Taeyang태양

Taeyang (태양, "sun"; real name Dong Young-bae, 동영배) is a South Korean singer and songwriter and a member of the boy group BIGBANG, with which he debuted in 2006 after training at YG Entertainment.¹ His first solo EP, Hot (May 2008), won Best R&B & Soul Album at the Korean Music Awards, and his first studio album, Solar (July 2010), reached number one on the Gaon Album Chart.¹ In December 2022 he moved from YG to its affiliate The Black Label (더블랙레이블)¹, where he continues his long partnership with producer Teddy; YG said at the time that he remained a member of BIGBANG.²

His second studio album, Rise (2014), peaked at number 112 on the US Billboard 200³, then the highest entry by a Korean solo artist.¹ Its single "Eyes, Nose, Lips" (눈, 코, 입) won Song of the Year, a daesang (grand prize), at both the 2014 MAMA Awards⁴ and the 2014 Melon Music Awards⁵, and also at the Golden Disc Awards, making him the first male soloist to win Song of the Year at all three.¹ Its music video is his most-viewed solo video, with 326,495,259 views; "Good Boy", his 2014 release with G-Dragon as GD X TAEYANG, has 421,665,658.⁶

Taeyang began his military service as an active-duty soldier on March 12, 2018, and was discharged on November 10, 2019, alongside bandmate Daesung.¹ In January 2023 he released "VIBE", featuring Jimin of BTS, followed in April 2023 by the EP Down to Earth.¹ That year Givenchy named him a global brand ambassador, a role listed on DabPop's roundup of K-pop idols who are luxury brand ambassadors.⁷ He was also a featured artist, with Daesung, on G-Dragon's "Home Sweet Home", Song of the Year at the 2025 Melon Music Awards.⁵