name Taeyang (Hangul: 태양) or SOL, is a popular South Korean singer. He first became famous in 2006 as a member of the K-pop group BigBang.

After releasing several albums with BigBang, Taeyang started his solo career in 2008. His first mini-album, Hot, was praised by music critics. It even won an award for Best R&B & Soul Album. His first full album, Solar, came out in 2010 and reached number one on the music charts in South Korea.

Taeyang's second album, Rise (2014), made history by reaching number 112 on the US Billboard 200 chart. This was the highest spot for a Korean solo artist at that time. The main song from the album, "Eyes, Nose, Lips", was a huge hit in South Korea. It won "Song of the Year" at several big music awards. His third album, White Night, released in 2017, also did very well. It topped Billboard's World Digital Albums chart for two weeks. Many music critics admire Taeyang's singing skills, calling him one of the best vocalists in South Korea.

Taeyang's Music Journey

Starting Out with BigBang

Dong Young-bae grew up in Uijeongbu, South Korea. He loved classical music and started playing the piano. When he was in sixth grade, he appeared in a music video for the group Jinusean. This experience introduced him to hip hop music, and he became very interested in it.

He met Yang Hyun-suk, the CEO of YG Entertainment, a big music company. Dong Young-bae really wanted to be a singer. He auditioned and was accepted as a "trainee." A trainee is someone who trains for a long time to become a K-pop idol. There, he met another trainee, Kwon Ji-yong, who would become his bandmate.

At first, Dong Young-bae and Kwon Ji-yong were going to debut as a hip hop duo called GDYB. But the company changed its plans. Instead, they joined four other trainees to form the group BigBang. Dong Young-bae chose the stage name Taeyang, which means "sun," because he felt the sun is the brightest star.

BigBang released their first album, Big Bang Vol. 1, which included Taeyang's first solo song, "Ma Girl." The group became very popular with hit songs like "Lies" (2007), "Last Farewell" (2007), and "Haru Haru" (2008). These songs all topped the music charts.

Growing as a Solo Artist

Taeyang performing on Big Bang's Alive World Tour in 2012

In May 2008, Taeyang released his first solo mini-album, Hot. He focused on R&B songs, a style of music he really enjoyed. Even though he was happy with the album, he wished he had written some of the songs himself. He later promised to write more of his own music in the future. The album had two popular songs, "Only Look at Me" and "Prayer." Taeyang also held his first solo concert series. Hot won him awards for Best R&B/Soul Song and Best R&B/Soul Album.

In 2009, Taeyang released two digital songs, "Where U At" and "Wedding Dress." "Wedding Dress" even ranked high in an online music poll for a Dutch radio station.

His first full-length album, Solar, came out in July 2010. It had two versions: a regular one and a special "Deluxe Edition" with extra songs. The Deluxe Edition was so popular that all 30,000 copies sold out on the first day! Taeyang helped create this album, writing and co-writing several songs. He won "Best Male Artist" at the 2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards. Both versions of Solar reached number one on the music charts.

Rise and World Tours

After working with BigBang for a couple of years, Taeyang focused on his second solo album. In November 2013, he released the song "Ringa Linga" before his album Rise (2014). Taeyang was very involved in making Rise, producing six of its songs.

Rise became a very successful K-pop album, especially for a solo artist. It reached number 112 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart in the US. It also topped the Billboard World Albums Chart. Two more songs from the album, "Eyes, Nose, Lips" and "1AM", were released. "Eyes, Nose, Lips" became his first song to reach number one on the Korean digital charts. The dance for "Ringa Linga" and the song "Eyes, Nose, Lips" were so popular that many people covered them online. "Eyes, Nose, Lips" was one of the top songs in South Korea in 2014.

Taeyang then went on his first solo world tour, the Rise World Tour, in 2014 and 2015. He visited 9 countries and 16 cities in Asia, performing for over 100,000 fans. At the 2014 Mnet Asian Music Awards, he won several awards, including "Best Male Artist" and "Song of the Year" for "Eyes, Nose, Lips."

In November 2014, Taeyang worked with G-Dragon on a song called "Good Boy." This song was a big hit, reaching number one on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart. Its music video has been watched over 300 million times on YouTube.

From 2015 to 2016, Taeyang toured with BigBang for their album Made, performing for over 3.6 million fans. He also appeared on TV shows, including the Infinite Challenge music festival and Show Me The Money.

White Night and Military Service

In January 2017, Taeyang announced he was working on a new album and planning solo concerts. He started his second world tour, White Night, with big stadium concerts in Japan. The tour visited 19 cities around the world, including places in North America.

Taeyang's third album, White Night, was released on August 16, 2017. It had two main songs, "Darling" and "Wake Me Up." "Darling" became a top 10 hit in South Korea. The album itself debuted at number one on Billboard's World Digital Albums chart and stayed there for two weeks. This made Taeyang only the second K-Pop solo artist to achieve this.

Taeyang also appeared as a judge on the TV show Mix Nine and was a cast member on Livin' the Double Life. On March 12, 2018, Taeyang began his mandatory military service in South Korea. He completed his service and was discharged on November 10, 2019.

New Music and Collaborations

In December 2022, Taeyang signed with a new music company called The Black Label. On January 13, 2023, he released a new song called "Vibe" which featured Jimin from the group BTS.

On April 25, 2023, Taeyang released his second mini-album, Down to Earth. The album included the main song "Seed" and another track called "Shoong!" which featured Lisa from Blackpink.

Taeyang's Artistic Style

Taeyang is known for how serious he is about his music. He discovered pop music, especially Michael Jackson, when he was six years old. He mostly became an R&B singer and dancer, but he also mixes hip-hop, soul, and electronic dance music (EDM) into his songs.

Dazed magazine said his music blends different styles, from punk to rap, and combines modern R&B with K-pop. Allmusic described his music as "smart, hip-hop-flavored pop." Billboard called him one of South Korea's "rare R&B stars." For his album Rise, Taeyang said he wanted to mix R&B and hip-hop with electronic, ballad, and rock music. He looks up to artists like Miguel, Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, and Michael Jackson. He is also known for writing many "love songs."

Taeyang's voice is highly praised. A Korean critic called his voice "luxurious" and "warm and full of emotion." In 2015, he was voted the third best K-Pop male singer by people in the music industry. The New York Times described him as a powerful and exciting performer on stage. The Straits Times highlighted his strong vocals and dancing skills, saying his free-style moves show why he is often called the "dancing king of K-pop."

Other Activities

Endorsements and Fashion

In 2017, Taeyang became the Korean ambassador for the car company Lexus. He even wrote a song called "So Good" for their new car model. Taeyang also worked with the Italian fashion brand Fendi to create his own clothing line called "Fendi for Taeyang." This collection included T-shirts, hoodies, jackets, and sneakers with his special daisy designs and positive words like "Faith" and "Passion." In 2023, Taeyang became a global ambassador for the French fashion house Givenchy.

Helping Others

In 2010, some of the money Taeyang earned from his albums, tickets, and music sales went to charity as part of YG Entertainment's "With" campaign. Taeyang's fans have also made donations in his name. For example, in 2014, they donated money to a foundation on his birthday. In other years, they donated money to build water wells in countries like Cambodia and Myanmar, helping communities get clean water. They called these donations "Taeyang's water."

Personal Life

Beliefs

Taeyang is a Christian. He has several tattoos that show his faith, including a large Christian Cross on his side and a tattoo on his back showing Jesus Christ.

Marriage and Family

Taeyang has been in a relationship with actress Min Hyo-rin since 2013. In December 2017, they announced they would get married. They had a private wedding ceremony on February 3, 2018. In September 2021, it was announced that Min Hyo-rin was expecting their first child. Their baby was born in December 2021.

Achievements

Taeyang has won many awards, including two Golden Disc Awards, three Korean Music Awards, three Melon Music Awards, and four MAMA Awards. His first album, Solar, was the first K-Pop album to be sold worldwide on iTunes with both audio and video.

His second album, Rise (2014), reached number 112 on the Billboard 200 chart, which was the highest for a Korean solo artist at that time. His song "Eyes, Nose, Lips" (2014) won "Song of the Year" at all the major Korean music awards, making him the first male solo artist to do so. In 2017, Taeyang was chosen as an honorary ambassador for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. He was also named GQ Korea's Man of the Year three times.

Discography

• Solar (2010)
• Rise (2014)
• White Night (2017)

Tours and Concerts

Tours

• Rise World Tour (2014–15)
• White Night World Tour (2017)
• The Light Year Tour (2024)

Fan Meetings

Filmography

Television

See also

In Spanish: Taeyang para niños